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Hello - Or should i say Oi In brazilian - I know check us our learning the lingo!
Well we have started out 45 day tour but not before having an amazing time in Rio!
Our first day was quite an adventure in itself, walking along copacabana beach, seeing christ the redeemer from the roof of our hotel and having a rather interesting meal that consisted of paying for how much your food weighs!
However after chatting to other travellers in our hotel and meeting our tour rep that was going to be taking us around Rio for our day trip and telling us more about the carnival we were well on our way!
Saturday we had a very hectic day seeing all the sight of rio which were as grand as i imagined them to be - Christ the redeemer, sugar loaf, the seleraon steps & Lapa Arches, a church that holds over 200,000 people in one sitting & plenty of street art and graffiti is huge over here!
It has been a whopping 35-40oc here though so some days have been really hard work making sure we get out and about to see the sights!
Sunday we decided to ask our tour leader where we could head to for a traditional Brazilian meal and she recommended a place called Monchica not far from our hotel, it was wonderful they serve all carved meats to your table and was the best meal we have had even till this day! So we were both very pleased.
Monday - Sambadromo! Or Carnival night - Well all i can say is WOW - I actually cried when it started it was that spectacular - Fireworks the colours the smell of the food being cooked on the stalls, the men walking around selling drinks in portable fridges, the atmosphere itself was all buzzing around you - We danced solid for 9 hours as we watched and was every bit as wonderful as i had hoped it would have been
Tuesday we went on a Favela tour which is where the old part of rio has been built up by the 1000s and you got to try some local food, see the art work they produce and also the history being how it started and was a really good trip and an eye opener - The sights were amazing and also fantastic to see that the richest part of Rio is right next door! And in the evening we headed to the market to see the art work they sell and also the local hand made products which were lovely. &¨i got my very first pin to add to my hat!
& Wednesday we managed to get back into the old town of Rio which was lovely to roam around and explore ourselves without the pressure of time limits, but due to the carnival still going on around us most things were closed, however it was a great day as every corner we turned you would find at least a couple of hundred people dancing and singing in the street drinking beer (It is cheaper than water!) So James more than me as i was too busy gauping at what was going on around me spent time dancing in the streets with the locals! We also caught the tram which was excellent fun and dropped us off right at the top of the hill before we walked down and saw all the amazing views over the city.
Thursday afternnon we arrived in Ilhe Grande & the words heaven do not even come close to describing it!
It has the most amazing beach and the island itself is the most wonderful have ever seen even in pictures,
It lived up to all expectations and more with food and locals playing music in the streets in the evening.
Friday we walked for 2 hours - Well more of a bloody hike if you ask me! to the beach across the other side of the island and spent the day relaxing there. And around 5 we got a boat back (Thank god) And had an evening with the group having a BBQ.
& Saturday we arrive in Paraty which is a very pretty little village.
Today the rest of the group have headed off on a boat trip but James and I decide to walk around the old town and also the the fort which is about 20 mins out of town which again had the most wonderful views.
We have been very lucky with everything we have seen and done so far and were already looking forward to seeing the falls in the next few days - However we have a really really rubbish journey to get there - 6 hours on a bus followed by another 15 hours on a night bus! Eeek!
Love Nat & James
xx
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