Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Hey,
Hope you´re all OK. I guess everyone is back at work now?!
Well,lots to update you on since arriving back in Rio. We left Ilha Grande, the tropical island on Sunday morning, Xmas Eve. We´d had a really late night and had to be up and on the boat by 10am. It´s a 90 minute boat journey to the mainland and then around a 2 hour bus journey. We arrived back in Rio early afternoon and chilled out for a while. We had a really early night as we were shattered. Think we were still recovering from the 3 hour walk to Lopes Mendes!!! :-)
Monday was of course xmas day. I really wanted to go to the beach and was pleased to see that it was around 35 degrees and very sunny. Was very nice after all the rain on Ilha Grande. We headed down to the beach which was unsurprisingly packed. Was so weird being on the beach on Christmas day. It is really surreal. There are christmas trees and decorations and santa´s everywhere but it´[s baking hot so doesn´t feel like christmas at all.
One shop had a huge christmas display and they had fake snow falling around. I feel sorry for all the Santa´s dressed up, they most be sweltering under those outfits. Anyway, we had a good day at the beach and that evening went to Lapa which is a taxi ride from Ipanema. It is the heart of Samba land and there was some live Samba bands playing which was brilliant. There was this guy in there who is apparently the best guitarist in Brazil and very famous. He wasn´t supposed to be playing but after a while he just got up and joined the band and played a song with them. It was brilliant!
Tuesday, we had another good beach day. It was soo unbelievably hot and we had to come off the beach for a while and get out of the sun.
The Girl from Ipanema bar where the song was written is just 1 block from the beach so we had lunch in there which was lovely. They have the song words up everywhere and you can see the beach etc. Tuesday we went for a pay per kilo buffet. They have loads of them in Rio and it´s great. Basically a huge buffet with all the food you can imagine and you take a plate, they weigh it and charge for what you´ve taken. I could barely move afterwards!!! :-)
Wednesday we decided we´d been lazy enough and hadn´t done enough sights so we did a Favela Tour. Basically, the Favela´s are the slums and full of drug dealers etc...nice. We´d booked a tour as there was no way we fancied wandering around there on our own. We got picked up by our tour guide and he parked outside the Favela. Basically, they just keep building more and more layers so the streets wind all the way up. He said we´d be getting a motorbike taxi...argh!!! I was terrified. Basically, there was all these guys on motorbikes and you just jump on the back and they take you up to the top of the Favela. I´m not sure what I was more scared of - being on the back of the motorbike or being shot off the motorbike by a drug dealer. At one point there was a huge bus coming towards it and my life flashed before me and I actually screamed!!! When I got off, the guide who had been on the bike in front said...."Was that you screaming??" shame. When we got there, there was a guy standing at the entrance to the street. Apparently, he is always there on the look out for the police and when he spots them, he sends warning shots and fireworks to warn everyone.
Our guide told us to take as many pics as we want as the kids love having their photo´s taken but if we see anyone with a walkie talkie and rifle, put the camera away as they´re drug dealers and don´t like having their photo´s taken!! Oh my life - we did NOT need to be told twice. We passed a few drug dealers but because the guide does tours there every day they all know him and they just nodded and smiled. I wasn´t sure whether to get eye contact or not. It´s amazing though, apparently they make between 3 and 5 million us dollars PER MONTH for dealing drugs. How crazy is that? We really, really enjoyed the Favela tour. I felt slightly uneasy the whole time but we were perfectly safe and the kids are so cute. The people there just have a totally different way of living.
We stopped to talk to one man and his 3 year old daughter was sat next to him. He had a little bag of drugs to one side and a hand grenade the other?! It is crazy. Most people die from being caught in the crossfire when the rival gangs start fighting. We asked one sis at the hall if they go on the min there and she said only if there´s no trouble. We asked how she knew and she said, "We listen for the gunfire!"
All in all though, it was a good experience. That night we went to a Samba school to watch their carnaval rehearsal. It was amazing. Carnaval is at the end of Feb and they start practicing 6 months before. The whole town basically comes out, they sell amazing food and drinks on the street and they all practise their music, parades etc. We had such a good time and got some amazing pics. I can only imagine what Carnaval is like when there about a hundred schools, all with different routines and outfits. It was great.
Next day, we went to a posh restaurant/bar in Barra, about 30 mins from Ipanema. Ronaldo was spotted in there the night before! We didn´t see him but we did see Emersen the Real Madrid player?! A few people were crowded round him but the poor man was trying to eat his dinner!!
Friday was yet another beach day but we decided to head to Copacabana as we hadn´t been yet. Ipanema is a much nicer beach but you have to say you´ve been to Copacabana. In the evening, we went up to Sugar Loaf mountain which was AMAZING. We decided to go around 6pm so that we could see the views during the day, then see sunset and then see it in the dark too. It was fantastic. The views were great and you can just see all the beaches and the whole city. The view was best in the dark when all the buildings were lit up. It was really beautiful.
Then we hired Pedalo´s for an hour and went round the Lagoon. Was good but hard work. Especially as we´d walked to Copacabana. Definitely flled our exercise quote for a while.
Saturday, back to Ipanema beach, it´s a hard life!!! Mtg in the evening as it had been moved for New Year and then we went for drinks round the corner which was nice. We had a couple of Brazillian cocktails.
Sunday, Shell arrived to rain. It rained all day and kind of hasn´t stopped since. There was loads of stuff planned for New Year but this didn´t stop the rain at all. John Legend, Sergio Mendes and the Black Eyed Peas all played a free concert on Ipanema beach. Copacabana had a huge New Year party as they do every year.
Suzy left Sunday evening around 4pm. Was really sad to see her go, we have just laughed constantly for the past 3 weeks!!!
Yesterday, we were so sick of rain, we went to the cinema to see the Holiday. (In English with Portugese subtitles in case you were wondering!)
Today it is STILL raining but we are off to Buzios about 3 hours north of here. It´s a beautiful coastal town, (made famous by the pic Bridgette Bardot running barefoot along the beach!) Hopeing for better weather there so we can chill out for a few days.
Well, sorry it´s an epic but we´ve been so busy. Hope you´re all OK back home.
Miss you all heaps,
xx
- comments