Rio - Days 9-10

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Finally arrived in Rios bus station after my mammoth journey from Argentina. The journey just flew by though, the seats were more like beds and fully reclined so I good a full nights sleep. I even watched Appaloosa again, not that I had much choice as it was piped over the speaker system. I don know what it is about that film but every time I travel its on, so know I have watched this film on the flight to India, the flight to Sao Paulo and the bus to Rio!!.

When I got off the bus I met up with a fellow Israeli traveller called Marine (who I would bump into again on Isla Grande and in Sao Paulo and wandered round aimlessly until a local took pity and pointed us to the bus to Ipanema.

The weather in Rio was awful, very cold and wet, more like Rochdale than Rio. Stayed at the Mango Tree hostel which had received good reviews but was very expensive for a hostel 50 reais (£17) but the atmosphere in the place was great, made loads of friends there, including my new chum Warren from Preston!!

After settling in we went out for a few drinks, our first stop was the bar across the road from the hostel which was called the girl from Ipanema (because the song was written by Mr Jobim there).
After that we ended up in another bar that was nearly empty except for 2 blokes at one table and two girls on another. This did not seem too unusual until a little later I turned round and saw that the two blokes were kissing like the world was going to end and on the other table the two girls were going at it hammer and tongues (pardon the pun), we’d walked into a gar bar!!! Anyway whilst I don’t mind watching the girls the 2 blokes was certainly putting me off my beer so we quickly drank up and left for the obligatory Irish bar. I dread to think what the 2 couples thought of us!!

Next day Warren and I wandered down Ipanema and Copacobana beach to downtown Rio and I finished the day visiting the macarana football stadium.

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