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We wake up fresh and early on day one of carnival. The sun is shining and the streets are already alive with the sound of samba and an amazing atmosphere. A quick breakfast and shower and we´re dying to get out and see whats happening. A couple of brummies from Dyson´s area that we met the previous day, Brett, Lance and Saddie, tells us they're off to Ipanema beach for the day so we exchange numbers sort ourselves out and head off there to meet them. It about midday by the time we meet up with them and we lounge around on the beach for a couple hours drinking some beers. When I say lounge, the beach is rammed and the streets are live so it weren't like we were relaxing. A couple more of their friends turn up and we head off to a street party, called a bloco, for some Brazilian action. As you can imagine its crazy, we samba a little and join in with the fun until we run out of money.
This means a long trip back to the hostel and back to Ipanema beach. The metro obviously cant handle the pressure of the carnival and the queues are ridiculous. It must have been a god hour before we reach the hostel and get some more cash. However, only just gotten over from the last metro we jump straight back on the metro to Ipanema, once there it still pretty live. We text Lance only to find out they have moved onto Flamengo…. Oakey dokey, Flamengo it is? We mooch around wanting a small rest from the metro and before we jump back on we recive another text saying their going to a mates hotel. We decide to bite the bullet and get a taxi to the hotel as by the time we find it they'll have undoubtably moved on.
Once there we meet up with them. Back to being in a safe larger group we head out to Lapa, which is the crazy area near a favela where theres constantly partis going on and coincidently not far from our hostel. Once here we consume large amounts of beer and partake in some street samba. The night rolls in and the gritty Lapa building give of a bit more of a menacing feel now. The local look mean but I decide to not judge the book by the cover this time and party on anyways. At one point I felt a rustle in my pocket, look round and and theres an old guy with his hand in my pocket. I slap his hand away and expect him to run, however he does not do this. He has a blank look which says ´What? What have I done….ahhhh, alright then ya got me, fair play´. Completely unshamed he walks off into the crowd. This didn't seem to faze me as I figured if I was gunna get pick pocketed I was gunna get pick pocketed, I didn't want it to ruin my carnival experience. We were with a big group and we seemed safe… The party went on till the early hours until we stumbled back home on our samba´d out feet.
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