Dan & Rach's World Trip

Back to Rio and back to Copacobana. As we had been here before and it wasn´t as dangerous as the guide book said we even took a bus from the bus station to the hotel.

Did our usual night thing of drinking Caprinias on the beach. Next day of course it was bloody overcast again! We couldn´t believe it so we went for yet another run along the beach (they have pull up bar every 100m so I have been able to do loads of training whilst here) and then went on a tour of the favellas (slums). It was really eye opening to get shown around the "communities" as they call them. Although we didn´t have an armed guard as expected, there was an edgey undercurrent whilst we were there but it looks as if they have some sort of arrangement with the ruling drug dealers not to shoot the tourists or there is a kick back invloved. Alegedly some of our money went into improving school facilities, but I wouldn´t be surprised if it just went in the drug dealers pockets. However it was amazing to see the other side of Rio and get an apprciation of how massive the slum are, and how horrible it must be to live there.

Every evening we ate in one of the meat buffet bars. It isn´t like buffets at home where you have a counter of cold cuts. They have a massive counter of salads and sushi, and then they bring you mean round on theses skewers and cut off what you want steaming and hot onto your plate, amazing steaks, roast beef, ribs, chick pork etc. We have left the place every night barely able to waddle to the nearest bar, I´m not sure all this red meat is good for my insides.

Next day it was beautiful weather so in the morning we went up Christ the redeemer. At the top all the idiot European oldies wanted a photo of them ifnron of the staute with their arms spread. Cos it is so busy they were all arguing with each other to get out of their photo etc! The statue was good, but the view of the city was better. Spent the whole day on Copacobana beech (Rach topped up her burn ha ha). There is a constant stream of people trying to sell you stuf, food clothes, even bikinis! I mean surely if you are on the beach you have a bikini and don´t need another? We drank coconuts from the shell on the beach and Rach even went for a swim, although the water is horrible compared to the Isle Grande so I didn't bother.

In the eving we went up Sugerloaf mountain to get a view of the city at sunset. Unfortunaetly the clouds came in about 30 minutes before so we couldn´t see anything, but we descended to the next mountain down to get a good view of the city lit up at night (I hate cable cars)

More food then off to the bus station for a 40 hour journey back to BA for Rachs dental appointment.

Took a 3 hr bus down the coast, then a taxi then and ferry out to Isle Grande, a place recommeded in the guide book as one of the best of the beaten track parts of Brasil. It is a massive island of Atlantic Rainforest and officially has (by poll I guess) the most beautiful beach in Brasil.

Unfortunatley the main town is on one side of the island and the beaches are on the other! First day we had a 1 hour walk up a hill then a 1 hour walk down through rain forests to emerge on a deserted tropical beach where Rach proceeded to completely burn herself. We then had to walk home 2 hours and got back knackered!

Next day we learnt from this and took a boat trip round the island to the "most beautiful beach in Brasil". Easily the best beach I have ever been on although Rach reckoned one in Aus was better. We sat under palm trees (cos Rach was too burnt to sunbathe) and swam in an amazing ocean. On the way back we got rowed out to a floating bar to drink beers in the dying sun, ah, it felt like a summer holiday.

Third day it rained, which was brilliant cos we were too burnt to tan and it was too hot to walk otherwise. We walked in the rain through the rainforrest to a waterfall and had our packed lunch under the spray, before walking back along unpopulated beaches.

A top little break where each night we drank beer at cafes and ate local food (all the walking is keeping me thin considering all the beer I seem to be consuming. The only noghts I don´t drink are when we are on an overnight busses, beer-o´clock is comming earlier and earlier each day!). Back off to Rio tomorrow

The guide book states this is a dangerous place so we made a hotel booking before geting here for Copacobana beach. A nice place, although not a patch on BA and rediculosuly expensive. Our hotel was basically a B&B with two single beds. For the same price we paid for this we could have stayed in a two room suit in the Ritz in La Paz Bolivia!

First day we did a tour of the city centre, OK, but like I said not as good as BA, but the evening was good, we drank Caprinias on beach bars all along Copacobana. I made one of the bar tenders show me how to do it and the next night went to the supermarket to get all the ingredients and made them for Rach and I. It was so amazingly cheap that we were already completely drunk before leaving the hotel. When I get back to the UK anybody who comes round our house will be treated to a dan made Caprinia (I´m bloody good at it according to my tastbuds)

The next couple of days were to be spent on the beach, but it was raining! Raining on Copacobana beach can you believe it, in fact it was overcast so we couldn{t even do the viewpoints and Christ the redeemer!. We did however go to the district of Santa Teresa by tram and see some of the boring sights like the cathedral etc.
Made a decison to leave and come back when the weather gets better