Ipanema Plaza Hotel Rio de Janeiro

... a thong on the beach if your ass is the size of a planet....PLEASE!
Lovely beach though.
Unfortunately I didnīt get to see any of the favelas, although I do kinda think itīs wrong taking pictures of people who live in terrible poverty anyway. That said though they seem to have a certain charm and draw you to them.
To summarize, Rio is a fantastic city with some amazing things to see if you are a ...

... in the beautiful cobbled streets of the old town. Lots of it. I have no room in my bag and lots of clothes that no respectable traveller needs.

Three days later we drove up the coast to Rio. Was so excited to be heading here, as was the rest of the truck: tunes on loud, watching for the first sight of Christ Redeemer. Rio did not not disappoint! We stayed here for 6 days and had just the best time. Impossible to convey just how good it was but here are some of my ...

... we would go down to the supermarket together, she would cook dinner, we would eat together and I would clean up while Mary drank her cup of wine and kissed me on the cheek. We cooked some in Australia and Argentina, but we really got a sense of what domestic life would be like between us while at Hostel New Ipanema and it was great.

The Vast and Verdant Jardim Botanico
After a day at the beach that ended in a cloudy evening of eating ...

... and seeing the different beach areas - Family beach, Poser beach, Gay beach, Volleyball beach - there are definitely some sights to behold!! After a couple of hours we went back to the apartment and had dinner in this evening. Oh, and what's all this with Forest winning again?! Anyone would think that they are trying to stay up!! They just keep tugging at my emotions and leaving me on a knife edge! - It's just not healthy you know!

... with dirty stay outs loitering around the beach and fitness fanatics running up and down the beach front. Day 60 - 07/03/09 This afternoon I went to a random BBQ party in some swish tower block in Barra to welcome new students to the university my friend is studying at. 25 reials for all you can eat and drink, not bad. It was like a scene from an American college movie, I felt slightly geriatric compared to most of the crowd at the party. As the drunken antics started ...

... and a couple from Ireland. Saturday saw a slow start and low levels of activity. Sean, Connor and I spent some time on the beach, leaving Clive to a well earned nap - he'd been awake a few hours. A pointless trip to the bus station to get my ticket sorted saw Sean, Clive and I take the bus through the less attractive parts of the city - I was very glad to have my bodyguards with me!! After a bite to eat we headed off on the metro to the ...

... the windows were going to break. We had been out to dinner earlier and could barely see to walk - reminiscent of the time we were in Barcelona and walked into a wind storm down by the train station. We still have more ground to cover - so the next day was dedicated to Copacabana. We ate lunch at a domestic rodizio - it was excellent - both the food and the service. It wasn't as large or touristy as Porcao - but the staff was so friendly. We were probably the ...

... br>

Here's a close-up!



These are some of the oldest buildings in the city, now totally out of character to the rest of the thriving metropolis.



I set a strict 3pm deadline on the walk because the Liverpool v Chelsea Champions League ...

... and into starting my own corn on the cob street vendor business.

My hostel is two blocks from the beach, which stretches for miles, although every so often the beach changes names. The beach is such a social place with vendors, soccer games, jogging, and lounging. Apparently no one works when the sun comes out because the beaches were severely crowded with people. A group of 4 kids intensely juggled a soccer ball for about 35 minutes without the ball ...