Brazil - Rio de Janeiro & Buzios

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On Thursday 4 June 2009 I met Ian at Heathrow and we got our BA flight to Rio de Janeiro. It was 9.30pm local time when we landed and by the time we took a taxi to Orla Hotel, we just wanted to go to bed. After a good sleep, we had a nice breakfast at the hotel and then went to the rooftop to check out the view over the Copacobana. It was only 10.30am but already the temperature was close to 30 degrees and there wasn´t a cloud in the sky. After taking a stroll along Copacobana beach, we went to meet our friends on Ipanema beach. It was great to see Steve & Marcella, Gareth & Sarah, Marcus, Anthony and Dave. The afternoon was spent catching up with everyone, sunbathing and showing the locals how to play football. We watched the sunset over Ipanema before going back to the hotel for a couple of hours. That evening we all went out for dinner in Gavea before going to Lapa which is the place to go on a Friday night. The streets were packed with people and the numerous little stalls selling cheap alcohol and food ensured everyone was enjoying themselves. As the night progressed, the numbers in our group decreased until only Ian and I were left drinking on the street until 6am. We managed to wake up at 10am and rushed downstairs to get the lovely free breakfast on offer at the hotel. Plans to watch the Kazakhstan Vs England game at 12.45pm were shelved when we went back to bed and didn´t wake up until 2.30pm. The weather was not great so we just took a stroll along the Copacobana and then stopped for some food. The Brazil game was on at 4pm so we returned to the hotel room to watch it on TV. Feeling like we should do something to combat all the food and alcohol we had consumed, we went to the hotel gym on the rooftop. If only all treadmills looked out over Copacobana beach. 6km and a dodgy knee later, it was time to get ready and we met the others at the Churrascaria Carretao restaurant in Ipanema. This ´all you can eat´ restaurant was amazing, the food was excellent and the waiters did not stop bringing fine cuts of various meats to the table. The food was washed down with beer and caipirinhas and we were careful to leave room for more alcohol later. We all headed straight to a cool/trendy bar where Ian and I managed to stay until closing at 6am. After impressively avoiding Bob's Burger´s on the way home, we were rewarded at the hotel as breakfast had already begun. We had to wake up at 12.30pm to view an apartment that we required for a week starting Monday. It wasn´t much fun looking at an apartment after 3 hours sleep with a severe hangover so we decided to take it after little negotiation. However, we did not have enough cash on us to cover the deposit so we had to walk around numerous banks trying each ATM with our bank cards being declined each time. Luckily they accepted all the money we had on us (about 30 pound). So we were now tired, hungover, thirsty and hungry with no money so we went back to the hotel for a siesta. A call to the banks in the UK ensured we were able to get money out and we were able to meet the others to go to the Maracana to watch Botafogo Vs Fluminese. After watching the first half from the centre line, we spent the second half in the Fluminese end of the ground. They did not stop chanting and jumping up and down for the entire half and they were rewarded when they broke the deadlock with just a few minutes of the game remaining. It was good to see the reaction and celebrations of the fans and to be a part of it. We all took taxi´s home in the pouring rain and Ian and I were too tired to go out drinking so we just went out for a nice meal at Eclipse. On Monday, we checked out of the hotel and into our 3 bedroom apartment. The afternoon was spent on Ipanema beach and in the evening we went to Shenannigan´s Irish Pub. At 10pm, I went to meet Barlow at our apartment as he had just arrived from London. It was straight back to the pub before going to a club until the early hours. We didn´t surface until 2pm on Tuesday so we decided just to go to Sugar Loaf Mountain for sunset. Ian, Barlow and I went back to Churrascaria Carretao for dinner and then to the Lord Jim pub for a few beers while listening to the live band and watching the NBA finals on TV. We were all really tired so had an easy night but we still managed to stay out until 2am. Wednesday was another beach day on Ipanema. Steve and I were playing football on the beach and showing off our skills until we were too tired and hot to continue. We went to cool off in the sea but I became caught in the strong currents and the big waves kept crashing me against the sea bed. When I managed to get my head above water, I noticed that I had drifted far from Steve. With no energy left, I had to call out to him for help. In true Baywatch fashion he swam over and rescued me. My HERO!! It probably didn´t help that I had not eaten or had anything to drink that day. At 3pm I did the sensible thing and went to the pub to watch England Vs Andorra over a couple of bottles of Skol. That evening (after a couple of litres of water), we went out to a bar to watch the Brazil Vs Paraguay game. All the bars were extremely busy as Thursday was a public holiday. The lines at the first two clubs we wanted to go to were just too long so we ended up in a club called House where it looked as though most people were over 40. Several caipirinhas later and it was soon 6am closing time. I slept for most of Thursday afternoon and woke up in time to go to dinner. It was yet another farewell as we said goodbye to Steve, Gareth and Sarah. This just left Ian, Barlow, Anthony and I so we went for a couple of drinks before going back to the apartment to watch the NBA finals on TV. The weather was not great on Friday so Barlow and I spent the day in different pubs trying a different beer each time. Friday night was Lapa night so we decided to start of in Shenannigan´s for a couple before going to Lapa in a taxi. However, once again the Irish pub was buzzing and before we knew it, it was 3.30am. The streets were still quite busy when we arrived in Lapa at 4am so we stayed there for a couple of hours. Ant and I then thought it would be a good idea to carry on drinking at the apartment until 10am. After a couple of hours sleep, Ian, Barlow and I went on a favella tour while Ant prepared to go home. On the tour, as soon as we drove into the favella our driver punctured a tyre as he parked at our first stop. This left us hanging around the street and we had no option but to walk through the favella. We waited on a rooftop for about 45 minutes until the tyre was changed and we were able to continue. The lasting memory of the tour was seeing young men on the street (probably teenagers) carrying large automatic guns, some with two slung around them. On Saturday night, we went to Eclipse for dinner and then stayed in and watched a film about travellers in Brazil whose bus crashes. They end up being led to a house on a remote hill where they are drugged and their bodies are cut open for organs. I´m hoping it´s not a true story but it didn´t fill me with confidence for the rest of my trip!! On Sunday morning we took the trolley/tram up to the Statue of Christ. It was a lovely day and the views were great but it was also extremely busy. We then took a taxi to the Maracana to watch Gremio Vs Fluminese. The standard of play was really poor and the game was a dull 0-0. We went straight to Churrascaria Carretao for dinner before going next door to Shenannigan´s where we stayed until 2am. On Monday we just strolled around the shops and along the Copacobana. In the evening, Barlow departed for London and Ian and I took a 3 hour bus to Buzios. It was around 10.30pm when the bus dropped us off at the side of the road with nothing much around us. A couple of cars (taxis) were waiting to take people to there lodgings. We jumped into a tiny, old Fiat and the driver started driving down these quiet, bumpy 'roads'. We were quite nervous as it was not a proper taxi but luckily we got to our bungalow where we would be staying for 3 nights. It was funny when the driver took the 'Taxi' sign off the top of his old car as soon as he dropped us off. Once checked in, we went for a stroll to explore the quiet holiday town and found a bar where we could sit outside and enjoy a beer. It was nice waking up on Tuesday morning and stepping out on our balcony to enjoy the ocean views. After breakfast, we walked into town and hired a buggy. It was great fun wizzing around town and checking out a few of the different beaches that Buzios had to offer. As it was winter, the beaches were very quiet even though the temperature was in the high 20s and the sky was clear blue. It was a nice change from the busy beaches of Rio and very relaxing. In the evening, we went for a nice dinner and then checked out a couple of local bars. When we returned to the bungalow, we sat outside on the balcony listening to music. More of the same on Wednesday with most of the day being spent on the beach. That night, after dinner and a few drinks, we went to the only club that was open. It wasn't great but after a few caipirinhas we were showing the Brazilians how to samba. We left the club at closing time and literally jumped into our buggy parked just outside. Then for some reason, a local that had been in the club started shouting and getting agressive with us as we sat in the buggy. As usual, we could not start the buggy so we had to sit there while he wripped off a windscreen wiper. Moments later and he had wripped off the big wing mirror and was using it to smash against the buggy. I was now in a fit of giggles. Luckily we got the buggy started and we raced away before any further damage was done. The next morning we drove back to the scene to see if we could find the wing mirror but with no success. Then we took the buggy back to the rental shop. We were hoping that they would not notice but of course he did. We explained what had happened and all he said was "Well did you fight him?" So luckily there was no charge and we were free to go and catch our 1pm bus back to Rio. Around 6pm, we checked into our hostel in Ipanema. As usual, we went out for dinner and a few drinks but were home by around midnight. On Friday we decided to go handgliding as the conditions were perfect and we were not hungover. We were picked up from the hostel around 1pm and driven high up into the mountains to our launch pad. After a very quick briefing, we were ready to fly. It was my turn first and it felt pretty funny just running off the edge of a mountain at full speed. The 6-8 minutes of flying through the air was cool, especially with the surrounding views of Ipanema beach, sugar loaf mountain, favellas and forests. After flying over buildings and the main street, I landed comfortably on the beach. I wish it lasted longer and was a bit more exciting though. That evening, we went for dinner and a few drinks. Since it was Friday, we made our way to Lapa to enjoy the street vibe and cheap drinks. It was an eventful night and I remember arriving back at the hostel around 10am, just in time to check out of our private room. Ian was leaving on Saturday but I was to stay in Rio for one more night so I checked into a dorm room. The day was spent at the beach. I was seriously tired, severely hungover and there was no way I was going into the sea so I just sat in my deckchair all day. At 7pm, we went to a Japanese restaurant for dinner before we said our goodbyes and Ian left to catch his flight to London. It was sad seeing my old travelling buddy leave and now I was all on my own for the rest of my travels. I went to sleep around 9pm that night. On Sunday, I got a taxi to the bus station and booked a seat on the 1pm bus to Iguazu Falls. Luckily, nobody was sitting next to me for the 23 hour journey.

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