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Published: June 18th 2006
At The Feet Of Christ!!!
If ever i felt the urge to repent then i was in the right place....Well Hello Everyone!!!!
Hope this comes out ok but its my first one so any contructive!!! cristism on things feel free (exept spelling!!! can´t change that!!! it´s in my carictur!!), one thing i will do for other travelers that enoyed me when reading blogs (cause it wasn´t there!!) is have a little section on the cost of stuff at the bottom of each one....
Chapter One - Great Start?
'Missed Our First Flight´ yes we did!!! we think were gonna get round the world and we couldn´t even get out of London!!! Kay was pretty much there on time but i got there 1 minute after they closed the gate! 60 bloody seconds!! Could blame me loading up my ipod at the last second (but that´s unfair as it was pictures of all you guys!!) could blame michelle for the KFC (but thats unfair cause she´s too pretty!) so the best thing is "Who Cares!!" i´m in brazil on a little island off Salvador (more later) and very relaxed. Anyway i digress - so we went to camden to kay´s flat which she luckily had keys too still and managed to get flights for the next night....
Chapter
Heathrow
Our Last view of England!!! 2 - Rio De Janeiro
If you just read all the guides, after the "beware" section you may not fancy Rio too much! and that was certainly the case for me (after all was a little scared of the whole experience-well apprihensive?), its all dont flash ya money, dont where a watch, secret pocket etc etc... so when we arrive at our first hostel "Él Misti" it was a big sigh of relief "Arrrhhh", the place was really friendly and chilled, all hammocks and throws with travelling trinkets decorating the walls. It was run by an Argentinian brother and sister "Danny & Vicky" who were lovely and spoke good english, between them we owe a big hug for helping make our time in Rio...
This was always only a 3 day find your feet, swim in the see and plan our next bit of the trip... Arrived at about 1pm after 13 hour flight dropped our bags in our lovely air coinditioned rooms and headed out to Copacabanna Beach (very touristy but very nice too!!), we took the bus!! strange set up as you get on, walk past the driver and there is a second person setting at a turnstile
El Misti Hostel
"Where ever i lay my sack thats my home" where you pay and go through??, when we got there we took a few pics and got comfy on the sand only to be aproached by local "friendly" seller advising us not to let our bags out of sight or we'll lose them and even showed us a nifty trick of treading them over a parasol to detract theives!!! this was Lesson 1 "Take Photo's and return later for fun with just ya towel and drink money" we then took a 15min stroll to the next beach Ipanema which is less touristy but a better beach and headed back a little later to find food "All this time using very very little Portuguese and Kay´s faint memories of A'level Spanish to get us through!!! Really quite funny!!! For the locals!!..lol".... Our first attemp at food went suprisingly very well, a bit of pointing and a few chicken impressions got us a very clean looking dish of Chicken Rice Salad and Beans!! Everything comes with a small dish of earthy looking black beans that actualy you get quite partial too, set up our rooms and headed out for a drink (worst bottle of wine ever!!!!! It was a choice between Liebframulsh
Rent A Car In Rio???
Why not!! is was free after all.... and Country House!!! Easy Choice ye?? Never before have i wished to change my mind so much and have a exisite chilled glass of Lieb!!!).. Next Day- I know you guys had good weather!!! We never!!!! Heavens opened all night (which at the time distracted us enough to finish our wine!!) and was still going next day so through our plans out a bit.... was gonna do the sights but instead booked ourselves out of rio to salvador which sounds simple but invovled another little adventure back on the buses into city center!! All was very normal as far as city’s go just alittle on edge and less english!!! But we managed it and felt extremly accoplished after. But then it set in we had just booked a “”27 hour”” trip which was gonna be our first big land traveling test... That evening popped out for a couple of drinks had our first Caprahina’s which very srong very citrus but pretty nice! Then headed back fairly early (both very tired from last couple of days and active day tommorow) for a few games of cards in my room (tought kay shithead).....
Today we had to be on the ball as
Our First Brazilian Food!!!
Chicken-Frango Rice-vohaa? salad-Salardas Magic beans-???? but very clean and nice... we had to visit Rio’s most famous monument the Christ Statue which stand 1,700meters high watching over the city, its was built in 1922 and itself is 38 meters tall... Then get back down to Copacabana beach in time for Brazil’s first game!!! So the touristy way to the statue is a train tht takes you to the top and down but that all seemed a little striaght forward so we wanted to put our own twist to it and it did lokk a lovely walk (2/3 hours), we got the bus to the bottom was swamped with guides offering all means of transport but we shunned them with our plans to walk. One showed us a map of spaggetti streets leading right through the Flavela’s (shanty slums “No Go Areas”) and asked if we were shore?? We said yes and headed of upwards till we came to our first left or right decision didn’t wanna guess and turned back (feeling was we would save our get off the “beaten” track vibe for a better place), but not wanting to totaly fail we got a car ride to the top and walked halfway back down to the edge of the
Copacabana Beach!!!!!
Very beautiful with graet backdrop of firstly the city them beyond lush green hills all topped off with Christ watching over you!!!!! Flavela’s and caught a very local bus into town.... The views from the top were amazing and how they got this thing up there!!! Rio didn’t seem that vast untill now the place was huge, best wow moment so far...the walk down was ace too down a small windy road through the middle of this green lush jungle (still got the odd finger shake as people drove past to signal we should maybe not be here), not much wildlife as such but the vines trees and vibrant plantlife mixed with the odd break to expose veiws of rio and the sea was really quite special... So we got down caught our bus which insidantly we had no idea where it went was a wait and see moment, smaller scabbier bus tham were used too and at one point kay got a tap on the shoulder to keep her arm in or take her watch of!!! But this ride was great went all through the flavela’s and saw a lot we wouldn’t normaly see... When we arrived in the centre the place was MAD imagine all the unclaimed lotto prizes placed in the open air in the middle of London and
Vermin!!!
There´s a pigeon on me coconut what amma gonna doo there a pigeon on me coconut what amma gonna doo!!! someone declaring on TV run run take as much as you can carry!!!! That was the affect of every shop business or whatever closing at 2 for a 4 o´clock kickoff and about 60,000 people heading for this cash laiden train home!!!! So we thought we’d eat then get a cab, kay had been given this tranlation to use by a friend (Friend???) which said??? “can you tell me where to get a nice cheap meal” so we used it on this little old (i won’t rob you i’m small and smilely) man who preceeded to walk and point his way around streets to we really got of the main track and into the back streets, to be honest i stopped twice and said i wasn’t comfortable any more lets go back, but we didn’t and in the end came to this grotty doorway and was shown upstairs!! The place was a tardiss for this quaint little restaurant, hard to explain but outside dirty streets half clothed kid and adults, homeless lying around and scary vibe in the air with shifty people in every third doorway (couldn’t take any pics as i’m fairly fond of my camera!!!), in the place
Christ The Redeemer!!!
Christ statue from the city.... Never been religious but it kinda feels cool to see it standing there.... was a table of 3 well dressed and groomed brazials who we were introuced too and helped us order wine and some seafood (bareng in mind cheap meal was our remit!!), food was great and then the bill!!!!! R$136 now thats only about 30pounds but its also the difference a 27hour bus trip and 2hour flight!!! Average cost of meal so far has been R$10 about 3pound!!! Both shocked and gutted... Live and Learn... Left to get a taxi and was stopped by one of the workers on the way out the door who explained we should not walk on our own as to many guns in this area so he sent a runner to get our cab.....
Now its very hard for me to sum this up and i hope the couple of photos help but they are mad about football absolutly bonkers every pole window electrical cable person car stone leaf is decorated Green and Yellow and has been for weeks Flags Flags Flags... I was really looking forward to this hyped up opening game and was not let down at all... Game started 4pm local time and Copacabbana was jumping with locals... Every other game you watch
Half Way Up...
as it says.... in the day is interupted by constant updates on brazilian team for example “team get of bus at training ground!!” “Kaka crosses the road” “Ronaldo has egg for breakfast” which does get a little anoying as they shrink the game screen to show this???? ... So kick off came and every one was jumping around and singing all the ladies in little only rule i think is with the colour scheme!!!! They get so excited even if Ronoldinho beats a player you would think he’d just got his forth goal of the game!!!! Great experience can’t wait for the nnext game!!!! Stayed around with a new austrailian buddy for the after show celabrations!!!!
Left for the bus next morning and on to Salvador!!!!!!
Love too you all....xxx
Travelling bit- El misti R$40 own room and breakfast 3star, taxi to bus station R$15 Airport R$45, Cheap meal R$10 beer R$2-4 Christ train R$36 return, Flight to Salvador R$265-350 Bus R$180-190.......
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ruth
non-member comment
hi
hey its great to hear from you and so funny, we look forward to part 2