Brazil Hostel Rio de Janeiro

We arrived yesterday (21st) after a smooth but slightly boring 11 hour flight and caught a crazy taxi in the rain which took us to our hostel. Temperature about 19C. Hostel is muy basic (although that`s spanish so not allowed!).

Today we woke up at 5 and then had to force ourselves to sleep until 9. Had a shower with no locks on the doors. Access to bathrooms via another dorm. Breakfast = roll with jam, tea/coffee and fruit. Not bad for £6 a night.
Ventured in Rio on the metro. Ha...

Today is actually day 3 but we decided not to spend money on internet yesterday. Still a bit grey and slightly drizzly. We had our first travelling experience of handwashing clothes and fashioning a washing line around our bunk out of cord. We avoided Metro, not because of fear because we're well 'ard, but because we thought we'd have another stab at the area just round the hostel. We tried day one but apparently went completely the wrong direction. Now we have a very confusing map to guide u...

Just as a precurso to unfolding events ... we're only into day 3/4 and I'm already getting confused with my days - so future entries might not be dated - we'll see.

Anyway ... back to the matters at hand (I'll try to keep this brief-ish). Yesterday, day 4, after internetting it up below the dodgy shop we bought ourselves food in the supermarket type place. Food consisted of chicken, tomato sauce stuff, pack of random veg, a huge portion of watermelon and a bottle of drink which, after...

After a week in Rio we“ve seen and done so much. Sunday we went to the Sambadrome and saw the famous Carnival which was absolutely amazing....started at 9pm ish and finished at 7am! We made it all the way! Had quite amazing seats at the front and just partied the whole way through! We“ve spent many hours roasting on Copacobana & ipenema beaches which are just way too beautiful to explain...have no photos though for fear of getting robbed by the bloody street kids...Rio is quite a scary pl...

Rio part 2. Well armed with our white Rio 2009 vests, white capris, litre of voddy, guarana drink, two bottles of champers, coloured accessory for what you wish for most next year (red/passion for me, blue/peace for Chris), and our equally prepared comrades-in-celebration from the hostel, we explored the beach for a good vantage point.  After obliging many a tequila-seller at the upper, more sparse area of the beach, the group found a spot down in the middle where we set up camp, i.e. dropped...

Days 104-109 And so it was that the longest standing planned occurrence in our entire itinerary was in sight - the principal cause of much rushing over the past month - and we speeded for the infamous, intriguing, and even intimidating city of Rio de Janeiro. _ Tim and Chris in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, South America _ New Years: an exciting an event as any, let alone the opportunity to spend it in one of the worlds liveliest cities, acclaimed for it's legendary, liberal parties like 'Carnaval'...