RIO HOSTEL AND OTHER

House opposite hostel

Street in front of hostel

Hostel pool and pub area

Wish I knew..

Tram to town centre

Front view of hostel

BRASIL - DAY 6 AND 7

Just chilled out the last two days at the pool watching World Cup and sipping Itaipavu. Got some cheap Cabernet for evening dinners here and watched movies in the evenings.Totally laid back.
Monday everything comes again to a standstill here at 2 pm to watch the Brasil and Chile game. Decided to stay another night in Rio as there is bound to be celebrations tonight.Heading off to Lima, Peru tomorrow.

BRASIL - DAY 5

Another stunning day. Today an unofficial holiday in Brasil as it is soocer day here - Brasil vs Portugal..Hilton suggested the other day that I should check out the a soccer match on the big screen at at Cocobana beach. So that is what we did. Myself and a Canadian took the bus down to the beach and after some confusion on the bus driver,s side, finally arrived at the beach, only to find that the big screen is another 1,5 km walk away.So we walked, alas, when we got there, the fun park was full. When I say full that means 20 000 Brazilian fans packed in a space about  the size of a rugby field, including the food and drink stalls.
We watched the game at a kiosk on the side, but decided to stay after the game to check the fun park out.( we found out later that there was another screen at the back of this screen )
Disappointing game as a result of the draw- Rio would have exploded.You could see the disappointment on their faces as they finally came streaming out of the park. At that time, another 1000 or so had gathered at the entrance. We joined them and after another half an hour, they let us in. Below some idea of the fun park.

The kiosk where we watched the game and some pictures of Cocobana beach.

That night, after a six different pasta meal at the hostel, a group of six of us headed downtown to the street party in Lapa. I thought this was only because of the game but was told that this happens every Friday.Hundreds of people gather outside bars, restaurants and kiosks and yeah, it is fiesta time!A local showed me a kiosk where I could buy three cans of beer for R20.00 at a time - a big deal in Rio when everything is double the price of what we pay in South Africa. We partied and danced until 4 am the next morning and the consequence of that was a chilled out day at the pool the next day.

BRASIL DAY 3

So the weatherman is correct. A beautiful day in Rio.I decided to to find another hostel in another suburb of Rio called St Theresa, which is the older side of town and from what I gathered,a lively neighbourhood called Lapa, a walking distant away.Checked out and took a taxi and checked into Rio Hostel around 11.30 am. Noticed a tour on their notice board and at 12.30 pm, I was picked up by the tour operator.
Yeah!! I am starting to enjoy Rio.
Itinerary started with Christ, The Redeemer,then to Macarana ( at one stage the worlds largest soccer stadium with seating for 200,000. A collapse of one part of the stadium, killing 24 people, resulted in seating being redesigned to distribute seating weight and now only seats about 90 000), a city tour pointing out some historical buildings, a visit to a modern cathedral, the Sambadrome where the Rio Carnival schools compete with each other during the carnival and then lastly Sugarloaf Mountain.

Below Christ, the Redeemer. Maintenance was taking place, so it was not possible to see base.

Below picture of cathedral. It is stunning inside, but my pictures taken inside,were a bit of a flop.So I used a picture from the internet to give you an idea of the inside.

Then we were off to theMacarana stadium but were not allowed into the stadium. We were only shown the footprints of all the famous Brazilian soccer players.Here is Ronaldo's

Then we were off to the Sambadrome. Not much to see really, but you get an idea. Spectators sit on left and right and floats and dancers pass in front of them. There are about 60 Samba schools competing every year with each entering up to 4 000 participants.

Off to Sugarloaf to get the sunset view. This was the highlight for me. The view from here can only be described as wow. Hope the pictures can convey that.

Back at the hostel at about 7.30, I got myself a beer and admired the view from my balcony.

It has been a great day.

BRAZIL DAY 3

I am quite depressed. It has been raining now for the last two days and I cannot go and see the famous sites because they are all covered in clouds. I only intended to spend four days here, as it is quite expensive.So I been spending my time indoors watching soccer and stuffing around the internet. Looked up weather forecast for the next 10 days. It seems tomorrow, will be partly cloudy,with Friday and the weekend, sunny.So, I have decided to extend my stay for another 2 to 3 days. I just hope their forecasts are more accurate than ours.
The rain stopped around 2 pm and I took a walk to the Leblon Mall about five blocks away from where I am staying.. Very few people inside the mall. After a while inside I relised why so few people - shops are Armani, Brookkfields, Adidas, Breitling...all the famous brands and expensive. I managed to find a similar store like a Mr Price and got myself the cheapest t shirt at R80.00.Feeling better now!
As I mentioned before no attractive women aroud, except here and they are all shop assistants. Could it be that only attractive people find jobs here in Rio, leaving the the other gene pool roaming the streets.
On my way to the mall, I came across this tree. No wonder Brasil is soccer crazy - soccer balls are growing on trees here!

I asked some locals for the name of this tree, but no one knew. So for those with a lot of time on hand, see if you can find what the name and origin is. Talking about this tree,this is what they serve in kiosks spread along the promenade of Ipenema Beach...agua de coco or as we would say, coconut water.

I had one after my long walk and it was really great tasting - water with a hint of coconut..Sells for R13.00.

Talking about drinking, think I will pay an Irish pub a visit tonight. Until later

BRAZIL DAY 2

Took a walk down to Ipenema Beach around 10 am.Altough it was quite warm (23 degrees), it was quite overcast and hazy, affecting the picture quality.Took a walk down the beach front from the one end to the other end.It took me just over an hour to do a round trip, so it gives you an idea of how long the beach strip is. It was very empty with a few people playing beach tennis and volley ball training sessions, as well as some surfers.What there was a lot of, were people walking, jogging and cycling.

Here are some photos.

What is interesting about the two photos below, is that it is an initiative to drive fitness among the Cariocas,as the local people are known. The first photo is an instruction chart on how to stretch and some strength exercises. The second photo is of the actual exercise structure.I think I counted three along the beach stretch.

And this one below is for the girls. If you do not like what you wear to the beach today or lost part or all of your bikini in the waves, help is at hand. All colours and all sizes!Saw two of these stands today.Wonder how many on a busy day.

And lastly guys, it was not our today.As I said, I walked far, but did not find anything. On that note, I am staying in one of the two suburbs deemed as affluent ie Cocobana and Lebnon/Ipenama,but not one attractive woman around. Or did someone tell them I am visting.But I have not quite returned empty handed. The hottest find for the day!Enjoy!

BRAZIL DAY 1

Was thinking of going to Paraguay on Saturday, but apparently too much hassle at border post . Was never on my travel plans - just thought about it, as it was on my way to Rio. So left Sunday 1.15 pm and arrived in Rio at 12pm the next day. No chicken bus! Again one of those double decker buses with reclining seats and TV and lots of leg space at R875.00 one way.Was not going to hang around bus terminal in Rio for a cheap bus to my hostel ( you know all the pick pockets and other unsavoury characters ), and took a taxi service recommended by Lonely Planet. That book is like a bible for any traveller.It shows you the way!

Some photos coming into Rio.

Photos of my  Leblon Design Hostel where I am staying.The nicest so far and the bonus - four blocks away from Ipenema Beach. Taking a stroll down there tomorrow and if a nice day, will spend some time on the beach.

I have not mentioned this before, but wherever I go and I say I am from South Africa, there is only one standard response: "What are you doing here?" referring to the World Cup.I have had a few incredulous stares from some, looking at me as if I had lost the plot here. Quite enjoying it though.

Puerto Iguaza

Today my last day in this town. Leaving at 1.15 pm for Rio de Janeiro. It has been a most pleasant stay, except for the mosquito bites I picked up at the waterfalls.Never felt them biting me, but boy, the itching and scratching the next day!Still scratching!
The town can be described as a typical tourist town with shops focusing on curios and a lot of restaurants offering pizza and steak. Could probably compare it to a typical Mpumulanga town.

What struck me was the number of young people roaming the streets and the number of scooters whizzing up and down.Some even have speakers mounted to their scooters, playing their I Pods.Also no stop streets - people just make way for each other.

Last night had a braai and a Brazilian dance show at another hostel around the corner.

The food was great and so was the wine and caperinhas.

So this a little teaser to Rio de Janeiro.I am sure the girls there will be prettier.Adios for now.