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Published: July 12th 2008
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Itaipava
The local lager - very civilised with foil over the top. About 40p a can in the supermarket, a quid in the bars. Ross:
Busy day yesterday folks so updating the blog before I forget.
Pol & I got up relatively early for brekkie then headed to the main street in Ipanema to catch the 583 bus to Cosme Velho (R$2.10 each) with Erin from Kentucky...
Located at Cosme Velho is the lower station of the furnicular railway (cog train) up Corcovado, the mountain on which Christ´s statue stands. The cog train costs R$36 (about GBP12) return but we got a good discount with our YHI membership cards. The cog train travels up through Tijuca National Park which is mainly dense forest.
At the top there´s a few flights of stairs (or a lift and escalator) to Christ Redentor´s statue. Very busy with lots of tourists taking photos. Some good views over the city but a bit breezy and chilly out of the sun. There´s a small chapel inside the statue where Pol got reprimanded for taking photos. Heathen!
Took a few pics, had some light refreshments and discussed the failings of President Bush and US foreign policy with Erin before heading back down on the cog train. Downward journey was a bit more interesting with a small samba
The Cog Train
A bit steep (gradient) and a bit steep (price)... band performing live for half the journey.
Jumped on a bus headed towards Praca do 15 Novembre (most of the streets both in Rio and SP are named after dates?) and enlighted in Lapa, a slightly rougher area but lively in the evenings. Purchased a crap bottle opener (which has since broken) because the ones for sale in Ipanema are extortionate, and wandered through a few back streets in search of the street car (tram) station in Cinelandia.
Finally found the streetcar station. The tram runs once an hour so we queued with fingers crossed that we´d get on. Seems there´s no real limit to the number of people allowed on at any one time and, whilst I got a relatively safe position next to the driver, Pol and Erin were left to hang off the sides. One girl fell off and did an impressive combat roll before jumping back on. The viaduct crossing was a bit scary!
The driver pointed out a couple of local Brazilian restaurants so we hopped off (after prizing Pol´s white knuckles off the grab rails...) and headed back up the road. The area is called Santa Theresa and is generally a
Smile...
Pol in the way of Ipanema in the background. Jockey Club is bottom right. picturesque tree-lined residential neighbourhood. That said, whilst wandering back up the road we heard a series of gunshots in the distance suggesting that gang rivalry is still rife in the favela (was probably just fireworks, Mum). We wandered passed a small courtyard with a group of Brazilian school kids performing music and dancing. A guy waved us in and we had a brief nose around. Lots of arty/crafty things and a really nice hammock/swinging seat...
We settled for a small local restaurant called Bar do Mineiro which turned out to be in most of the guides as one of the better places to eat. R$40 (GBP13) fed all three of us with drinks as well. Really nice chicken, rice and black bean dish (a local favourite). A fight broke out between the proprietor and a punter (both females). Apparently, the punter had brought her own soft drinks on to the premise and wasn´t best pleased when asked to pay a $5 cover charge!? She then preceded to preach to everyone else in the restaurant about something or other in Portuguese. Free entertainment as well! Couldn´t have asked for more...
Waited for the tram back down but settled for
Pol & Erin & Jesus
Well done for resisting the urge to hold your hands out... a bus to Centro and then another back to Ipanema. A couple of Irish lasses tagged on as rumours had been spreading about my map reading skills...
Got back to the hostel about 7pm and chilled for a while before heading to a wonderful live music venue in Lapa called Rio Scenarium. Reputed to be one of the best venues in the city for live Samba and Bossa Nova and highly recommended by Marco aka Tony (our Brazilian musical guru/harmonica player extraordinaire/hostel barman - check out tonygaita@hotmail.com on facebook), the venue is like nothing else. Three floors filled with antique furniture, clocks, random paraphenalia and curios (old dentists chairs, an old Ford, various knackered upright and grand pianos) with a mainstage on the ground floor and a large back room with a second stage. A very impressive samba Jazz band were playing on the main stage but the place was fairly empty. We sat on some art deco chairs for a bit, then at a large oak banquet table before relaxing on a red velvet chaise-long. Very random.
Headed back in a mental cab ride at 100km/h through the city with our Dutch acquaintants (Frans - a jazz
Samba Band
Bossa Nova for your soul... and fusion piano maestro and Zocha - a jazz and classical singer) and flaked out at about 2.30am...
Woke to news that one of our new room mates (a psycho-bitch from london) had been somewhat disgruntled by my snoring and had thrown a bit of a wobbly during the night. Apparently she had been a bit over the top and had woken other people (who incidentally had also been snoring) but nonetheless sheepish apologies were in order. She laughed it off but Pol was really concerned during the night that she was gonna do something drastic. I slept soundly through it all... :-)
Word of advice psycho-bitch: USE YOUR EARPLUGS! THEY´RE NO USE IN YOUR BAG LOVE!
Decided against doing a runner today so gonna head off up north tomorrow. No injuries to report...
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