Final days

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True to my word I got up at 10 the next day, blasting Amin awake with the fan pointed at his head. We re-grouped and actually made it to Ipanema by 11am! It was crowded at that time, and by the time we left there wasnt a free patch of sand anywhere. It was a brilliant day, not a cloud in the sky, and the sun beating down and frying us all to a crisp. Thousands of people go up and down the beach selling things, you cant go 5 seconds without someone coming up to you. But then there were the characters you didnt mind, like the ´açai´ guy who shouted açai in a japanese accent, and the watermelon guy who sneaked up behind you, thrusting a watermelon in your face, and shouting ´watermelon!!´. Guess you had to be there. It was a long day - we all got very toasty - this time I managed to burn my lips quite badly. We came back and me and Josh went to Sugar loaf but got touted out by a man offering us a private taxi trip up to see Christ at sunset. We decided to go for it, and our first stop was in Cosme Velho - a beautiful old neighbourhood winding its way up the hills behind the sea. We got to the viewpoint, the sun was just setting - you could see the Christ statue as well as sugar loaf and all the neighbourhoods and beaches of Rio, it was breathtaking. We then carried on to the statue. Inaugerated in 1931, it was the largest art deco sculpture at the time in the world. It really is impressive, and of course very symbolic of Rio, so standing at its feet looking out at the glowing sunset over the sea and the coast, with the hilly outcrops - it was magical. We got driven back to our hostel, and it was straight back out again to eat at the same restaurant - I of course ate like a pig again. We came back to the hostel to drink a bit before going en masse to Lapa, a popular neighbourhood for partying on a Friday night.

We all got out the minibus and seemed to lose everyone straight away. The streets were jam packed with people, just drinking in the road and at outside tables. People milled in and out of bars, and samba music wafted through the air. ´god, i love Rio´ was never far from my lips. Of course it was a chaotic night of dancing and drinking and living the Rio life, and we ended up coming home all at seperate times - Mark getting the award for stumbling home at half 11 the next day, just as me and Amin were setting off for Ipanema. I said goodbye to Joel and Josh who were leaving, and spent another day cooking myself - the temperature reached 39 degrees, some people said low 40´s. It became unbearable and we came home at half 4. I showered and changed, and chilled for a bit waiting for the all you can eat BBQ that night. Went and got a kiwi juice - they have corner stalls here that squeeze pretty much any fruit under the sun for you - sooo nice. Re-met a couple of guys i had met in Salta - such a small world! Some Ecuadorian guys had moved into my room, and i was happily surprised to be able to speak some Spanish again. The BBQ was great, but i was utterly knackered after pretty much no sleep the past 4 days, and i gave in to my body and stayed in that night. The next day was a bit overcast, but I still went down the beach with the Ecuadorians, Sarah, a new girl in my room, and Brent, a larger than life actor from Texas (he was in Miss Congeniality!) The sun came out again for my last day tanning, and we were joined by Tom and Tristan from England, who i said i´d go with to the aiport the next day. The clouds eventually came in, and the heavens opened. We came back to the hostel, got in the jacussi and drank capirinhas until dinner, then the whole hostel was bussed to a favela about 45 minutes away to go to this massive warehouse to party with the locals. We went in and for those of you who have seen City of God, it was EXACTLY but exactly like Bennys leaving do - there must have been a good couple of thousand people there, complete with people doing synchronised dancing in one corner, and people breakdancing in another. It was soooo cool. It was the perfect end to a wonderful 5 days in this amazing city, and i was so happy to end it on a high.

And so ive come to the end of this trip. Its been an incredible 5 months. Ive seen and done so much that i am eternally thankful for. Ive lived and worked in one of the most vibrant cities in the world, ive walked on glaciers, cycled down an active volcano, and caught piranhas in the Amazon rainforest. Ive visited deserts, salt flats, cities, jungles, and seas. Ive seen amazing waterfalls, mountains, geysers, thermal pools, and incredible flora and fauna that I may never see again. More than this, my trip has been made what it its by the people ive met. I must have met hundreds of people in such a short space of time, and yet some i will never forget. So many people, so many characters, both good and bad. I could never start naming the people who made a difference - they know who they are; but special mention has to go to Gari and the Casa Crew, who truly became my family in BA, and who i will always love. During this time away ive experienced remarkably different cultures, been allowed to dip into lives utterly different from my own. I think ive learned a little bit more about this world and its cultures; and a lot more, by comparison, about my own culture - and for that i am grateful. So before I bore you all with cliches, i´ll leave it at that. To all the people i met - thankyou for making this the trip of a lifetime. To all the people i left behind - i missed you more than i ever thought possible, but i took you with me every step of the way. Look out Britain, im coming home!!!!

ps. tune in in February for the next adventure!

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