Pousada Casa 14 Rio de Janeiro

... for the very top which is all granite. When we got to the top train station, just below the statue, there was a 3 piece samba band setting the mood on the platform and on the trip back down they jumped in our carriage to travel with us which was awesome.

Back to the hill and statue though, and to me, the granite top begs the question of how they got the statue up there when they built it? Its pretty heavy... We didn´t get that info on the trip and ...

... s, had a quick pasta lunch and went to meet Eduardo, Fred's friend. I thanked Fred for driving me up and down Rio for the last couple of days as he left back to Belhorizonte after dropping me off. Eduardo lived in a building complex that Fred had pointed out from Corcovado, "under the right hand of God". I hadn't really seen any nice buildings in Rio until now, but even then it was the equivalent of an average building in Bogota ...

... a home run in a regular season Yankees game with only a small sidebar titled "US Soccer Shocker".

MJ: The Day the Music Died
Our plan was to leave for Teresopolis, two hours inland of Rio, after the second semifinal in the Confederations Cup between Brasil and host South Africa. Everyone at the hostel gathered around for the game in the afternoon, the fridge was loaded with beers and Franklin, the proud Brasilian who doesn't really follow the ...

... be aware if you are coming to Rio, not all banks accept maestro! We spent the rest of the afternoon on a terrace, drinking some beer and watching all the working people pass by. Of course Annemieke couldn't resist to throw some beer over herself. So next time I will order a zippy cup for her.

Tomorrow morning we booked a tour of the favela's. The favela's can be compared to the slums in India, but ...

... bars and had a coconut slice from one of the Bahian food stalls in the market. I bought some sunglasses from a man off the street (mine had broken), but as I was negotiating the price the police came along so all the street sellers took off and I had to run along with my man to settle on a price.
In the evening I went to a gorgeous pay per kilo restaurant across the road to my hostel with grilled chicken, salads, salmon, pasta and lots of yummies and jelly all for ...

... was an area that was farmed by a rich blond guy (hence name) who was kind to slaves. brasil was one of the last countries to get rid of slavery, but this guy was canny....so they named a whole suburb after him. its a pleasant area with a good beach, a lake, a race course and some expensive shops. one thing we have noticed across this city is the trees line the streets, and here there are beautiful flowers everywhere. much like ipanema, it could be ...

The final night and day in Olinda made everything new. Eating out with my friends by the beach, with Jorge too. Him walking me home, knowing I had a talk with Loi to go to and ever the gentleman, wishing me well and giving me a quick peck goodbye - I know he wanted the night to go differently but he knew I had to end it properly. Loi and I talked for a few hours about stuff, stuff and stuff. Apparently Andala is fine with what I told her and they are likely to ...

... I got home and retired. About 20 minutes after I went to bed, the phone that my host, Daniel, gave me for emergencies began to beep. The alarm was going off. I had had the phone for several days, and it had never made any noise. I often forgot that I even had the phone, but at 3am, the alarm went off. Daniel was asleep so I quickly got up, and in a barely coherent state, fumbled with it for a minute to shut it off. About 10 ...

... SECTION!

Again this reminded me of standing on the Anfield Kop, only this time I had absolutely no idea what they were singing about!





When the players came out onto the field the noise jumped up another 20% on the decibel scale, it was ...

... though, it tastes kinda
like tangerine jelly. not very good but it was recommended to me so I gave
it a whirl. Açai is very popular here, but I think it tastes like uncooked
chocolate cake batter. Guess you can try everything once and get used to
anything if you have it enough.
The bartender at the hostel was born in california and has lived in Brazil
for 5 years now so he has become my personal translator and my connection
to the brazilian social circle. He ...