Rio, wow. What a place. So big, so beautiful, so much to do and to see, so many places to go to and eat, drink, dance, relax, swim… The people here are so typical of Brazilians everywhere, friendly, relaxed, willing to help and chat and have the craic. If you ask a ‘carioca’ (someone from Rio) a question or for help, if they don’t understand you they will simply smile back at you, rather than get a bit defensive or stand offish and try make you someone else’s problem. The City is so stunning. The views from every angle are amazing. It’s a wonderful place. Yes we are very gringo and people do glance over at us all the time, but a little common sense is all you need and an air of confidence and you’ll be grand.

When we arrived in the bus station we got in touch with Ingrid and she gave us her address. We arrived and she welcomed us into her savage flat. It’s in Lagoa, between Botofoga and Ipanema. Really nice part of town. She showed us where we would be sleeping, and then told us where we would be partying that night!
She is in University here in Rio doing International Relations as a course. She has perfect English and is a really great girl, knows all about Rio, where to go, when to go, how to get there. She sat us down and wrote out a few places that we should see and how to get there, so helpful. She is originally from Macae, where we were supposed to get of the bus! That evening she wanted to go visit some of her friends so me and Domi tagged along, Mark stayed in Ingrids to watch the ill fated second game against France. Boo.

First we met Fernandia and then we met Wagner, mates of Ingrids from Uni and from home. When we came back Casey, and American from texas who wants to rent Ingrids spare room for the next few weeks after we leave had arrived and was watching the game with mark. We all saw the replay off Henry’s “2 hands of god assisted” goal. ,It was so obvious and blatent that even the brazilian football channel was showing it over and over. Couldn’t understand what they were saying but they all sounded just as disbelieved as us. Ridiculous. We had some food and then headed to a free open air party in a university on the other side of the lake. There was free beer all night, a dj, loads of students, a lot of them engineers and lawyers, and a lot of fun was had. We saw a fantastic amount of Brazils positive future there that night. A lot of very smart folks that want to study, travel and help their country. There is so much going for brazil these days with the Olympics and the World Cup in 2014 and 2016. So much construction and jobs already coming on the market. And with more and more people knowing English, this place is defiantly one to really watch in terms of investment, property, companies etc.

They next day Mark Domi and I spent going all around Rio. We first bussed to central, the business district, and came to Arca de terra (?) a really nice area where there are loads of cafes and little restaurants on the street. Chilled. Then we got a taxi to Corcovado, otherwise known as Cristo Redento, Christ the Redeemer. This is the Rio that everyone knows. The big statue above the city looking out over the edge of one of the many mountains with his arms apart. The statue, while being cool and all, was defiantly not the main attraction up there. The main reason for going up, is to look down on the absolute splendour that is Rio. Its just the most prettiest Cities I have ever seen. Huge streaches of white sandy beaches, big beautiful blue ocean, mountains and islands everywhere, tall white buildings, and the entire city is overwhelmed in green. Its like the Forest is taking back the land, trees are everywhere. Spent ages and ages just looking out over the balcony trying to take it all in. Just breathtaking.

Later we went to Ipanema beach and swam in the waves. The waves are so unusual. They come in really big and strong then break and within a couple of feet of breaking are completely gone. They look great to surf on but you couldn’t, by the time you get up on the board thee wave would be gone and you’d be on sand. Ipanema is just like you would imagine it. Beautiful white sand, beautiful people, hot sun, loads of football, volleyball and the odd bit of capoeira.
When the sun started to set we went to a market and got food to cook a meal at home for Ingrid. After dinner we headed into town to go to a club called Casa de Matrice or House of Matix. And the club is literally a house. The living room is the dance floor, the kitchen has a bar in it, the bathroom is under the stairs, the upstairs bedrooms are chillout areas, another dance floor, a gamesroom with old school arcade games, Another bar and a shop where you can buy cool tshirts and hats and stuff. The layout of the place was like any student accommodation house and it just felt like you were at a Uni party. So cool.

On Friday we had the hard task of saying goodbye to Domi. His hourney had come to and end and he had to go home to Innsbruck. He was a wonderful travel mate, is a good friend and a fantastic man. Idont know when I will see him again, but it will be too long for sure. We really are missing him so much already. We decided to get Ingrid a present together and give it on Friday so we got her “U2, Go Home” Dvd of their famous Slane 2 concert, because she loves U2 and we are shite at choosing presents for girls. She loved it, yessss, safe.
So in the midst of some very manly held back tears we hugged our mate good bye.

That night me and Mark went to the only place to be in Rio on a Friday night. Lapa! Lapa is beside Centro and St Theresa and is famous for its salsa and parties. We met Ingrid and fernandia and some of their other friends in a bar with live music and the place was hopping. Everyone form the very young to very elderly were still up shaking booty till half one in the morning with beers and caiparinhas flowing. When the music stopped we all walked up through the streets of Lapa, watching the hawkers, girls of the night, dealers, dancers drummers and gangsters living it up. Ingrid and her mates were tired and headed home so me and mark put our game faces on, bought some streets beers and headed into the thick of it all. The place was Dangerous, there is no doubt about it, but the danger adds to the whole experience, We had a few drinks in us so the craic was flowing but there was always the sharp eye as to what was going on around us and keeping check on our wallets. Its very hard to describe the whole scene in Lapa, the only way we cold put the whole thing into words to describe the place and feeling was Raw Humanity. There was loud music pumping from cars, more coming from a dj boot set up inside the font door of a Furnurtiture shop, beer was being sold everywhere, everybody was dancing, there were people gyrating together all over the place, lads walking around with bottles of tequila selling shots with limes and salt, dodgy and happy pleasant looking people everywhere were just getting in on any and all the action. Distant gunshots were chased by sirens at one stage and some poor sod got on the wrong side of someone and was being dragged through the crowd by someones posse, there were the two really friendly carioca lads that started chatting to us about travelling, music, women, everything, for ages. We then came across a group of Volunteers that were from all over the world helping out in different locations all around Rio and chatted with them for a while. Finally, as the sun rose again, mark and I headed home. Excited, buzzed, proud that we had survived a night in lapa on our own, no gringo tour guided hostel deal, no hassel, just loads of fun and experiencing raw human emotions and basic instincts. We had done very well. And deserved Saturdays sleep in.


Currently listening to
Helios – Eingya and Ayres, wonderful alternative chillout.
Ruari - Lower State 2nd Birthday Mix