When my baby smiles at me I go to Rio...

Sept 21 2010

Its hard to be afraid of the big bad city when Barry Manalo is stuck in your head...

Here I am in Rio De Janeiro. Before I go any further, there are a few details of the last few days I need to mention. I will never forget Ilha Grande. First of all, there are no cars and no bank machines, so you can~t help but to relaaaaax. It rained for 2 of the 4 days I was on the island, which worked out fine, because the days I had planned outings, the weather cooperated. Andrei was awesome, he took me on a hike through the rainforrest and into the village to hang out with his friends, he definitely gave me a different perspective of the island.

I stayed an extra day because I had met a local artist who makes little statues of people. I had admired a few I had seen around town, so when I met him, I asked if he could do one for me, he said yes, but it would take 2 days. Its really cool! he did a great job, but now I have a delicate 20 cm statue to care for for the rest of my travels.




Yesterday, September 20th, I went on a 2 1/2 hour treck through the hills and valleys of the atlantic rainforrest, a trip well worth while, since the destination was Lopez Mendes Praia...the 7th most beautiful beach in the WORLLLLLLLLD (insert big announcer voice). The best part about traveling in low-season....the beach was almost deserted!!! Unluckily, I had met an Irish fellow on my travels who sort of tagged along, and talked A LOT...but that only slightly tarnished the experience.

Lopez Mendes Praia

This morning, I left Ilha Grande. My boat was at 9 am (its about a 1 hour trip), but Andrei sent me to the wrong peir, so, I missed the commercial boat. Luckily, the travel agency arranged for me to go on a tiny little private boat (made for 10 people) instead. WHAT GREAT NEWS! Except, the boat stalled exactly half way between the island and the mainland.

The next hour of my life was spend floating in a tiny boat in the Atlantic Ocean, while the 3 workers repaired the engine. I really wish I understood what they were saying because in my head it was `nice to know you Flavio...we´re going down...´ anyway, eventually the engine started and we made it to shore.

Once we got to shore, I had a new challenge of finding my way to Rio. The boat I missed in the morning was a direct link to Ipanema Beach (aka stress free trip) but now, I am half way to Rio with no clue which way to go.

*Mum, dad, please don't read the next paragraph:

I ended up hitching a ride. A car with a man, woman, and 2 kids pulled up to me at the bus station and we haggled a price to Rio. I had no better option at this point, and I figured kids and wife = safe. Its about a 1 1/2 hour drive to Rio, so I was really happy to have a direct ride, right to my hostel. I tooke a chance, but it worked out great.

The next few days are supposed to be sunny and 28 so looks I picked a good time to be here. Tonight, I am going for dinner, then watching the sunset from the beach(a reccomendation from my hostel clerk) Tomorrow night I am going to a futebol (soccer) game, and have booked a full day tour of the city on Thursday.