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Happy Days Travel

Happy Days Travel

We are Andrea and Mark, an ex-teacher and a retired engineer from the UK. We love travelling slowly, exploring new destinations, discovering different cultures, tasting local foods, meeting people, and enjoying every single day we are on this earth. Leer más🇬🇧Mablethorpe
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    • South American Adventure

      More photos of the market

      9 de marzo, Brasil ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

      Back at our accommodation, I spent the afternoon scheduling some posts to social media.  For the first time, Mark didn't feel up to cooking the dinner by himself, so we did it together.  He is certainly feeling weaker than ever.  

      I started reading a fellow traveller's account of our time on the truck.  It's interesting to read about it from a different point of view.  Sometimes, I wondered if we'd even been on the same trip!  The thing that struck me most, though, was the difference in Mark's appearance from the start of our trip last October to now.  It was like looking at photos of a different person.  I guess you just don't see it when you're with someone all the time.      Leer más

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    • South American Adventure

      Gloria's Sunday market

      9 de marzo, Brasil ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

      We spent yesterday at our AirBnb.  I was working all day, and Mark was resting up after Friday's exertions.  Brian, our host, has recommended an English-speaking doctor to us.  He tried to contact him yesterday, but he doesn't work weekends, so he will try him again on Monday morning.  Brian definitely said that we shouldn't go to a public clinic.  He has lived here for more than 50 years, so he knows what he's talking about!

      This morning, I went out to buy a spit-roasted chicken for dinner.  I saw them when I was out and about the other day.  Sunday is also the day of the local market, so I was looking forward to having a mooch around.  I wasn't disappointed.  It was the best market I've been to in a long time, selling everything from clothing and crafts to fresh fish, meat, fruit, and vegetables.  There were also loads of food stalls showcasing cuisines from all over the world.

      I spent a long time looking around the stalls.  I bought some beachwear for our planned visit to Copacabana on my birthday in a few days' time.  I then bought as much fresh fruit (all prepared for me) and veg as I could physically carry before going to pick up my chicken and some sweet pastries.  I then staggered back up the hill laden down with my shopping! 😊      Leer más

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    • South American Adventure

      Lunch and Sugarloaf Mountain

      7 de marzo, Brasil ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

      From Christ the Redeemer, we went to an 'all-you-can-eat' buffet restaurant for lunch.  The food was excellent.  We sat with a former travel agent from Belgium and her 78-year-old Mum.  We talked about everything from Trump and Brexit to camping and cruising!

      After lunch, we drove to Sugarloaf Mountain, arriving there at about 3pm.  Up to this point, the day had gone according to plan.  Now, however, things started to go pear-shaped!  We joined the 'groups with guides' queue and waited there, taking photos and videos of the cable cars coming and going while Fab went to buy our tickets.  She was gone a very long time.  Our lunch companions got fed up of waiting in the heat and caught an Uber back to their hotel.  A huge group of British people all dressed in white turned up.  They were the guests at a wedding taking place at the top of the mountain!  Eventually, Fab returned with our wristbands, but the wedding party was allowed through before us.  After some insistence from Fab, we were scanned through, only to find ourselves in another, even longer queue!  This one moved reasonably quickly.  

      Mark was getting tired by this point and was looking particularly yellow today.  His jaundice is not improving, but, apart from fatigue, he has no other symptoms.  One of the Scottish couples were both retired GPs.  They advised us to get Mark checked out because there could be a more serious underlying cause.

      When we finally reached the front of the queue, there was a second scanner.  This time, the computer said 'no'!!  Apparently, our tickets were not valid until 6 pm, and it was only 4.20pm!!  No amount of tears and outrage from Fab would make the officials change their minds!  She was distraught, telling us that she takes groups there every day and she has never had this happen before!  In the end, though, she had no choice but to rethink.  The decision was taken to leave Sugarloaf to visit the Selaron steps and the cathedral, both of which were on the itinerary, but Fab had told us that we wouldn't have time to do them.  I was quite pleased as I really wanted to see inside the cathedral.  Fab was not the first person to say how beautiful the stained glass is.  The plan was to go to both places and then come back to Sugarloaf for 6pm, with the added bonus that we would catch the sunset from the top of the mountain.

      Once again, we had to wait because the minibus that had dropped us off had broken down, and they needed to locate a replacement!  Another two people from the group gave up at this point and took a taxi back to their accommodation.  We stuck it out.  The minibus arrived, and we went to the Selaron steps.  Mark stayed on the minibus as we had already seen them.  From the steps, we drove the short distance to the cathedral.  On the way, Fab was telling us again about how stunning the interior is.  The exterior is pretty spectacular, too!  We pulled up outside.  Nobody took any photos because we all thought we were getting out to go inside the church.  This didn't happen!  After a minute or so, we drove off!!  Fab ignored all our protestations.  We were incredulous!  We had no idea what had happened, but we found ourselves stuck in rush-hour traffic as we inched our way back to Sugarloaf.

      We arrived back there at gone 6pm.  The place was heaving.  The queues were longer than ever, with everyone wanting to see the sunset, which was due at 6.15pm.  We already had our wristbands, so Fab did her best to get us to the front of the queue as quickly as possible.  Despite this, the sun disappeared without us seeing a thing, and it was completely dark by the time we got to the cable car!  We had no choice, though, but to continue at this point.

      To cut a very long story short, we eventually caught the first cable car and then queued again for the second one to take us to the very top of Sugarloaf.  We lost half of our group at this point.  We couldn't see anything in the dark and, to make matters worse, a fog descended too!  We finally reached the top and immediately joined the queue to make the return journey, all the while seeing absolutely nothing!!  It was a complete waste of time!  Most of us were vowing to return in daylight.

      We got back to the minibus at around 8.30pm and were dropped back at the pick-up point at 9.  After calling at the supermarket, we walked up the hill and were back in our accommodation by 9.30pm.  Needless to say, we were both knackered, especially Mark!      Leer más

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    • South American Adventure

      Christ the Redeemer

      7 de marzo, Brasil ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

      From where the minibus dropped us, there were 200 steps to the base of the statue itself.  Alternatively, you could get there by taking a lift and a couple of escalators.  This was the way we chose!

      Although you can see Christ the Redeemer from many places in Rio, you get no sense of how big it is.  In fact, it looks disappointingly small from ground level!  Even as you ascend the 700-metre high Corcovado mountain that it stands on top of, you don't realise its immense size because it is largely hidden from view by the forest.  The first moment you see the statue in all its glory is when you emerge from the lift.  Despite the view from the back, it is a real wow moment!

      Christ the Redeemer is an Art Deco statue of Jesus, created by French-Polish sculptor Paul Landowski and built by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, in collaboration with French engineer Albert Caquot.  Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida sculpted the face.  It was built between 1922 and 1931.  The statue is 30 metres high, excluding its 8-metre pedestal. The arms stretch 28 metres wide.  It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone and weighs 635 metric tons.  This statue is the largest Art Deco–style sculpture in the world.  It is a world-famous symbol of Christianity and was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

      It is certainly impressive!  It was heaving with tourists, but we did manage to walk all around it and take the photos we wanted to.  Fab had given us 40 minutes there, which was just enough time to look around, have an ice cream, and return to the transport back to the visitor centre.      Leer más

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    • South American Adventure

      A crazy day out!!

      7 de marzo, Brasil ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

      After a couple of days at our accommodation working, listening to music, and watching movies, today we booked a day trip to go to see Christ the Redeemer, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and Sugarloaf Mountain.  There were also going to be stops at the football stadium and the Selaron steps, which we'd already been to, but it was still better than trying to organise visits to the main sites independently.

      Our pick-up point was at a local hotel, so we wandered down there after breakfast.  We should have been collected at 9.15am, but it was nearer to 9.45 when our guide, Fab (yes, that was her name!) arrived.  Also being picked up were Sydney from New York and Pavia.  On the minibus, we met the rest of our fellow passengers - a group of six (3 couples) from Scotland who were about to join a cruise leaving from Rio and going across the Atlantic, a mother and daughter from Belgium who were due to go on the same cruise, a young couple from Luxemburg, three friends from America who live on the residential cruise ship that had so many problems in Belfast at the end of last year, and two ladies from Czechia.  We were all English speakers.

      Our first stop was at the national football stadium, which we had photographed from the Rio Samba Bus the other day.  We were given a few minutes to walk around and take pictures, but nobody was very enthusiastic.  We also paused to look at the Sambadrome through the windows of the minibus.  We were telling people how exciting it had been to watch the parade there last weekend.

      From there, we drove to Christ the Redeemer.  This involved driving through Tijuca National Park in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro.  It is the largest urban national park in South America and is home to more than 230 species of animals and birds, including capuchin monkeys, coatis, agoutis, wild dogs, marmosets, hummingbirds and thrushes.  We were dropped off at the visitor centre, where we transferred to official buses to complete the journey to the top.      Leer más

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    • South American Adventure

      Our first cinema visit in months

      4 de marzo, Brasil ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

      Sunday was an easier day after our antics at the carnival!  We had a leisurely breakfast, and then I ventured down the hill to buy more bottled water.  I think this may be a daily mission while we're staying here!  I spent most of the day finally catching up with my posts and Penguins entries.  Mark cooked a pork in tomato sauce dish, which we had with pasta for dinner, and there was enough left for the next day, too.

      Yesterday, I spent several hours reminding myself how to create digital products, the idea being that this is what I will be concentrating on for the rest of our time in Brazil, the aim being to generate enough income for either of us not to have to get a job as soon as we return to the UK.  I'll do my best!

      I worked for a few hours this morning before we walked to the local cinema to see 'A Complete Unknown', the new Bob Dylan biopic.  It received 5 nominations at this week's Oscars ceremony, but it didn't win any.  We both thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the soundtrack, which featured the music of Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash, and the incomparable Joan Baez, as well as Bob Dylan himself.  It was our first cinema visit in the whole South America trip - very unusual for us!

      After the film, we shopped in a different supermarket close to the cinema and then walked home.      Leer más

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    • South American Adventure

      Sambadrome

      1 de marzo, Brasil ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

      There was a huge security presence on the streets. All access to the Metro station was restricted to one funnelled entrance. There were a lot of people about, but everyone was in a good mood. The atmosphere was of a relaxed, happy party. Our journey to our stop for the Sambadrome passed without incident. Finding 'sector 9' where our seats were, proved somewhat difficult, though! We got there eventually, having asked several police officers and security personnel on the way. Google Translate is a godsend!

      The Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí is the home of the Rio Carnival Sambadrome Parades. It is a purpose-built stadium designed by the world-renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Neimeyer. It was constructed in 1984 especially to host the annual parade of Samba Schools. The Rio de Janeiro Sambadrome is comprised of free-standing individual structures for spectator viewing, called sectors, which sit on both sides of a long alleyway down which the Samba Schools parade. A few days before the big event, the Carnival runway is painted white in preparation to host a dazzling spectacle of rhythm and dancing as the members of Rio de Janeiro’s most elite Samba Schools strut their stuff down the 13-metre wide and 700-metre long stretch of the Passarela Professor Ribeiro Darcy. At the end of the parade route is a complex called Praça da Apoteose, or Apotheosis Square, where parade participants can celebrate, gather and take off their magnificent costumes as their school’s procession ends.

      The Sambadrome Parades take place every night and are the backbone of Rio Carnival, as 30000 annual participants and 90000 nightly ticketed spectators take part in what is known around the world as the greatest party on the planet! The parades are dazzling spectacles of gorgeous handmade costumes, lavishly decorated floats that are as tall as the grandstands, meticulously choreographed dances, pulsating percussions, rhythm, beats and of course, the music and steps of the samba. It is also important to remember that the Sambadrome parades are more than just fun and games; they are ferociously competitive judged events.

      The most prestigious of Rio de Janeiro’s Samba Schools square off as each school gets its turn to parade down the samba runway, with judges seated in specific locations spread along the parade route analysing the songs, checking for enthusiasm and audience engagement, and watching every dance move and every sequin on every costume. At the end of Rio Carnival, a winner is announced, and every samba school is ranked according to who receives the highest scores from the judges. Government funding and corporate sponsors are involved, so the Sambadrome means big business!

      The first Samba School begins its procession at 9pm. Each school has approximately 85 minutes to complete the entire procession (points are deducted from a Samba School’s overall score if the procession runs shorter or goes longer than the allotted time). Therefore, the Sambadrome Parades turn into a highly anticipated marathon, each parade trying to outdo the other. It’s not uncommon for the Sambadrome parades to last until 6am the following morning!

      We arrived at the stadium at around 7.30pm, so we had plenty of time to watch the build-up and enjoy the growing sense of excitement. As advised in the information sent with our tickets, we had brought a blanket with us to make the concrete steps a little more comfortable to sit on. By the time the first parade started, though, most people were on their feet and remained standing for the duration. The grandstands were packed, making for a very hot and sweaty audience experience!

      The start of each parade was marked with a spectacular firework display. Then, the Samba School members and their magnificent floats made their slow progress down the runway, entertaining the crowds as they went. It was certainly spectacular! We loved it!!

      We never intended to stay to watch the parades all night, despite the fact that the Metro system is running 24 hours a day throughout the carnival. In the event, we only watched one complete parade and left the Sambadrome at around 10.30pm. It still took us until gone midnight to get back to our Airbnb. I'm glad we experienced being there. We don't feel like we missed out by not staying longer.      Leer más

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    • South American Adventure

      Carnival craziness

      1 de marzo, Brasil ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

      After breakfast this morning, I walked down the hill to run a few errands. I wanted to organise Metro tickets to get to the Sambadrome this evening. I soon discovered that our nearest station is closed for the duration of the carnival. A drinks seller directed me to the next nearest, so I walked down there. On the way, I passed several interesting-looking delis and 'pay by weight' grocery stores - places to return to on another day. I was fascinated by the fact that the streets were full of people ready to party, despite the early hour. There were some amazing costumes and make-up. There were plenty of people wearing very little, too! Glitter and confetti were everywhere. Stalls were selling everything carnival-related. The atmosphere was happy and relaxed.

      I found the Metro station and secured tickets for our journey later. On the way back to the supermarket, I bought several trays of ready-prepared fruit from a guy on the street. I chose watermelon, mangos, pineapple, and strawberries. He wasn't charging much. It was definitely worth it for the time saved on peeling and chopping! It did mean, though, that my backpack was already heavy before I even started the shopping I'd come for! I also gave in to temptation and bought a flower garland for Mark and a hairband for me to wear tonight. Well, when in Rome!

      Once I had the other shopping we needed, I dragged my heavily-laden self back up the hill to Brian's place. I was extremely hot and knackered by the time I got there! I cooled off under the ceiling fan, and then we had delicious fresh fruit and Greek yoghurt for lunch.

      I spent the afternoon writing posts and scheduling them for future dates. I also made a start on some Instagram stories for Brazil. Mark did some handwashing and prepared steak, potatoes, and salad for dinner. A new guest arrived this afternoon for the small single room at the front of the house. We said hello, but we have no common language, so conversation was a non-starter!

      After dinner, we cleared away and watered Brian's plants as I'd promised him we would. He has gone to his house in the mountains for a few days to escape the Carnival madness.

      We then got ready and left for the Sambadrome at just before 6pm.      Leer más

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