Macarana Soccer Game

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The soccer game was wonderful. It was, however, quite an interesting experience. We had read that we should consider taking a guide and paying extra money because the stadium wasn't in the nicest neighborhood. We decided to do it on our own after discovering it could save us about $60.50 with the exchange rate. (Mike wanted to make sure you knew exactly how much we were saving). The only problem we had was waiting in line for tickets. There were no lines...nothing to distinguish any sense of order. Instead of waiting in line for tickets we found ourselves trying to buy tickets with 300 passionate Brazilian soccer fans. We stood in a massive crowd of people for about an hour before we finally were able to purchase the tickets. We started to question our safety when we both spotted a 300 pound sweaty shirtless man headed our way. Out of the blue, he punched the guy right in front of us which led to a large opening in the crowd. Jody hung on to Mike to make sure they didn't lose each other. After the fight moved off into another direction we took advantage of the confusion the situation caused and jumped the line.

Once inside the stadium, we really enjoyed the experience. Macarana Stadium can hold 110,000 people. It is the world's largest outdoor stadium. The fans were unlike anything we had experienced before. There were drums, flags, smoke bombs, and flares going off before the game even started. Mike truly enjoyed the policemen with their large, attitude adjusting billy clubs. The video clip on this entry shows the crowd's reaction after a goal.

After the game we had our first experience at an authentic Brazilian churrascaria. The food was amazing. The Brazilians really do know how to do it right when it comes to beef.

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