Wait for it....at the Copa Copacabana....guess where I was today?? Walked from hostel in Ipenema to Copacabana. Loving all this walking! The book & guides all say Copacabana is rubbish & Ipanema better. Hmmmm I beg to disagree! To be fair I have been spoilt with glorious, silky sand, deserted beaches for the last 2 months but the sand on Copacabana beats Ipenema hands down. Everyone is so friendly there too. After a heathy dose of sun & a book do...

Put my tourist hat on today & went on a tour. Was just what I needed to get orientated with where everything is. A little slow to start but then we hit Corcavado & saw Christ, the Redeemer. Loved it. The sun even came out! Was ridiculously amused that I had to travel up by escalator so ran ahead & made my tour guide take loads of photos with me riding them up & down with Christ in the background. Soooo American! Enjoyed the Steps of Lapa & ma...

Hmmmmm had a bad day. Woke up to email out of the blue from the Bad One. Felt really unsettled in a new city in the rain. Then the rain cleared, went for a wander & then hit the beach. Cloudy but warm, hurrah!!! Did some stern talking to myself whilst watching the ocean. My goodness the waves were crazy huge & strong. By sunset the waves were over 12 ft high & had created a moat on the shore. Was amazing to watch. Had a brave wander to the Lagoa i...

Wow standing with 25,000 fans in the pouring rain watching Edmundo's farewell game for Vasco.... awesome!! English football matches are not a touch on this level of passion. Even enjoyed the 25 min power cut where everyone (including the players) stood in the dark chanting. Vasco won 9-1! Ahhhhh E Edmundo!!!!!

Arrived in Rio just past midnight. Landed & settled into my airport hotel in under an hour. Was mistaken for Brazilian & told to go in the immigration queue for citizens when I tried to use the foreigners queue! Staff were lovely to me. Cleared immigration in 10 mins! A record! So excited & nervous so sleep was difficult. After a few hours of kip it was time to raid all the complimentary toiletries, check out & start my Brazilian adventure. Hm...