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CARNIVAL 2009
So our Carnival package started on Wednesday and ran through until the following Wednesday. We checked into out hostel and our dorm that we were sharing wih 24 other people, yes a room of 24! it was a huge room and didnt feel like we were that many people but it was very hectic. The hostel was full - 150 people - wooooop!!!
On our first day in Copcacobana we HAD to check out the beach immediately just to be able to sing the song (which we all know and love)...at the Copa, Copacobana da da da da da da da! We hit up the beach with our new friend Chris - a male from Windsor - Copacobana beach is definatley not as nice as Ipanema but it was still very pretty. All you can hear as you lay down is the street urchants running round yelling, água, coca cola, serveja (beer) etc...' but it's always too hot to lay down for long, you have to sprint it down to the sea as the sand is so hot and sand with your feet in the water for like an hr just to cool down! Well that was us anyway, all the Brazilian women manage to all look amazingly beautiful on the beach, hair down and nicely done, make up....and of course they all have their arses out (again with neater tan lines) haha!
The hostel is HUGE with tons and tons of rooms, and a massive bar, spa area with a jacuzzi, chill out room with hammocks, tv room - amazing premises and facilities! The bar offer food every night for around 10 Real (3 pound) and they change the menu every night - on our first night - Thai Green Curry - and as they offer a veggie option of every meal i was very excited but nearly died when i tried this curry, it was SO hot and spicy the entire table were laughing at me, i couldnt breathe, then stupidly drank water...it was a disater hahahaha!!
On Thursday, as part of our carnival package we were taken on a boat party round Rio. Getting over 150 people on the metro to this boat was an experience in itself, and this is where we bumped into the north london jews...only me! ha! But anyway, the party was free food and drink (always good) and it had a DJ on board :)
We had an absolutely great day, the boat toured around and then stopped so we could jump in the water...so of course i had to jump off the boat - from the highest possible point! was amazing! The party went on into the night, the drink ran out just in time as everyone was pretty smashed. All three of us took out shoes off when running on and off the boat and managed to lose them. Me and Lorna did manage to find ours however Kate wasnt so lucky! In our drunken states she decided to steal someone elses flip flops...and when we were on the metro on the way home a girl discovered Kate wearing her shoe and shoe raped her. She literally grabbed her foot and yanked the flip flop off, i was crying with laughter, kate was just crying and lorna was standing there saying, 'well they were here shoes. I had to give her a piggy back to the hostel - as kate was so shoeless! ha!
Friday - feeling slighly hungover and tired (24 people in a room = zero sleep) we headed to Uriguiana Market. This is a MASSIVE market that covers like a zillion blocks and it was just full of carnival costumes. Everywhere you turned were masks, feather boas, bright coloured costumes -everything! It was heaving and the non carnival clothing we saw was tack upon tack. However we did manage to find some nice dressed for under two pound each, bargin! As it was Friday i had intended to find a Chabad, especially as everyone in the hostel was heading to LAPA - the place to go clubbing in Rio. We had been the week before with people from Leblon and it's a few blocks of clubs but mainly it is a huge street party! It absolutely stinks of urine (like most of Rio) but it's a very unique scene.
However, i never made it to Chabad, didn't want to walk alone, Copacobana is not the place to be doing that espcially at night. In our room, one guy got held up at knife point and 3 guys got held up at gun point...thank god everyone was fine!
Our hostel offered the opportunity to take part in the parade on Saturday night - it's for students and amateaurs but takes place at the main sambadrome. On Saturday we rushed our time at the beach to be back for a samba lesson as we were taking part in the parade - as fruit bowls. The costumes were very extravegant, a pineapple hat, hawaiian skirt, bright lime green leotards - very special haha! So, our samba lessons started 2 hrs late and me, kate and lorna came top of the class not gonna lie - we got the samba going down. However, the stupid guy at the hostel ordered the costumes wrong so i didn have a costume :( and i couldn't take part! was absolutely gutted, espcially after the samba lesson and a few Caiparinhia's (the traditional Brazilian drink of Kashaha, lime and sugar - they are lethal! two and i'm on the floor). The girls took part and said it was amazing, and they looked incredible in their cosumes. So instead of the parade i went up to the bar with an australian girl, got a litle drunk and hit up a street party in Ipanema.
On Sunday - all the bloco's (street parties) really started to get going. Me and Kate went down to a street party in Ipanema with a bunch of 5 london guys. Lorna had come up with realy bad heat rash so couldnt come :(
This street party was insane. Blocks and blocks are shut off, and people gather round a huge truck which has speakers blaring samba music. As the truck moves everyone follows it dancing and singing. Everyone is dressed up and drinking beer. We started at a traditional samba bloco and then moved a few blocks down to a Reggae and Reggaton one which was amazing! The atmosphere was electric, everyone is just so happy and up for a good time. We watched the sun set on Ipanema beach and then went back to the bloco where the leaders of it were ushering everyone to the ground and then everyone would jump up at the same time screaming. People were dancing and jumping on cars..it was unbelievable! I can't even begin to explain it, i wish i could - zina and meryl i need you to write about it for me haha! It was by far one of the best parties ive ever been to!
As we'd been partying and drinking all day we found the first possible restaurant - well attempted to anyway. As we were with boys it became a big discussion - where to eat?? What a mess...a huge fight erupted between the boys about where we should eat - me and kate tried really hard to hold it together but cracked up - what are boys like ha!
That night, I was on such a high, everyone else crashed but i decided to hit up to party behind the Sambadrome with about 15 guys from the hostel - and me! woop! Behind where the parade was taking place, a stage had been set up and there were about 3 million people just dancing away! We stayed until about 6am, was amazing! The only problem was, getting in at 7am to find Lorna with her worsening heat rash - so i slept for an hr and then the three of us headed down to the cloest doctors. I went in my pj's looking an absolute wreck! So with one hours sleep, i was prety exhausted all day so we chilled in the hostel, hammocks are so ridiculously comfi!
JEREMY - if i buy one, will you put it up for me please hehe!?!?!
So anyway, that night we got tickets for the main parade - 60 real (about 20 pound) the parade started at 9pm and went right through until 6.30am!
We decided that we had to get some masks and get involved with the spirit of carnival. Basically, every night 6 samba schools parade down the drome and are judged on everything! Millions of people go through on each school - and each school represents a neighbourhood. On Monday was the top 6 schools in Rio. I have never in my life seen so many bright colours, extravigant costumes and people dancing and smiling. There was millions upon millions of spectators, it was near impossible finding anywhere to stand, every time we moved we got shouted at by some brazilians to move. I was surprise with how un touristy it was, the majority of people were Brazilian, and Brazilians of all ages turn up to see this, the old and young, all with their packed lunches/ dinners an dance the night away. Everyone is waving flags, singing the songs and just smiling. It was THE most incredible thing i've seen so far on the trip. Our tickets were the cheapest avaliable and were at the end of the parade but everyone was stil so full of life and energy! We managed to stay until 5.15am after 5 schools had performed, by this time everyone was dead on their feet - literally! I couldn't stand any longer, with one hrs sleep all the colours of everything were merging into one haha!
The costumes were insane, and the floats had such amazing attention to detail. Float with trampolines, spinning wheels, animals, mermaids, trains, you name it we saw. And people dressed as chickens, butterflys, soldiers, flowers...it was just incredible! My camera decided to die which upset me greatly but going to steal the girls photos! My favourite school were Portelo...if you get the chance, you tube it! It's insane! If any of you get the chance to do Rio carnival, you will no be disappointed. A lot of people say Salvador is better but honestly...Rio is incredible. The city doesn't stop partying and everyone is in such a good and happy mood - england should have carnival!
Once we got in - how we did i dnt know as our cab driver nearly killed us. After 10pm the cars in Rio dnt have to stop a red lights due to the high amount of car jackings, and as they drive like maniacs anyway they just swerve left right and centre past 10pm...i really didnt think we were going to make it back to the hostel alive! Anyway...everyone in our room got in at the same night, all happy and high on life, and what started with a little silly string being sprayed on Kate ended in a full scale cosmetic fight..we were all covered in sun cream, toothpaste, shaving foam and after sun -it was rank but lots of fun! The perk of sharing a room of 24 is the ridiculous amounts of fun had!
Shattered after another night with only one hour sleep we could only conjur up the energy for more beach time - hard life i know! All the boys went down to the pub to watch the football so we followed in search of a pub lunch - what we got was lots of cocktails and strange men trying to samba with us. I scored with the cocktails - got given a free bottle of vodka and lime...result or what haha! SO...what was meant to be a quiet night turned into a full scale irish boys and 3 english girls invasion of the quiz happening at the hostel - with the funniest team name and some of the funniest people i have ever met - i did not stop laughing! So, after about 5 Caiparinhia's, few vodka mixers and beers i got persuaded to go out with 4 of the guys....and as it was four of us i had to lie across 3 guys in the back...was very funnny with the police peering in! We hit up LAPA once more - and for the final time. Kate and Lorna stayed back at the hostel - apparently i have a problem saying NO to going out -who knew haha! There was another street party happening in LAPA and we found a few locals who were playing music with drums and the whole sheebang so we were dancing with them and the girls were teaching me to samba. Didn't get in until 8am - yes i am crazy! And whats worse is we had to get up to move rooms so i actually slept for about half an hr! That next day i really did think i was dead - zero energy!
We had decided to stay in Rio an extra day after carnival to go and see the Botanical Gardens - this didnt happen due to all of our exhaustion. It was sad to say bye to everyone, had got very comfertable in our room of 24....some a little too comfi...as we did have a few sex shows on our last night, thank god i was out is all i can say! lol!!
On our extra day we just about made it to the beach where i fell in a heep on the sand and didnt move for abour 5 hours - and i am very tanned! not gonna lie to you all - i'm looking black for my pale skin ha! no seriously, i am!
The following day - after i managed to get about 4 hrs sleep (most i'd had all week) we got back on a bus to Sao Paulo to see Jana and her family to say bye before we leave Brazil!
We al had an AMAZING time during Carnival and if anyone was looking for a recomendation on where to stay in Brazil Mellow Yellow has amazing facilities but THE MOODIEST AND RUDEST STAFF EVER! They really were so unhelpful - i had many an argument with them as they owed me money and wouldn't give it me! Stone of a Beach is another party hostel also in Copacobana - stay there hahaha!!
So gutted to be leaving Brazil, would love to stay longer and see everything else, but its better to leave wanting more - i will for sure be back (sorry mummy)! so much more i need to see here - the people are so amazing and the lifestyle is just immense! I LOVE BRAZIL!!
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