One week in Rio de Janeiro

Hey guys, I suppose it's irritating when a blog isn't updated enough. I am just online looking for a cheap way to get to Salvador. Surprisingly, it is R$100 cheaper to fly than to take the bus. So, I will be flying out on Wednesday (I think). I need to have a citizen number to book the flight online, so I'm going to see about using my friend's credit card and paying him back.

So, where I left off: I stayed at Vinicius' place for my first night in Rio and planned to go to Lucas' capoeira group the next day. Vini speaks pretty good English. At first, we went back and forth between Portuguese and English, but mostly in English. Tuesday, we woke up and set out on an excursion through the city. I wanted to see the beach, of course, so we jumped on the communal taxi, I bought some cheap and delicious acai (somehow this is the first american style keyboard I come across) with strawberries and then jump on the bus. An hour or so later, we find ourselves at Vini's cousin, Natalia's work. Then, Vini and I headed to the beach, not the touristy Copacabana or Ipanema, but Prainha, a tiny beach where the locals go to surf. It was later in the day (since it took most of the day to get there :P) so there was no body there, plus the fact that it's winter here now. A very cold 27 degree winter. The waves were spectacular and the view of the mountain was gorgeous. This was the moment that I thought, "Maybe I could live in Rio de Janeiro". On one side, there is the city, where you have everything you need, and then you look in the other direction and it is a natural paradise. So, by this time, we are on the other side of Rio, a good hour and a half away from Vila Valqueire, where Vini lives, and I know I'm going to miss the capoeira class and Vini his university class. All is well, we drink beer and laugh. Somehow on this night, I was feeling confident with my Portuguese. I spoke with Vini's other cousin, whose name I can barely pronounce, let alone spell, and his friends. I was feeling good about my Portuguese, like I can actually have a full conversation. Then, after borrowing Natalia's car, we drive back to Vila Valqueire, and the whole way there, I am blabbing away in Portuguese. We get back to Vini's apartment, where his mother and sister are, neither of whom speak or understand any English. I had no problem speaking with them. I was on a role, so excited about what I was talking about. I get ready for bed, and I go to sleep. In the morning, I wake up, and suddenly my Portuguese is gone. I can't get my point across. I'm practically struggling with "Bom Dia". So frustrating. But I guess that's what happens when you learn a new language.

Wednesday, I spoke with Raposa, Alegria and Cabrito and heard where they were staying. I told them, "I'll be there in a few hours", knowing full well that it would because of the buses. They were in Copacabana at a cute little hostel called "Walk on the Beach". I asked Vini how to get there, and we tried to text Alegria back, but were unsuccessful. Then, somehow the day went by. I met up with some of Vini's friends and had lunch (stocked up on vegetables!), went to an English school, where I had a little mini-interview. It was a cute little school, with good facilities and materials. I liked the school and the guy who ran it, and he left me feeling very confident about getting a job. I might not even need this Teacher Placement Program. I think it may be even better, just to go in with my resume and cover letter. After all this realized that it would be dark by the time I arrived in Copacabana. That's not exactly what I wanted to do: ride the public transit in Rio in the dark. So, that didn't happen. Instead, I tried some carioca maconha and had a McChicken from the McDonald's drive-thru. Tastes just like Canada.

Thursday, I get a call from Raposa in the morning. They were worried since I never showed up. I told them that I would definately show up at the beach and that I would bring my backpack and stay in Copacabana, so as not to get stuck in the dark. I packed my bag and set off on another hour and a half on public transit. This time I tried the metro, which is very fast and convienient, like any other metro. Again, I am blown away by the ocean and the view of Ipanema beach. My friends parked themselves right on the end of Ipanema beach, right before it turns into Copacabana, where the surfers are. I spent hours in the waves, and I felt just like a kid again. It reminded me of when I was 12, in Hawaii. I would spend hours in the dangerous waves, letting them throw me around. It was just the same. The water was a bit cold, but very refreshing and very salty. After a few hours, we made our way to the hostel where I checked in (I should bring my entire backpack to the beach every time :P) and found my bunk. That night, we all jumped on the metro and walked around Santa Teresa, a cute part of town with streetcars and oldschool brick streets, trying to find a place to eat. Somehow, instead we found ourselves in the middle of Lapa, the nightclub district. So we ate and did a little Samba, drank a little caipirinha.. the usual.

Friday was pretty chill, we went to a capoeira store in the morning where everyone bought a little something. I bought my first pair of Brazilian underwear, the half-assed kind with a little capoeira on it. Then we hung out on the beach, played in the waves like a child and went out to a churrascaria, all-you-can-eat meat (and a little sushi actually). That was the breaking point. That is when there was a little bit of pain in my stomach. I really need to cool down on the meat. So easy to eat.. the only thing really to eat.

Yesterday morning, we woke up bright and early and headed out to the Floresta Tijuca. This is a protected forest in the middle of Rio. It's free to go in and hike, which we did, taking the whole day. We walked through the forest, saw the waterfalls, saw some funny looking animals with an anteater type snout (except the snout at the end looked like Charlie!) and armadillos. Luckily it was a bit of a chilly day, because the hike was pretty intense. We took the trail all the way to the peak of the mountain, which had the most gorgeous view of the forest and the city. It was a bit overcast, so we couldn't see everything, but it was quite amazing. I may do it again in the summer and roast!! Climbing down was faster, but still nice. Once we got back to the hostel, we chilled out for a few hours before heading out to Lapa again for dinner and drinks. After the drinks, we jumped in a cab and found ourselves at the bottom of the favelas, where we went to the Mangeira, the famous Samba School in Rio. The show was amazing, the costumes remarkable, the dancing ridiculous! By the end of the night I was dancing, but I'm sure I looked like such a gringa!! Man, can those brazilians move it! The women wore the most tight and short dresses I've ever seen, worse than Granville street on a Saturday night! With their big asses, they would shake it like nothing I've ever seen. And the men could really move too. The music was overwhelming actually. By the end of the night, I was tired and I just couldn't believe that people were still moving and dancing and singing and playing their instruments. Brazil is so lively and crazy! The music is really what makes Brazil different, it was truely amazing. But what was even more amazing, is that we made it back to the hostel alive. Our cab driver was insane. He ran every red light that we hit and was speeding like a mad person. We got back in record time, though :)

This morning, I woke up and the last of us checked out of Walk on the Beach Hostel. Caio's good friend Remo picked me up from the hostel and it was only a quick bus ride away from his apartment, where I am now. He lives in a very nice area of Copacabana, right across the street from Le Boy and La Girl, the two big gay clubs in Rio. He is two blocks away from Copacabana beach and three blocks from Ipanema. Life is sweet. We went for a walk to Lagoa, which was only about 15 minutes away, I met his father, had a meaty lunch with a glass of cold red wine. Today I bought my first brazilian bikini, and I'm excited to try it out at the beach tomorrow. I came back to the apartment after buying some vegetables and made a little stir-fry, which I am still nibbling on now.

The plan is now to fly to Salvador on Wednesday after finally taking that capoeira class in Vila Valqueire on Tuesday. Tomorrow, I think I will chill at the beach, and try to find out if I can take a capoeira angola class here in Copacabana.

I LOVE RIO!!!!!!! Seriously considering living here.....