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Backpack Party!!
Hey everybody! Hope that you are all ok and well!!
I am just sat in the Hostel listenning to Elvis Presleys greatest hits at a million decobels and trying to concentrate!! Oh well, I suppose its better than the Tribal Stuff or the aspiring Musical Legends that I am usually subject to!!lol.
Im just waiting for Mum and Paul before I go to see Pau de Acucar this afternoon. I wont tell you what they are doing, I think they might want to tell you themselves...oohhh the suspense!!lol.
Well, since the last update ( Im rather impressed with myself for the frequency and detail of these entries!!)lol, what have we been up to...
Well, for starters, I know that none of the ex-volunteers are going to believe me when they read this, but...I have managed to find an even better kilo than Largo do Machados finest Pizza and Grill! No- your eyes aint decieving you, I really have- its a Gourmet kilo- no seriously, it realy is, and its on Rua Passagem in Botafogo-if anybody ever comes back to the area or whatever, I strongly recommend it!!lol.
We have eaten there for the past 2 nights, and I think we will probably eat there again tonight-thats how good it is!!!!!
Anyway, yesterday I had a bit of a hoo-haa because Mum had decided that I was carrying much too much stuff and that I needed to post a parcel home. So we wrapped it up, along with some paintings we bought from Selaron, and trundled off to try and find the post office.
We must have walked around the whole of Botafogo- no exaggeration, with no joy, me asking randomers for directions periodically, and then all telling me a different direction!
So we ended up at a FEDEX office, where after about an hour of faffing, we were told that it would cfost about 120pounds to send the big parcel, and that I wasnt allowed to send paintings home because I needed special authorisation from the Arts Beureu or something..yeh whatever (as opposed to me taking it on a plane ...which they would never know about!! So why do I need authorisation to post it!!!)
Anyway, by chance, there was areally helpful (but extremely camp) American Airlines Air Host there who gave us accurate directions to the post office..which turned out to be on the only road in Botafogo that we hadnt walked down...tttssssskkk..(but it was pretty well hidden as well, so I doubt that I would have found it that easily anyway!)
From then it was relatively easy bla bla, and only cost about 30pounds for the 2 packages, so that was good, and I bonded with the postage guy over our mutual appreciation of the Human League- he was listenning to Dont You Want Me on his Media Player- so that was fun!!
MMmmmmm..somebody just walked past me that smelt of coconut...mmm,Im hungry, Ive not eaten today yet, but its god though coz at least now Im starting to loose the love handela I acquired on the latter part of the volunteering stint..
Anyway, O My God- I cant believe that Steve Urwin is Dead!! Its so sad!
Anyway...
We decided to take a cab up Corcavado to see Christo in the afternoon, which took FOREVER. There was a massive queue of people along the road to enter the Tajuca National Park as yesterday was the first nice dat for a while. We were sat in traffic for about an hour and a half, but amazingly the taxi was still only about a fiver!!
When we FINALLY reached the top, the driver informed us that handily there was no way of getting back down again, as there are no taxi ranks or anything-so I bargained with him that if we paid him to wait for us then he could take us back down again, which he agreed to do, for 80 REALS!! (Which is about 20 quid!!)
Christo was really nice, really good views of the whole of Rio, as you can walk all the way around it and see in every direction. It was a beautiful, red sunset, too which was lucky, but it was blinkin freezin,as we were so high up!!
There was also a load of Doves flying around at the top too, which I just thought was a really nice symbol and all that, being Jesus and all...
Afterwards, when I got back to the Hostel, a few people had decided to go out to Lapa, so I decided to hop along too, as it may be the last time I go out properly in Rio (boooohoooooo!!!)
We set off at about 11.30, after waiting around for ages, and walked around aimlessly when we got to Lapa until about 1.30, which was slightly aggravating, as we had to constantly stop and wait for all the drunken people.
Thats the problem with going out in a big group...always waiting....
Anyway, even more annoyingly,after that, all the drunken people decided to skiddadle off back to the Hostel...tttssskkkk..
So only Sandy(a girl from Leeds), Guilian(a guy from Brasilia) and I were left. We decided to go to funky club, which was quite packed, but I got pissed off because this one really drunk guy just wouldnt stop harrassing me to dance- and he was too drunk to dance properly, anyway!!
Thats one thing that I dont like about Lapa-not to sound conceated, but I get a lot of unwanted attention there.
The guys are all really letchy, and they just grab you and start trying to kiss you and whatever when you walk past. Some of the other girls really like the attention, but I dont like attracting attention to myself as I think it makes you more of a target. And half the time, I dont even think that they actually fancy me, its just because Im so pale, they arent used to it, and it would be a novelty to pull the Gringo.
Anyway, after we got out of the club, this beggar approached us and started harrassing us for money, so we just told him that we didnt have any. He was ponting at my bag and asking, too, but it actually really didnt have any money in it (I keep it in my bra for security- I learned from other peoples mistakes to one, never keep your money in your bag, and two, never take anything out that you are that bothered about losing, anyway!)
I was sussing that he was about to do something dodgy, as he wasnt exactly being subtle about it, and decided to walk away swiftly. At that moment he decided to try and swipe my bag by snapping my strap, but luckily, Im smart and always hold onto it, because I work on the assumption that someone WILL try to grab it. So, when the strap snapped, the bag fell into my hand, and not his, which utterly confused him, the moron, and he started looking on the floor for it. I decided pretty quickly that the best thing to do was to quickstep before he tried anything again, so I legged it off!
I was fine, and lucky that he didnt follow me, but even if he had have got the bag, there was nothing in it apart from some vasaline, and a few coins.
I wasnt shocked that this happenned, it happens all the time in Lapa-Actually, I was more pissed about him breaking the strap on my bag, as I got it from the Hippie Fair in Ipanema, and I wont be able to get another one now!!!AAARRGGHHH!!!
So, you could kinda say that I have been mugged in a way, but his dastardly plan was foiled, so, I wasnt really.
But oh well these things happen, and like I say, I was prepared for it to happen at some point anyway!
Im offski now to enjoy my last day in Rio- I love you Rio!!!! I dont wanna leave tomorrow, I think Ill probably cry for the entire 14 hour trip to Curitiba! Rio feels a bit like home now!
Anyway, take care everyone!!
Love you all loads!
Miss you too as always!
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