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Tom:
We´ve had a great few days in Rio so far, topped by a really good tour organised by our hostel of the city and, of course, Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) on Corcovado mountain. Oh and then we went out on the tiles - something we´ve not really done on our trip (well, once in Sihanoukville, and once in Sydney). Anyway the tour took us around some favelas which are the poor sort of shanty towns dotted around the city, and up through the millionaire´s forest to the redeemer, and finally to the Lapa steps designed by some Chilean artist (should probably know who), which featured in a music video by Snoop Doggy Dog Dog Doodoo. It was a great tour, which is unusual seeing as it´s always been cheaper and generally better to organise these sort of trips ourselves, and we´ve got some good photos which we´re going to upload either tomorrow or Thursday morning. And then began the booze-fuelled mayhem! We went to an Irish bar and took part in a pub quiz (in Brazilian Portuguese), and in the process of not knowing anything we met a local guy and a Danish guy, who took us out to the only club open on a Monday. Nil caused a scene by cutting her foot on the dancefloor while we were out, and was so hung-over the next day that she couldn´t join me for the first half of Brazil´s opening game in the world cup. Needless to say, the Brazilians are completely mental about football, and I´ll admit that although I´m not the biggest football lover, it´s hard not to get swept up by the atmosphere here. Workers stop working, yellow is everywhere, people line the streets shouting and blowing foghorns really loudly, fire-crackers go off randomly, every time some guy called Kaka gets the ball every woman watching gushes after him, and even the dogs are wearing the kit! It´s absolutley insane and a great way to watch the world cup, somewhere were the locals always know their team´s going to win, and where watching football doesn´t make you a thug or a chav. Anyway enough from me - over to Nil.
Nil:
The people here are CRAZY for football. You´d think we´d been watching a semi-final match the way that all life stopped for the game. Everyone was watching the football, even the police officers who would loiter around the bars trying to catch a glimpse of the match. I loved the atmosphere, even though I´m not an avid football fan. So that was today. Yesterday was really fun as we joined a city tour of Rio and we were really blown away with the differences between the rich and the poor, we got to see one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and we also saw loads of strange animals. I think in the space of 3 hours we´d seen 3 different types of monkeys in the forest, plus we saw some racoons. And then, as Tom said, we went out to an Irish bar, met some people, and then I redecorated the dance floor with blood from my foot! It really wasn´t that serious a cut, but the extremities of the body bleed like hell, as I´ve now found out. I got loads of attention though, which I loved. Everyone tried to do their bit to help me, that´s Brazilian hospitality for you!! Be home in a couple of days time!!! Where´d all the time go?? xxxx
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