Brazil
Vila Militar Copacabana - VMC - Exército - Army

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    • Day 75

      Sugar Loaf Mountain and Sambadro

      February 11, 2016 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

      We wake up early, as it is still Carnival we want to tray and hit the tourist spots early so that we can try and avoid the queues as much as possible . We are really trying to do everything ourselves and catching tube and buses is pretty easy here. WE arrive at Sugar loaf and even from the bottom its breathtaking. I am a little dissapointed as today is one of the first cloudy days and concerned we won't be able to see the views, but we have all day so lets see.
      We join the orderly queue(or as orderly as it can be in Brazil) and before too long were heading up to the first peak in the cable car. I suggest to Mark that maybe we should head straight up to the second peak and then work i way down. Yet again another great idea(even if i say so myself), the second peak is still quite busy and there are quite a few cruise liners in, shipping people in groups of 30's to all the popular attractions.
      The view from the top is truly amazing and as you circle the mountain you get a full 360 degree view of Rio De Janeiro there are quite a few trails around the peak so we head away from the crowds and explore a little more . Making the effort to get off the beaten track really pays off as not only do you get away from the crowds , but the views are taken to a whole new level. After a good look around we take the cable car down and opt to take the "green trail" thinking this would just be around the 1st peak but 20 mins into the trek we realise that this is going to be much more . Theyre are people coming in the opposite direction that look like they have just run a marathon (they also look a lot fitter than Mark and I ) and i begin to wonder whether this is a good idea, but nothing ventured nothing gained. We trek all the way down the mountain and when we reach the bottom we're relieved to find an exit road (thank god i havent got to go back up) that leads to a beach. The beach is very small and packed with mostly Brazilians so we grab a beer and people watch.
      In Brazil the current is really strong and the waaves break litterally on the beach. It is a game with the children as the wave approaches they try and out run it screaming and laughing as they go. Peple quite happily sit on the beach with theyre belongings scattered around them , when from nowhere a huge wave hits and the sea is strewn with flip flops and towels , the scene is comical and Mark and I stay for a while longer just to laugh at everyone rescuing theyre bits and pieces.
      Mark and i were advised by Zee to wait till late to purchase our Sambadrome tickets and as we are sitting in the hostel we get chatting to Emma , Lee and Pepe. Pepe is a local guy who used to work in the hostel and still helps out so he tells us he can get us tickets for 80 reals, this is about 1 quid each so we agree , and i feel safer going with him as he knows the ropes. A couple of caipirinhas later and i am more than in the mood to party so we all head over to the sambadrome . It is now nearly midnight and as we get closer to the drome i am glad we have come with Pepe as i wouldnt have had a clue. The Sambadrome must be about 2 miles long and we are in the far end but the atmosphere is truly electric. Along the street all the floats are lined up behind miles of mesh fences , preparing to make the grand entrance.
      We eventually head into the stadium and it really is like nothing ive seen or heard before the colours the noise the atmosphere, and we havent even seen a school yet.The funny thing is ive pessurised Mark into getting dressed up and he makes the effort by putting on a sombrero, but the stadium is that packed hes taking everyones head off with it and eventually gets told to take it off (whoops) Pepe Lee and Emma ar good company and we all share beers etc as the parade begins again. Lots of schools take part in the parade and the prize is equivalent to 1 million reals so everything is up for stakes.
      I really couldnt post pictures, videos or tell you how good this is as just the atmosphere is more than i can describe. I have waited for this moment for 20 odd years and too actually be sat here is my dream come true.
      We leave the arena at 5.30am (i know im a party animal) and i dread to think how many people are trying to leave at the same time , the busses cant even shut theyre doors theyre are that many people trying to get home. As people have finished doing theyre parades they discard theyre costumes in the street , but even i'm too tired to make the effort to bring them home... after all i only have a 35 litre rucksack.
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    • Day 72

      Sunburn and blocos

      February 8, 2016 in Brazil ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

      When we arrived at Bils this morning he had had to go to hospital, he had stayed down the beach with Mark yesterday and hadnt used sunblock , his back was a mass of oozing blisters, i felt so sorry for him as carnivalmis really in full swing and as everybody else is dressing up to head out he is covering himself with calomine lotion and taking pain killers.
      During carnival it is the norm to dress up and that can be anything from a pair of mickey mouse ears to a full blown fancy dress costume . The streets are littered with men dressed as women, women dressed as men, it really is anything goes , basically if you arent dressed you arent here for carnival.After along wait for every one to get ready we eventually head out. So we are accompanied by Mario, Spiderman , a captain, and multiple other characters.
      Its 9am in the morning and i,m drinking straight cacacha thismis going to get messy. The bloco is 10 blocks away from our hostel so we catch the tube and get off at the stop before. There are 200,000 people here and as you can imagine the tubes and buses are packed to the brim. The place is mental, i thought the beatles festival was crazy but this on another level . People dance drink and follow ths bus . My love for Brazil grows daily, but the heat here is relentless. Within an hour i have lost Mark , but the strangest thing I meet the guy off the bus who first helped us when we arrived here. Mark hasnt quite got the knack of being able to barge through people , who are quite used to it. The blocos generally last 3 to 4 hours , and aa we go to head back they have shut the metro, i guess this is a safety measure, but is an absolute pain in the arse. The walk back is arduous and as i arribe back at the hostel Mark is at there ber in hand !!! (Wasnt really his type of music anyway) A quick shower amd were ready to go again, nut first ww must eat. The guys take us to a local place where we eat chicken steak sosej rice chips and noodles for 20 reals , which is about 2 quid each, bargain.Now we are ready for heading out to catch amother bus(bloco)
      I swear the amount of people is mesmerising and as the days go on here the costumes get more eccentric. Mornings roll into days, days roll into nights and before you know it your back in your bed ready to do it all again.
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    • Day 71

      Carnival

      February 7, 2016 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

      First things first we hit the beach, ive missed being able to just get into the water and cool off so its a welcome break fro m the heat,It never cools down here not even at night. We hire a couple of chairs and very soon a couple of Brazilian guys called hedges and Bill ask if we can mind there things while they go for a dip. I invest in a dental floss bikini (dont worry i wont be posting any pictures) and the guys soon return. They are really keen to practice theyre english and we are really glad to have them with us as they have an art of being able to haggle to get us cheaper beer. The guys are really cool and we spend hours chatting before i have to leave to return to the hostel to go shopping for my carnival outfit, Mark stays with the guys and by the time i have finished Mark has returned and tells me to go and get myself a shower as the guys will be coming to pick us up shortly to take us to a bloko. The guys dont show but we just think that maybe they have carried on drinking and theyre probably pissed somewhere. So not to be beaten we head out solo.
      Carnival here is really something else, everyone is in fancy dress and double decker buses line the streets in various areas of town playing all different types of music (with a brazilian twist ) and we join the throbbing crowd(i mean thousands of people). Once they have a big enough crowd they drive very slowly away with the crowd sambaing behing them following through the streets. I have bought Mark a shrek mask and i have a masquerade mask, quite underdressed as it goes.We follow rhe parade through the streets for nearly 2 hours and then head back for a bite to eat and bed as we have arranged to meet bill and hedges tomorrow at 9 to follow another bus x
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    • Day 70

      Travelling Circus

      February 6, 2016 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

      So as we bid a sad farewell to Petropolis we say goodbye to some really cool people. Felipe Ray and Andreas to name a few , have made our stay here really perfect, thanks guys. We board the bus and head back down the treachorous hill that seemed a life time to get up, and yet is over quicker than i can blink an eye at, maybe because going up we didnt really get out of 2nd gear although it felt like we were travelling far to fast for the road conditions, although that seems the norm here. On the bus a young guy asks if we need any help and at Rio he takes us to the local bus to catch it to Copacabana. People here really are so helpful.
      Within mins of being on the bus he has run over a ladys suitcase who was waiting for the bus next to us and narrowly missed mowing down an old lady on the pedestrian crossing, having gone through a red light ( Ireally hope this journey wont take long),
      We drop our bags in the hostel and get handed a welcome pack consisting of a masquerade mask confetti and and a whisle. The hostel has a very young crowd and i feel like im on an 18-30 holidy , but if you cant beat them join them. Every night they have entertainment here pub crawls etc but tonight is a bbq so i pay our 30 reals each ( approx 8 quid) and we head upstairs to eat, or so we think . There is only so much meat that can be cooked and as the first tray is put out a French guy literally piles his plate so high that noone else even got a bit of fat we ended up having a bit of a row but you know what the French are like, (well most of them) . Mark went to bed before he lost his temper and i followed shortly after - wish i was back in Petropolis.
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    • Day 77

      We All Smell The Same

      February 13, 2016 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      Its a really strange concept, but its weird how noone really smells of BO out here (well not that ive smelt) and yet everyone is constantly sweating. Its been a nightmare the past few days as with it being Carnival everything shuts, and I mean everything. There are no washing facilities in the hostel and the Laundrettes have been closed for nearly a week and having ony packed 5/6 days of clothes is slight issue when you do your calculations. We eventually managed to put our clothes in yesterday and the girl said they would be ready at 1800 ....TOMORROW!!!! So today is the day we get fresh linen and I am really excited. Travelling really makes you appreciate the smallest things. Even the banks are out of money as they havent been filled for over 4 days and every one has come to Rio for Carnival so all atms have out of action stickers on them. Luckily Mark and I kept $100 as an emergency fund and the exchange places are offering the shittest rates as they know they can make money
      Mark is in a bad way today with his feet, he can barely walk so he has been to the chiropodist and even though they are better than they were, a day of rest is whats needed. We sit around the hostel catching up on loading photos etc clock watching for 1800 to arrive. I have an idea that maybe the lady in the laundrette meant they close at 6 so hedging my bets head down there at 1530 to be told come back at 6
      I really have loved our time here in Rio de Janeiro but I can honestly say i am partied out and in need of just getting by a beach and chilling for a few days . I would recommened anyone to come here its a city that never sleeps, but i am certainly feeling my age.
      Dinner tonight is Dominos and its one of the first western dishes we have eaten although i wouldnt actully say it tastes like pizza from home, another thing is they have sweet pizza filled with chocolate or "doce de leite"(basically evaporated milk boiled in a can to make butterscotch) they cover the pizza base in sugar and cinnamon and it really is delicious. So after feeding the wounded soldier we have an early night.
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    • Day 75

      The Beatles

      February 11, 2016 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

      So today is the Beatles bloco and its at 9 in the morning , so yes after just 3 hrs sleep I am up again as this is the one Bloco I really wanted to see . Feeling a little more than tender we once agin take a tube to a place called Cinemalandia. Another packed Metro and we arrive at a huge square. This Bloco is actually stationary so we stay back and allow all the crowd surfers to do theyre thing while we dance around in the space we have. I honestly can't believe i'm doing this after last night/this morning and feel like i have a second wind. Although when i stop i really feel it , so the only way forward is to dance.
      I am in my element here although hearing the beatles sends little pangs of homesickness through my mind I'm glad that I know the words for once. We sing and dance as the old tunes with a twist of samba play out, the temperature today is 40 degrees and i keep buying bottles of iced water, not to drink , but to pour over myself.
      The bloco has speakers all over the park, and at 2pm i suggest we start heading to the back of the park so at least we have a chance of catching the metro back before it finishes
      We are directed from one metro entrance to another as they are already closed (brazilian crowd control at its best) , and on our 4th attemp we are finally on our way back to the hostel.
      My age has finally caught up with me and i head to bed for a much needed siesta, waking a few hours later i still feel knackered so a couple of beers and an early night it is........
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    Vila Militar Copacabana - VMC - Exército - Army, Vila Militar Copacabana - VMC - Exercito - Army

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