The sun has arrived (yay!) and I have the bizarre tan lines to prove it - I must stop being so slap dash with the sun tan application!

Today was spent lazing on the beach and enjoying the sun but that was an experience in itself. It is the weekend so the locals were out in full swing and were dressed just as you would imagine - bright thongs,very tanned bodies and very big bums! A vendor waves something in your face every 2.5 seconds. One leaves and you can hear the strange cry of the next one approaching, and they sell some very strange things. A tray of pongy seafood was wafted in my face, a peanut was thrown at my head and then a man parked up his oven on a trolley seling what I am almost certain was leak soup! Needless to say it wasn't what I was craving much at the time.

We have also had some strange and wonderful experiences doing the usual tourist stuff. We went to see Christ the Reemer on Thursday. The Lonely Planet bible suggests the cheapest way is to take the cog train so we got a taxi to the station. The driver who took us there offered us a deal however where he would drive us straight up and back home for only 80 real - this he did through diagrams and sums on scrap paper whilst driving like a maniac because we are really struggling with the odd language. I didn't trust him and relied on the book so we refused and paid 15 just to get to the train station. Of course we get there and he was telling the truth and it is cheaper to drive so we barter a deal with another taxi driver for more than what he original offered but at least he spoke english. Unfortunately the strange man he called from round the corner to drive us did not. And the car the taxi tout had stood in front was not at all the one he intended to send us in. Our vehicle was the one falling apart round the corner! The car did manage to get us up the mountain however and he stopped to let us take some great pics on the way (in the rain). When we finally got to the statue however it was so thick with clouds up there that we couldn't see our hands in front of our faces, let alone the statue. We have some eerie photo's of the shadow of the statue of Christ and a picture of the sign describing the view we could not see which hopefully I can upload soon - but I don't imagine you are much excited by that!

The following day was clear and our trip up Sugar Loaf mountain in the cable cars was amazing and so were the views. We even met a few wild monkeys at the top. These pictures will be worth seeing when I work out how to download them.

We have been meeting the Ascot couple for drinks and dinners (although they are in fact twin brother and sister but I never would have guessed) and they introduced us to people from their hostel - one of which turned out to be starting at S J Berwin with Alex in March. Their intake has only 10 people so this was really coincidental - it is a small world after all. We all went together with some people from our hostel to a place called Lapa last night. The Lonely Planet warns it may be unsafe but sells it as a bohemian area where there are great clubs with live music. I would more accurately describe it as bedlam. There were people eveywhere. Mainly on the street and hanging out of clubs/shanty buildings. It was fascinating to see true Brazilian nightlife but I wouldn't go back in a hurry. We were groped, kissed and I was strangled by one leach who decided he would get my attention by grabbing my neck. We survived however and got another maniac taxi home (on the way there our taxi's had raced so we nearly died about 10 times!) Safely back at the hostel however semi-panic ensues when Alex stubs her toe and proceeds to leak blood everywhere. I was useless almost fainting at the sight of it but did manage to get the trusty first aid kit out and perform some toenail saving surgery. Her toe is fine today, safely wrapped up. I think it was the beer which made the incident so dramactic at the time! By the way we have now worked out how to turn the light on in the bathroom room so no longer hold torches at each other while we shower!

We are moving to a slightly cheaper hostel on Monday which is nearer to the beach but a good ten minute walk from here. Too short therefore to justify a taxi but far too daunting with the 20kg rucksacks. (Mine and Alex's bag weighed 20 and 21 kg respectively and a survey of the hostel reveals the standard weight of eveyoneelse's is 12kg - oops!) There is free internet there so I wil be in touch again soon.

Message me your news so I don't keep going on about myself!xx