Yaya Rio Hotel Rio de Janeiro

Arrived safely - plane journey was fun - sat next to a couple from Britain who told me never to go out at night, never carry any valuables and expect to get robbed at least once. They were visiting their daughter who lives in Rio and the woman got in such a fret about me being on my own that she demanded i stay with them till i get settled....i told her the same lie i told everyone ...

... dodges cars and trucks -- apparently time is money, or perhaps our vehicle only has one gear that works properly. We leave at 11:30pm and meet up with several other mini-buses from other hostels before arrived in the slums at a huge warehouse, turned club. Brilliantly no one tells us, and more stupidly, no one asks how anything works inside the club or even when we need to leave by. After making the mistake of waiting in a long line for drink tickets to redeem ...

... we got off the right bus stop... But we made it and the view was pretty amazing from up there..! You can see the whole city, the beaches, the sugar loaf etc. But it was also pretty crowded so we left after 20 min or so and made our way to the centre and a couple cool areas there. We got soo lost and confused on the way and every time we pulled out the guidebook people came up to us and begged or tried to sell us something. But eventually we found the area and saw some ...

... ca niste pisioasi, mancau si ele prin copaci. Tare dragutze! In rest, suntem bine. Maine parasim Rio si ne indreptam spre Ilha Grande. Nu stiu daca avem net acolo, dar, daca avem, va tinem la curent in continuare. Mi-a placut mult Rio. Este un oras al contrastelor. De la Favelas pline de mizerie, pe care le-am vazu doar din taxi, la cartiere ultra cochete, dar si ultra ...

... I'm not entirely sure I wasn't being frisked for valuables at the same time. Lapa is full of energy. This is the only place where I have seen people dancing like there ain't no tomorrow in a petrol station. Full on. Unfortunately the photo's I have of Lapa do not do it justice and were taken on another night, after the carnival and non weekend. I wish I could have shown you pictures of that night but I have a feeling I wouldn't have made ...

... the bus. You are walking in parks or climbing other morros and you see it in the distance. Lets say it is a sort of a constant in this city. Even for an extreme atheist as I am, the view is many times impressive. Of course you have to go up there, packed with tourist but still worth it. The view is amazing and you have to get this picture ...

... has not had one comment since I started writing and I feel unloved. I bet other bloggers get loads of comments all the time. FAO Mum: I know you´re reading so no need to for you to email. I just want to know who the other 665 people are. That is all. Am off to move hostels again now, have been sleeping in a triple-decker bunkbed for the last few nights and one has to draw the line at that sort of thing after a certain age.

Well, we made it everyone, we've arrived in Rio! ;)

We arrived a little after 5am, when it was pitch black outside so we didn't rush to get in a taxi.

We tried (unsuccessfully) to find an internet terminal in the bus station to check the address of our hostel ...

... I feel like that is somehow cheating? Regardless, physical changes to the face seem very personal to me and I´m shocked at how opposite the local view is.

Broke down and checked out a McDonalds just because I like to see how the menu changes from country to country. I was disappointed that it was nearly identical to Australias, except with banana shakes and McInternet cafes. Its also strange how no one in ...