Alrighty right right, time to do some updating!!! So much to say, so little time to say it.
Basically, Rio was awesomely amazingly INCREDIBLE!!!! I had the best time ever and I HIGHLY recommend anyone going to South America to try to pop by Rio!
I must admit that much of the good times and great classic hits were thanks to my lovely friend Bonnie, who is basically just like me only trashier. She likes Paris Hilton. Enough said.
She shares my fascination with taking photos of thy self which is always a bonus as otherwise it tends to look somewhat self-absorbed. But me self-absorbed? Never!!
So to funk the diddlyink, I first of all checked into my (free! Well, already paid-for) hotel with the tour group who I am spending the next 8 weeks with. Then Bonnie and I braved the public transport system to try to get her to a hostel in Ipanema. Of course, Bonnie being me only trashier means that she has my horrible sense of direction and we happily sat on the train paying little attention to the stations until realising that the train was going in the opposite direction to the way it started. So off we hopped and swapped platforms until we were heading back in the original direction. Not sure how we managed it, but somehow we got to our desired destination and caught a bus ASWELL! to get to the hostel recommended. We trudged with all Bonnie´s bags through Rio until we eventually came to the address given. But the place really wasn´t looking too much like a hostel so alarm bells started to ring ring dingaling!! Eventually, this weirdo guy on a bike came over and asked if we were lost. Turned out the hostel had moved years ago. AGAIN we had only Lonely Planet to thank. So this guy ended up escorting us to a nearby hostel (simultaneously talking about smoking weed, smoking Australian weed, smoking Brazilian weed, bringing weed into different countries and then finally asking us if we wanted weed. NO NO AND NO!!!) where we bumped into none other than the lovely Brissy boys from way back in Buenos Aires! Matt, Coen (like Cowan from the OC) and John. Saved! Thank god for Milhouse Hostel in Buenos Aires.
We then decided to stash the bags for a bit while we fed our poor little hungry tumtums. Went to this ´pay-by-the-kilo´ (seriously! I know, what the...) place and I ate practically half the buffet. Only it wasn´t buffet and I should have remembered that because that was a mistake of a pricey pricey meal.
Got Bon into her hostel with the boys and Honey showed us the room and then kicked me out because I wasn´t a paying guest. Biatch. But her name´s Honey so I can´t be too angry. Headed to Copacabana just for the sake of heading to the Copacabana and enjoyed it. Yes, it was nice.
Parted ways and went to say hello to my tour group. My first impressions weren´t entirely favourable it must be said. We went out to dinner then headed to an Irish Pub. I had actually arranged to meet Bonnie and I was a no-show and I was supposed to be leaving the next day with my tour group so she was in tears (practically anyway) because she thought she would never set eyes on my bootilicious (and by bootilicious I mean chubchubby) body again.
But next morning I let the group toddle off without me and I became the BADASS of the group. That´s right, Gangsta Ange. I went and checked into Bonnie´s hostel, crawled into the next bed in the same room and when she came in a few hours later squealed with shock and horror and by shock and horror I mean happiness and pure bliss. Yes, the reunion of two long lost Melburnian friends.
Can´t remember what we did that day but I have no doubt it was hot and spicey and chilli and complete with firecrackers.
Next day I headed off to a football aka soccer game between a team from Rio and a team from Sao Paulo. It was hot to trot!!! The atmosphere was incredible and I met this Aussie boy who IS Jack Johnson! He looks like him and surfs like him and is chilled out though perhaps a little too chilled out because I think that Bonnie and I perhaps intimidated him and it wound up that he really didn´t talk a whole heap when we were around.
A random thought that I must include now - I heard the best thing last night. Maddie (a girl in my group) described a mullet as ´business out front, a party out back´. It made me laff (yes Bonnie, your stupid language has rubbed off. Hot.)
Anyway, that night went to a Favela Funk Party. Please ignore the name. It wasn´t all barbies and ken partying on the Copa. No sirree. It was in the slums of Rio, in this massive warehouse kinda thing with gyrating, half-naked bodies basically having intimate relations on the dance floor. Woah, intense. But very cool and one of the most experiencing experiences of my whole trip. The guys were just soooo forceful, I felt quite the violated by the end. One guy came up and stuck his tongue right in my ear when I wouldn´t kiss him. Ummm ew anyone? This other aussie guy came running up to me at one point begging me to come meet some guys because one of them (who turned out to be a cop) had just stuck a gun in his stomach requesting to meet some white girls. So I was the lucky girl chosen. The guy and his friends actually turned out to be really really nice, they just wanted to have a chat, they were probably the least forceful people there. Another time, I was actually in pain because this guy had been thrusting me while dancing so hard!! They get fully down and dirty, so much more than Latos´ americanos!!! I´ve never seen anything like it!!!
What else did we get up to and jiggity jig? We went on this ocean cruise with a delicioooooous bbq and unlimited Capirinhas (which just quietly I am making everyone when I get back. They are sooooo good, the perfect summer drink). We drank and laughed and swam to this little island when we anchored in this random place. I tried to get into the safety little paddle boat that followed along after the cruise boat and accidentally almost sunk it. My bad. It was basically just a HOT day (in more ways than one). But I didn´t get burnt because I am a good little girl and Lachie may have taught me a thing or too and perhaps even MoleBitch and I am trying to protect my skin. Aaah MoleBitch.
Turned out I´d been having a little too much fun on the cruise and I was not in much of a state for catching the bus in the afternoon to meet up with the tour group in Porto Seguro. So alternative arrangements were made the following day. Flight straight to Salvador where I would attempt to use my Super Sleuth detective skills (like the ones we used a few weeks before I left Meggy Moo) and track the group down there. A tough task ahead....
Leaving Bonnie was tearjerking but also funny because we said our farewells as she went to catch her bus and then an hour later she wanders back into the bar in the hostel where I had parked my tusha with TipRat waiting for our flight to Salvador. Hehehe silly girl missed her bus and had to wait til the next day to get another.
To wrap up, perhaps a boring entry for the lack of me saying ´chicken´ because I know that´s always fun, but Rio was honestly awesome and perhaps the highlight of my trip thus far... |