Rio´s warmth...
Trip Start
Nov 24, 2005
1
3
25
Trip End
Nov 24, 2006
Rio de Janiero,
Brazil
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
I had organised us some accommodation at a place called Pousada Favelinha. A pousada is the Brazillian equivalent of a Bed and Breakfast and a Favella is what the slums in Brazil are called. The pousada´s staff had organised a taxi driver to be waiting for us at the airport and thank god for that as it would have been pretty tough finding the place ourselves. The traffic was heavy but moving constantly. A few close calls and an hour after leaving the airport we arrived at the pousada high up on a hill. The view from the pousada is just increadible and looks over a large part of the city. Directly in front of us is Guanabara Bay which is dominated by the famed sugar loaf. Over the hills to our left are the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, to our right is Centro or the town centre
1. Bedroom window view....
. All around us are the homes of the Favella dwellers with little kids flying kites and people generally going about their business. There is music everywhere all the time. The place has rhythm. Katie noted this morning that even the trees seem to sway with the beats. I can´t really describe the place and do it justice so hopefully the photos will at least give you an insight into how it looks.To get anywhere we have to walk through the maze of pretty steep Favella paths and steps. Eventually we end up at Largo de Mercado which is a lovely sqaure with a fountain, a large church and old men sitting around playing cards and chess. More good vibes!! From here we´re able to catch either buses or the metro which can take us into town or to any of the beaches. So far we´ve been into town once only and it was pretty hectic and busy so we got out of there and headed to Copacabana. As it was a weekday it was a little quiet but I can just imagine what it´d be like on the weekend or during the holidays!! Crossing the street to get there, the beach is lined with numerous beach stalls and bars. There are also some amazing sand artists at work here. The beach is lovely but I think we are quite spoiled in Australia so I wasn´t completely taken by it´s beauty. It sure looks like a lot of fun though!!!!! Katie went for a dip while I guarded our belongings.
Tommorrow we will move on to an Island 150km west of Rio called Ilha Grande which is supposed to be really, really nice. You´ll hear all about it next time. Hope to hear from you all soon!
