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So.. week number 1! Not quite the hardcore travellers yet, mark´s grandma is feeding us lots of rice beans and meat, and it has been easy to stick to our budget of 15 pounds a day (sorry we cant find the pound sign on this brazilian keyboard). The plane journey here was LONG and interesting, within the first 15mins of takeoff from Madrid we decided to take off our shoes and relax, as you do, when suddenly the women in front of us and also to the side of us stood up, flapping their arms about and wrinkiling their noses complaining in angry portuguese and pointing at our feet. Rae was mortified but Mark was adament his feet didnt smell and sat there as if he knew nothing. After 11 hours of feeling like the whiffy jimbos of the day, we started to descend for landing. Sure enough there was the suspicious smell yet again, but after probably having discovered the out of order toilet during the flight, they held their noses in nobody´s general direction and looked sufficently embaressed. good. If they want to call us whiffy jimbos they can smell us in a few months time.
The weather wasnt that great the first few days and we couldnt go and relax on the beach so, instead we hit the town centre and did touristy things like go on the funicular tram up Monte Serrat, visited the coffee museum (Brazil is the number 1 coffee exporter in the world, and has been making coffee since 1727), and enjoyed ice cream by the kilo (very simple- you fill a bowl up as high as you like, they weigh it, you eat it) There are lots of by-the-kilo restaurants like this and they are a cheap way to eat. We booked our coach tickets to Rio (10 hours over night, we cant wait!!!)
Rae´s been shocked by the amount of homeless people who by comparison to the UK are a lot more skinny, dirty and young. It´s sad to see. There are also lots of prostitutes and brothels around, and its not uncommon to see women/men dressed as women parading the streets at night sporting a big pair of knockers on show.
We have since been to the beach, it was baking hot. Mark came home with a sexy mocha coloured tan, Rae came home looking freckly and pinkish. Not only have we noticed that it is really noisy here at night because of the lorries bombing it down to the port but also that the resident rabbit in the house enjoys eating umbrellas, shoes, fridge electrical wires and marks notebook.
Yesterday was the best day so far when we went to the Carnabonde in Praca Maua which is a warm up to the carnival period, it happens every year and basically a big samba band plays on a stage and then you all dance and throw things at each other in the street while you follow a tram through the town centre (check out the photos).
Keep your eyes peeled for our next blog which will be live from the Rio de Janeiro Carnival!
beijos, Mark and Rae x
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