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First stop on the Gringo trail is Rio De Janeiro and having been driven to the wrong address we are lost, overheating and jetlagged in the middle of a busy, foreign, metropolis. It takes Dan all of about 5seconds to whip out his new secret weapon- a compass (or a backpakers Iphone!) which I think prompted people in the street to take pity on us and point us in the right direction. After a hell of a cuffufel at our packed hostel (arriving on a Friday in peak season is not advisable) we finally checked in and were hanging to head down to the famous Copacabana beach to see if "music and passion are always in fashion"! What we did instantly notice was in fashion was wearing as little as posissible regardless of age, sex or size. We had heard about the Brazillian love for letting it all hang loose- and it is kind of admirable that they embrace their bodies with all the flappy bits included- but we really could have gone without seeing so many close-ups of bannans (barely) in hammoks and hungry bumbs. Copacabana beach does offer a great vantage point to people watch and with a prawn skewer in one and hand and an overpriced beer in the other, you can see it all- eccentric outfits, people out to see and be seen, soccor being played with a volleyball net, and siesta´s on every street corner. All with a magnificent mountainous backdrop!
On our second day we went to see Big Jesus which is impressive but largely overrated. Especially if you are dumb enough to go on a Saturday when the crowds resemble peak our on London`s Oxford Street...on Christmas eve...on steriods . We battled the crowds for 3hours and spent only 20mins on the mountain taking in the realatively good views of the spectacular bay and elbowing the hoards of other tourists to get a photo mimicing the big guy. Dare I say, despite it being a modern wonder, it really may not be worth the money or time.
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