The next morning, we woke up, and got a good, all-you-can-eat breakfast spread at the hostel. After not too long, I put my new Cartagena bathing suits bottoms on, and headed to the beach! Ug, I apologize for all the exclamation points, I just really liked Rio...and want to make sure you understand that. Anyway, down to the beach I went. Jared stayed back for a bit as his stomach was acting up, but joined not long after I arrived. The beach was packed; I also saw the largest woman`s butt cheeks, just hanging out, for the whole world to see...she was really large. So that was basically my introduction to the world of swim wear in Rio. The men were in surprisingly large swim suits...I mean, not like in the USA, but also definitely not those little Speedos people used to sport. I think the most memorable swimsuit, besides the one I couldn`t see on the first woman I told you about, was the teenie weenie nude, string bikini, thong, on the super old, super tan woman walking along. It reminded me of the old, leather-skinned woman from the movie Something About Mary. The water was surprisingly chilly, and the undercurrent was very strong, so I mostly just basked in the sun, trying to get back that Central America glow I had earlier, which did not really happen, but that`s beside the point. We spent an hour or two lounging, before heading back to the hostel. We showered up, and walked around our area a bit, getting a better feel for what Barry Manilow was talking about. That evening we attempted to walk down the beach to a park and small hilltop before sunset, but we left a bit late, and right as we started, Jared`s stomach started hurting again, so we decided to hold off until the next day, as we probably wouldn´t even be able to reach the park before sunfall. The rest of the night, we were mostly just lazy, hanging out at the hostel. We promised that the next day, we would be productive tourists....
Each day started way earlier than I wanted. I hoped for a nice 10 am leisurely wake up, but instead, would unwantedly wake up at 7 am. Despite trying to shut me eyes as tightly as possible, once you`re up in a dorm room of a hostel, it`s nearly impossible to fall back asleep. So up we got, everyday, between 7-8 am. The all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, with more than just bread and jam, definitely helped to ease the blow. I had some quick errands to run for Australia, so I set out to the post office, while Jared set up our tourist activities. Upon my return, we packed our sunblock and glasses and headed out to the bus station to go to Cristo Redentor, or Christ the Redeemer; one of the Man-Made Wonders of the World! An easy ride later, we hopped off right in front of the park; couldn`t have been easier. A small train takes passengers up to the summit every 30 minutes, and then you can walk/take an elevator up the the statue. Views of the city are pretty amazing, and as with many monuments, the statue is a lot bigger than it looks! After a bit of photos and plaque reading, we got back on the train to head back down. We went back to the hostel, and this time took the bus over to the park to try to catch the sunset again. Alas, we were too late, and the sun started to set before we could reach the park...again. Also, we were insanely hungry, as we hadn`t eaten since breakfast! So instead, we headed for a restaurant in the Ipanema area. We split some pretty awesome beef stroganoff, and after gorging ourselves walked for a bit, before rain started picking up and we bused back to the hostel for the night.
The next morning, we had to be ready a bit early as I really wanted to go on a free walking tour of the city. We attempted one in La Paz, but no one ever showed up, but I was pumped for the Rio tour. I really like to know certain back stories and history behind areas, instead of just taking pictures of pretty buildings. We got on the train, which we were told would take about 10 minutes to reach our destination, and 30 minute later ran off, in the hopes that we had not missed the tour, which was supposed to have left 4 minutes after we got off the train. We ran around looking for someone that looked like they might be a tour guide, and low-and-behold, just as we were about to give up, Jared spotted the group. The was a serious, no-fooling-around tour group, probably about 40-50 people. The tour was led by a young history student, who had actually started this company herself. She split the tour into 2 groups, as there were too many to pill in front of certain buildings and other stops on the tour. She took us to the historic district, taught us a bit about the finding and establishment of Brazil; the palace, legislative buildings, theater house, old, famous restaurants, etc. I was so happy that we found the tour in the end, and the guide was great. She also took us to a Havaiana store, where we got a 10% discount, and a restaurant where we got a dicount, and a free large caipirinha! Again, great tour experience. We finished up at the Escanderia Seleron, and independently we up to Santa Teresa, and a park with a great view of the city; we also walked to the Cathedral, which is pretty oddly, or uniquely, I guess, shaped. By the time, we made it back to the hostel, we were pooped. What was supposed to be about a 2 hour tour turned into us being out and about from 10:30 am to about 5:30 at night. On our way back to the hostel, we were discussing how much we enjoyed the city, and made the last night decision to stay an extra day in Rio, instead of driving a bit north to check out a colonial town. Beach in Rio vs. UNESCO World Heritage Site...no-brainer! haha. I was pretty pumped because A) I had been given another oppotunity to go out! and B) there was a soccer game the next day at the Brazilian stadium, where I imagine a huge chunk of World Cup games will take place next year, Estadio Macarana, and C) the beach. So, after our tour, I hung out with some fellow hostelers, showered up, and beautified (as best as possible without my arsenal of beauty products), and prepared to party like a Rio-star! Jared was not as siked as me, but willing to go, until...about 10 minutes before we were supposed to leave. But no mind, he could be a party pooper if he wanted, I was not about to let him keep me from going a second night in a row, and low-and-behold, I stand my ground, and he caved! haha We headed out on foot, with about 10 other hostelers, and arrived at another hostel with, apparently, a pretty rocking bar downstairs. Jared left not long after we arrived, but I stayed out with the others, til the wee hours of the night, and had a great time!
The next morning, I was up
surprisingly early, and shockingly hangover-free. As we were allowed
one more day in Rio, we were going to take advantage of the beach.
We suited up, and headed down. That day was a bit overcast, so there
were not nearly as many people as before, but I was not about to
allow a bit of clouds and the threat of rain to keep me from catching
a few rays! After maybe an hour or so, we set out to a ticket vendor
to buy our soccer tickets for that night, and another Brazilian good
samaritan helped us out by guiding us in our section choice (a huge
decision in the end), and almost buying the tickets (we would pay, he
would be the registrant) for us when we thought neither of us had
brought our ID`s, which apparently you need to buy a ticket; Jared
had his in the end, but it`s still a great example of Brazilian
kindheartedness. After my to-do was done, we headed out for Jared`s;
he wanted to go to a Jiu Jutsu gym he had read about, so after a
short bus ride, and a bit of confusion trying to locate it, we walked
into a super stinky gym with men rolling around on mats, in crazy
wrestling positions...not a bad place for a girl to hang out! We
watched their practice for a bit, and then made our way back to the
hostel. We relaxed for a bit, before making the easy subway trip
over to the stadium. This place has obviously been vamped up for the
World Cup. It was the most beautiful stadium I think I ever seen!
The outside had changing color shows, and a running track, the
entrances are easy to navigate, and every few feet there is an
attendant waiting to help. They must use every game as a World Cup
practice run. The field was beautiful, and our section was packed;
at first, it was pretty empty, and we thought maybe Rock in Rio had
stolen all of the soccer patron, but we were just more zealous, and
nervous, and showed up earlier than the stadium savy veterans. As
the game began, we were so happy to be sitting on our side, as our
section was packed with rowdy fans, and the other section was almost
completely barren of afficionados. I kind of felt bad for them, and
normally would have started rooting for them as the under dog team,
but I also feared being discovered in a dark ally the next day by the
police if I made the slightest facial expression implying anything
but complete blood-thirsty contempt and disdain for the other club
team. In the end, they actually ended up winning by 2-0 goals, so I
was happy, but to see the awesome fan reactions throughout was great!
That night, we went back to the hostel, and I felt much better about
our timing and leaving the city the next day.
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