Rio Backpackers Rio de Janeiro

... the night. Adriano was up front on his own for Flamengo - they absolutely love him but he looked really lazy and overweight to me!

Getting home took us about 90 mins in our minibus, the roads were gridlocked everywhere, so its a good job we didnt try and get there on the bus - would have taken us all night to get home.

So, that´s another stadium ticked off the list, we're going to see if there's a game on when we get to Buenos Aries........

... an intimate area with a small stage. Four musicians were preparing and they kicked off when they were joined by a woman singer. It was fantastic and I enjoyed it even more thinking of Tata. A little later on it had really filled up and people (mostly the ladies) started to dance samba. I tried to follow the steps but failed... it's difficult and really quick! The party went on until 3am, but I left at midnight before I turned into a pumpkin.

... in Rio! The two most dominating features of this part of Centro are the Rubik's Cube-looking Petrobras HQ and the spaceship-looking Catedral Metropolitan. The cathedral is beautiful only to the lovers of modern architecture as it is built in the same spirit as the Grace Cathedral in SF. Not what I would expect for the main Cathedral in a former major Portugese-colonial city. We realized that this was also right next to the Arcos de Lapa, where we went to ...

... the cycle tr*cks next to the be*ch. We s*w some *uld fell*s h*ving * g*me of volleyb*ll on the be*ch - they *re in some sh*pe but sher its e*sy for them h*ving nice we*ther to be *ble to st*y *ctive.

On the w*y b*ck from Ip*nem* we took * shortcut *nd we were in * shopping district which w*s re*lly bustling. We even spotted *n Irish Pub *lre*dy lol - Shen*****ns so we might check th*t out tonight. You h*ve to get t*xis everywhere here *t night, *ccording to ...

... with a lot going on and music still spilling out from every corner. I had

A delicious prawn risotto, washed down with my usual beverage of course. Our waiter’s ex-girlfriend was Irish and he was keen to talk to us and practise his English. Next we hailed a taxi to Praixa XV, to the festival that no one seemed to have heard of and so we didn’t know what to expect (always take that risk). We arrived to a packed open-air square. In true Brazilian ...

Another two day bus journey down to Rio! But this time the bus was full so had to stick to our single seats. We got to Rio and it was pouring with rain so went to a hostel named Ipemena Girl, it was expensive and a dive so when the rain stopped we got a refund and headed out elsewhere. Ended up in a hotel for not much more ...

... out. I keep seeing Jorge - a person will walk past and I think ´oh there he is´and then I realise it is my mind playing tricks on me. Right now I´m a free woman, no one has ties to my heart. All the old business is done and I want to make sure I start a path that is slightly different the path to my heart needs to be for the right person. I did tell Jorge I looked forward to getting to know him, but did not promise any more. This is kind of a new way for ...

... speaking no Portuguese, we jumped on a bus marked Copacabana/Ipanema and were trying to figure out where to get off when a young guy got on wearing a L'Oreal Professionel T-shirt. I guessed he must be a hairdresser and probably gay, so figured he'd be a good guide for nightlife and asked him to recommend us an area with good bars and restaurants. He spoke only Portuguese but managed to understand my question and told us to get off ...

... something as simple as this...



...could cause a reaction like this!





The pandemonium continued even when Fogo had a SECOND player sent off for two yellow cards, so they finished the game with only 9 men!

The celebrations ...

... informed and willing to assist us wherever possible. I highly recommend this hotel, although there are hundreds more to choose from in Copacabana, as well as Ipanema and even into the inner city. And with this time of year being considered the "off season", we have been privy to several small perks - early check-in (10 AM), ocean view room, late check-out (6 PM) and more. Of course, we had to ask for these perks, but our boldness has paid off.

Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil globetrotters