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Published: September 7th 2009
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Hello!!
So we´ve been in Rio for a while and I love it! Here´s just some of what we´ve been up to....
Sunbathing on Copacabana and Ipanema beach has been our main activity when the weather is good. Both beaches are gorgeous.
On our second day we met up with Andy, Katie and Georgia (who are also going to Linklaters with Tracey and Franki) and went out to an indie night with them.
We went to see a local derby football match a week ago. The stadium was amazing and the fans were so involved, waving giant flags and setting off fireworks. There were two sending-off´s but it ended with a draw. Strangly there was even an Obama look-a-like there who we met and of course took photos with.
We went up Sugar loaf mountain in a cable car to see the amazing views over the city and chilled out with a beer at the top.
Thursday we started the first of 4 nights out in a row (making the most of every minute in Rio) by going with about 40 people from our hostel to this RnB club, which was a good warm up
to the parties that followed.
On Friday night we headed out to Lapa to the Street Parties (after a ´few´pre-drinks at our hostel bar). Tracey went to check if there was a toilet at a bar behind us then completely disappeared for 20 minutes and returned with 6 Brazilian friends in tow, none of whom spoke English - fun communication.
Saturday was spent recovering from Lapa on the beach and then we got ready to head out again to a Samba Rehersal. This involved us going to a club where they practice their routine for the carnival. The girls in their costumes were amazing (think lots of sequins and feathers on some and some people literally dressed up as gollywogs- racist??) and they move quicker than I think is humanly possible, there were even little kids who were amazing. We tried to join in and were given giant flags to wave and dance to the huge samba band who were playing.
Sunday night was my favourite, most energetic and embarrassing night all in one. Tracey and I went to a Favela Funk Party. It is held in one of the Favelas (the shanty-type-town) in Rio and so
we were given the following warnings before we went in:
1) Don´t try to buy drugs
2) We all leave together at 4am as they start shooting practise at 4.45am
3) If you kiss a local girl it´s free
4) If you kiss a local boy you have to pay
With this information onboard, Tracey and I ventured in hoping not to get shot. Inside it was so much fun! We made friends with 3 local brazilian girls and they showed us their dance moves, which involved lots of arse-shaking and popping, which they then taught us. We were the best of friends from that point on... until they started asking for Gringo´s (tourists) to come up on stage for a dance competition and our new friends volunteered us! So in front of 1000 people Tracey and I showed off our new dance moves and were proclaimed the best Gringo´s (although the Brazilian´s were rather better than us). The worst thing is that we keep meeting people now who remember us being on stage!
As if that wasn´t enough excitment on Monday I went hang-gliding over the city, which was fantastic. You basically sprint
off a cliff and glide over the buildings and ocean. I loved it!
Wednesday, we went on a tour of the favela itself, which was so interesting. There is such a contrast in the quality of living compared to ipanema and copacabana, but it is still beautiful and very colourful in it´s own way. The motorcycle ride up there was interesting to say the least, think windy roads and no safety gear, lived to tell the tale though!
After a week and a half in Rio we caught a boat to Ihla Grande to lie on the beach some more on the island. However, the weather had other plans so instead we ended up on a five mile hike through the forest and up a mountain (not the nice coastal path route we thought we had in store) in the humid, hot damp weather. And then Tracey was then stung by a black insect twice and then it came back to get me! The walk was worth it though as it took us to an amazing gorgeous beach called Lopez Mendez with squeaky white sand and turquoise sea.
We left the next day as the weather wasn´t
great and went to Paraty which a small ex-collonial town which very much resembles modern day European towns. It is in the middle of a ten day holiday at the moment so there are things on every evening, includeing some very Eurovision stylee dancing and singing by people who reminded me of Tina Turner and Chiquo!
Heading on to Iguassu Falls on the border with Argentina tomorrow so I´m hoping the weather stays hot and sunny. I am enjoying myself so much and have so mcuh more to come. I´ll update you again soon!
Jen xx
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