(ill add pics and vid to this one later)
...soo funk party was the best night ever.. and then comes the best day ever... possibly.. at least until the next one, allthough this one would be hard to beat..it even made me shed some tears..
I was having a drink with some of my newest and very dear friends, amongst others Layla whom had very very kindly let me stay on hwe sofa for 5 nights and generously introduced me to all her friends who immediately treated me as one of their own.. they are funny, clever, lively everything you would expect from a brazillian to be - plus a hundred times more..... Its a joy to meet people.. i dont know how else to describe it, but i have yet to meet a person who have not almost immeditately become a friend...
Anyway that same night, i get chatting to this rather tipsy gentleman called Marvio.. a Carioca by birth i beleive, we have a rather long conversation, where i dont get a word in egdeways, but he is entertaining so i let it pass and enjoy the speech.. A few days later Tee and I ran into him again, and we end up at a beach bar watching the sun rise (again) beer in hand and engaging in what is a Carioca favorite past time of swapping stories.. so this goes on for a few hours and Marvio tells us about the leblon bloco..Leblon is one of the most affluent areas of Rio, just next to ipanema, but they also according to Marveo, have the best samba band or bloco - bloco is the street party, where the local samba school, will do a procession, the drum band, usually consiting of 20-40 drummers by my
guesstimate , some very talented and usually stunning samba queens and a bus with singers on the top belting out the locals songs and the popular ones ... whereever the bloco is it is LOUD its euphoric and the atmosphere is electric.. its a cliche.. but oh so true.. its impossible not to get involved!! Oh and i should mention that the drummers are all from the kid next door to his grandmother.. its all ages, all colours, both sex, all everything.. and they all love it.. they are bloody fantastic!!! its community in perfection!!!
Anyway, so D&M and I have had another long night... cant remember exactly what went on, but im sure it was fun, so we get up late.. we hear the drums through the wall.. we have a festive breakfast, in our underwear, party hats and feathers.. its carnval after all... and head down to the beach.. i bring my carneval hat just in case.. i was pretty sure this was the day of the leblon bloco..but not entirly.. plus after 2 weeks of samba dancing and being happy as Larry, allthough I doubt Larry has every been this happy, i join D&M at the beach for a relaxing afternoon.. only for 20 minutes and then im pretty sure i can hear drums in the distance.. I stand up and look over the Leblon but cant see anything.. but too scared to miss out, I tell D&M that i have to go and look just in case..
If i dont come back soon, dont worry, its because im having too much fun.. In Rio this is perfectly plausible, so they tell me to enjoy, they sit back and enjoy the view (the beach life deserves a chapter to itself.. its happiness... its all people of all ages.. in Ipeanema.. the people of all ages are also usually very beatiful people.. the sit on the beach and they talk and they laugh, the kids play unsupervised, the old women laugh in the waves, the youngster smokes joints and play the guitar, the boys..and the girls play football at the water edge, the hotties pose and check out other posers.. all in perfect harmony.. ).. moving on..
Now it is a pretty long walk from Ipanema to Leblon... at last 2-3 kms if you are at the far end.. so i walk and walk, i pick up a beer, i laugh at the people who are all dressed up and look delirously happy (im not overdoing any of this), i think as tourist you do become deliriously happy, cause its so free and so friendly and so so much life everywhere.. after im sure is a 15 to 20 minute walk i finally start hearing the drums properly and its getting harder and harder to walk as the beach side pavement and road is becoming full of people.. another thing i should mention, is that during carneval it is perfectly acceptable for the guys to kiss girls and the girls happily oblige.. but only if they like the guy, these are strong willed girls.. but also free and young and in the spirit of carnval most things go... and im not talking a peck on the cheek, but a full on deep kiss in all its glory..
When i finally get to the actual bloco, suddenly they start and the drums are so loud and so rythmic it gets into your body wether you want to or not, but i really really want it.. Everybody is dancing, most people have got rythm so its another great speactacle.. Encircling the procession is a big rope and men every couple of metres ensuring that no one gets in to the procession.. Its about 3 or 4 people deep on my side with people watching and then after that the street is full of people dancing (oh this is in the middle of the day i should add).. And then low and behold.. i spot Marvio.. in the procession.. i didnt know he was in it.. So i push my way through the 3 or 4 people.. if you do it with a smile, you can get away with alot of things here.. I manage to get Marvios attention... and he shouts at me to meet him further up... So i make my way further up and push through again.. and OH MYYYY GOOOOD.. so he has spoken to the bloco general, who has agreed that i can join... what the fuxk.. are you kidding me? Do i Want to? Tell me when you are tired and we will let you out? haha they will have to carry me out!!! So the men lifts the rope, people are looking at me wondering who I am, and then Im right in the thick of it... hahahah.. i could not stop laughing.. ive got the best seat in town... First im told to keep to the side as i dont have the Tshirt (they all have the same tshirts), but then one of the women... all welcoming me as one of their own.. pulls out a spare one, i buy it... and im free to roam.. so i dance at the back, i dance between the drums, i dance with the samba queen at the front.. and i even have to cry a little bit.. cause i think life can not possibly be any better than this... its a gorgous day, its Rio De Janeiro, its carneval, and whilst 1000s of people are watching the procession.. im in it... dancing with my amigo Marvio..
I really should end it here, but the day does not end.. so after 3 or 4 hours of dancing away, i am soaking wet again... and the procession stops... Marvio and myself make our way to the local bar where the people from the processoion meet up for a beer.. Im beeing greeted with big smiles all around, kissed on the cheek.. asked if i enjoyed it.. and i can only thank them all from the deepest pit of the bottom of my heart for allowing me to join them.. They look happy, im stupide happy I have a beer, Marveo and I exchange emails so he can send me the pics and off i go to find D&M who are off to Buenos Aires in the morning.. Im staying put for a few more days. How can i ever leave this place.. I feel like a proper carioca now that ive danced in the bloco and i got the Tshirt to prove it..
Thursday 1 March 2012
Favela... Funk.. Party (of a lifetime!!)
I just wrote half a bloody page and then it all disappeared... god damnit damnit damnit... oh well... so here we go again... ill save a bit more often... lesson 1..
So what i was trying to say, I would have loved to have some photos going with this entry, but having been robbed again.. thankfully not by a 12 year old girl this time, cause that was just embarrasing.. of my camera.. im gonne have to do my best to make justice to some of these happenings with words.. it aint gonne be easy, cause it has been bloomin marvellous!! By far the city of Rio de Janeiro.. or the marvellous city as they so aptly call it has been dishing up one great night after the other.. just when you think it cant get any better, you are at the front of a carneval procession dancing the samba with the samba queen.... how on earth did my life come to this :) I have been so happy its gonne be hard to describe, but anyway,im gonne give it a my very best shot..
So one of the nights which I thought was not gonne possible ever gonne be beaten, Davide, Marco (D&M from here on) are having a festive dinner in our gorgous flat (on the 13th floor with stunning panoramic views over ipanema beach... how Marco sorted this out is a mystery to me, but i shall be forever grateful).. anyway, in ticks a message from Tee, the San Fransciscian DJ and resident carioca (carioca being someone from Rio.. either by birth or spirit.. or both)... asking if we would like to join him, Nadia and Steve to a favela funk party.. 'Fuck Yeah' is my immediate response... D&M on the other hand are a bit more apprehensive.. as a seasoned carioca myself by now (20 days in total after all) and a day trip to the favla in question with Tee (which by the way, was amazing.. so friendly, relaxed and so alive!!) I thought this has gotte be unmissable, whilst D&M were more worried having come straight of the plane pretty much.. however, i managed to persued them (very easily i should add) and a short while later Tee and his posse stood at the door, we had a few drinks, admired our view (every day, all the time) and then off we went in one of the vans continuesly driven between the favlas, the blocos, Ipanema.. whereever things happen or people need to go, by some very hard working and entreprenurial young guys.
Arriving in the favela late at night is almost like stepping into a film set (not that I ever have, but i have read that sentence many times, and it seems suitable for this purpose). There are people hanging around everywhere, mostly young at this time of night. Its a bit dark, its dusty, its a bit run down, but its alive, and there is anticipation in the air (probably coming from us). Some kids hanging on some stairs shouts at us to speak English, which apperently is very funny.. Tee obliges and starts rapping at them in his Californian drawl..the kids love it and Im feeling tremendously cool.. Steve nearly gets knocked over by the moto guys.. Young guys riding up and down on their motorcross bikes, through the narrow lanes of the favela dropping people off after a hard day at work (ive been on the back of them twice, both quite hair raising, more so the second time, with a beer can in each hand, a carnival hat and a helmet that kept riding up my face.. haha..well that was another party, another night, another story...)
... then we get to the party, the boys gets frisked and Nadia and I are ushered in the ladies entrance.. think we are the only westerners there... and OOOH MYYYYY GOOOOD!!!!! The music... it hits you like i dont know.. a tonne of bass.. inside it is litturally a wall of speakers.. and not a small wall.. its bloody HUGE.. im guessing 10-15 sq. metres... its so loud its actually physically painful... but oh so so so good!!!! the UK health and safety would have shut it down in a second.. how these people are not deaf i have no idea... There are 3 djs in 3 corners of the room, its one massive big room, and they take in turns to play, so we just move from one place to the other in tune with the music... in front of the bar, 3 rather old chaps are standing on boxes and you pay them for your drink tickets, i note that they all have cotton in their ears.. the only drinks are caipirinias and beer, so i suppose they dont really need to hear anything.. The caipis are half the price of ipanema and twice as strong... so far, outragously good.. so we get the drinks and hit the floor.. its not like you can stand around and chit chat anyway...
And my god the dancing.. haha.. the girls are shaking their asses, wiping the floor with their asses, teasing the boys with their asses.. there are asses everywhere and they can move.. and so can the guys... its a, i dont know what it is, cause ive never seen anything like it.. but its an absolute specatcle and if you love to dance.. its a bloody miracle!! And what makes it maybe even better.. or i dont know.. more outragously fantastic.. is that these kids, well its not only kids, but a lot of kids.. im guessing teenageers upto some early- mid 30s maybe... are as excited to see us as we are too see them.. I try to do the ass swiping the floor move and and end up actually swiping the floor as i fall over twice in the first attempts.. and my new girlfriends laughs and helps me up both times and then proceeds to instruct me.. My european ass is falling a bit short...and flat to be honest.. but im soon getting the hang of it..(the ass is still depressingly flat though). If i ever did this in a disco in Europe id probably be arrested for lewd behaviour..here i get an applause.. D&M are dancing as eagerly as me.. if a straight place was ever gay friendly this is it.. i dont how long we are there for but a good 3 or 4 hours of non stop dancing.. i dont even have to go the loo as im perspiring the caiprainias from every pore.. sorry.. the truth smells..
When its over.. its very dissappointing actually, but probably good for the ears... we head down to this little piazza.. well a crossroads with a bar, and as is normal here, and no one seems to really care.. guys are selling beer cans from a cooler bags at low cost.. just in front of the bar.. the bars are makeshift, dusty, dirt floor and the people are tall, dark, handsome, pretty, and very very friendly... in no time we are all engaged in different conversations.. Im chatting with a former favela resident of 24, tremendously charming, plays all the instruments in his samba school, is self though in English, he makes me laugh my head off and proposes to me at the end.. i dont say yes.. but i dont say no either... i could live like this.. then we chat with a local drug dealer, who is equally friendly, and a strangly blond chap, who turns out to have a Deutch mother who lives there as well, a 23 year old italian who is about to enter his 3hrd marriage.. cause his second wife is in prison for drug trafficing.. so dont misunderstand this.. there is of course drugs, but also there are a lot of very hard working, very charming, utterly friendly people here and there is not one single fight happening.. its music, its laughing and drinks..and shit loads of people.. if this had been anywhere in the UK or Norway for that matter.. and this much testostorone and alcholol someone would have started a fight by now.. but nothing..its all gooood... Tee, D&M... actually have to drag me away by the arm.. i could have happily stayed to watch yet another sun rise.. and i have seen rather a lot over RIO allreaday... so anyway...that was the night i went to the favela funk party... shaking that ass!!
So what i was trying to say, I would have loved to have some photos going with this entry, but having been robbed again.. thankfully not by a 12 year old girl this time, cause that was just embarrasing.. of my camera.. im gonne have to do my best to make justice to some of these happenings with words.. it aint gonne be easy, cause it has been bloomin marvellous!! By far the city of Rio de Janeiro.. or the marvellous city as they so aptly call it has been dishing up one great night after the other.. just when you think it cant get any better, you are at the front of a carneval procession dancing the samba with the samba queen.... how on earth did my life come to this :) I have been so happy its gonne be hard to describe, but anyway,im gonne give it a my very best shot..
So one of the nights which I thought was not gonne possible ever gonne be beaten, Davide, Marco (D&M from here on) are having a festive dinner in our gorgous flat (on the 13th floor with stunning panoramic views over ipanema beach... how Marco sorted this out is a mystery to me, but i shall be forever grateful).. anyway, in ticks a message from Tee, the San Fransciscian DJ and resident carioca (carioca being someone from Rio.. either by birth or spirit.. or both)... asking if we would like to join him, Nadia and Steve to a favela funk party.. 'Fuck Yeah' is my immediate response... D&M on the other hand are a bit more apprehensive.. as a seasoned carioca myself by now (20 days in total after all) and a day trip to the favla in question with Tee (which by the way, was amazing.. so friendly, relaxed and so alive!!) I thought this has gotte be unmissable, whilst D&M were more worried having come straight of the plane pretty much.. however, i managed to persued them (very easily i should add) and a short while later Tee and his posse stood at the door, we had a few drinks, admired our view (every day, all the time) and then off we went in one of the vans continuesly driven between the favlas, the blocos, Ipanema.. whereever things happen or people need to go, by some very hard working and entreprenurial young guys.
Arriving in the favela late at night is almost like stepping into a film set (not that I ever have, but i have read that sentence many times, and it seems suitable for this purpose). There are people hanging around everywhere, mostly young at this time of night. Its a bit dark, its dusty, its a bit run down, but its alive, and there is anticipation in the air (probably coming from us). Some kids hanging on some stairs shouts at us to speak English, which apperently is very funny.. Tee obliges and starts rapping at them in his Californian drawl..the kids love it and Im feeling tremendously cool.. Steve nearly gets knocked over by the moto guys.. Young guys riding up and down on their motorcross bikes, through the narrow lanes of the favela dropping people off after a hard day at work (ive been on the back of them twice, both quite hair raising, more so the second time, with a beer can in each hand, a carnival hat and a helmet that kept riding up my face.. haha..well that was another party, another night, another story...)
... then we get to the party, the boys gets frisked and Nadia and I are ushered in the ladies entrance.. think we are the only westerners there... and OOOH MYYYYY GOOOOD!!!!! The music... it hits you like i dont know.. a tonne of bass.. inside it is litturally a wall of speakers.. and not a small wall.. its bloody HUGE.. im guessing 10-15 sq. metres... its so loud its actually physically painful... but oh so so so good!!!! the UK health and safety would have shut it down in a second.. how these people are not deaf i have no idea... There are 3 djs in 3 corners of the room, its one massive big room, and they take in turns to play, so we just move from one place to the other in tune with the music... in front of the bar, 3 rather old chaps are standing on boxes and you pay them for your drink tickets, i note that they all have cotton in their ears.. the only drinks are caipirinias and beer, so i suppose they dont really need to hear anything.. The caipis are half the price of ipanema and twice as strong... so far, outragously good.. so we get the drinks and hit the floor.. its not like you can stand around and chit chat anyway...
And my god the dancing.. haha.. the girls are shaking their asses, wiping the floor with their asses, teasing the boys with their asses.. there are asses everywhere and they can move.. and so can the guys... its a, i dont know what it is, cause ive never seen anything like it.. but its an absolute specatcle and if you love to dance.. its a bloody miracle!! And what makes it maybe even better.. or i dont know.. more outragously fantastic.. is that these kids, well its not only kids, but a lot of kids.. im guessing teenageers upto some early- mid 30s maybe... are as excited to see us as we are too see them.. I try to do the ass swiping the floor move and and end up actually swiping the floor as i fall over twice in the first attempts.. and my new girlfriends laughs and helps me up both times and then proceeds to instruct me.. My european ass is falling a bit short...and flat to be honest.. but im soon getting the hang of it..(the ass is still depressingly flat though). If i ever did this in a disco in Europe id probably be arrested for lewd behaviour..here i get an applause.. D&M are dancing as eagerly as me.. if a straight place was ever gay friendly this is it.. i dont how long we are there for but a good 3 or 4 hours of non stop dancing.. i dont even have to go the loo as im perspiring the caiprainias from every pore.. sorry.. the truth smells..
When its over.. its very dissappointing actually, but probably good for the ears... we head down to this little piazza.. well a crossroads with a bar, and as is normal here, and no one seems to really care.. guys are selling beer cans from a cooler bags at low cost.. just in front of the bar.. the bars are makeshift, dusty, dirt floor and the people are tall, dark, handsome, pretty, and very very friendly... in no time we are all engaged in different conversations.. Im chatting with a former favela resident of 24, tremendously charming, plays all the instruments in his samba school, is self though in English, he makes me laugh my head off and proposes to me at the end.. i dont say yes.. but i dont say no either... i could live like this.. then we chat with a local drug dealer, who is equally friendly, and a strangly blond chap, who turns out to have a Deutch mother who lives there as well, a 23 year old italian who is about to enter his 3hrd marriage.. cause his second wife is in prison for drug trafficing.. so dont misunderstand this.. there is of course drugs, but also there are a lot of very hard working, very charming, utterly friendly people here and there is not one single fight happening.. its music, its laughing and drinks..and shit loads of people.. if this had been anywhere in the UK or Norway for that matter.. and this much testostorone and alcholol someone would have started a fight by now.. but nothing..its all gooood... Tee, D&M... actually have to drag me away by the arm.. i could have happily stayed to watch yet another sun rise.. and i have seen rather a lot over RIO allreaday... so anyway...that was the night i went to the favela funk party... shaking that ass!!
Wednesday 8 February 2012
First week in Rio
Ola Todos,
Oh god.. where to start...?? Have been here for 5 days allready and its been non-stop crazy good.. I am madly, deeply, gloriously in love with this city.. If London was my husband, and Rio was my lover I would seriously consider a divorce by now...amicably of course..
Well, starting from the beginning, cause it kind of started with a bang.. I got to the hostel at midnight last Thursday, only to find the reception closed.. oisann.. But luckily the hostel next door was open so I got a bed there.. dropped off my luggage and ventured out to toast my arrival to Rio all by my lonesome.. but really rather excited.. 7 hours later I found myself in a little drink kiosk on the board walk of Ipanema beach, enjoying a gorgous sunrise, whilst laughing my head off with my new best friend Tee, a DJ from California, a couple of very very charming gay brazillian women, some prostitutes, and a few drug dealing sons of politicians.. Yup, as first nights go... it was pretty damn good... Then went to get my luggage, dropped it at Tee's and went with him and 2 of his mates to a beach about an hour outside Rio. Prainio (or something, meaning little beach), which was surrounded by lush rainforest and rocky mountains..Perfect... learnt to surf a bit, flashed the beach a bit (surfing in a bikini which doesnt quite fit is not recommended), slept a bit, and laughed a lot :)
Same evening my couch surfing experience went of with a bang as well.. Well, first of all i was one hour late.. and could not get hold of my host Layla.. so was a wee bit nervous on the metro, that I was going to be spending the night in a bus shelter (allthough only last night, at 2 in the morning, I did spend a good half hour in a bus shelter, learning to dance samba from a couple of lovely Brazillian girls, so might not have been so bad after all). Anway, Layla was there (also an hour late so perfect) and took me home to her lovely flat in Tijuca a non-touristy part of Rio.. showered, put the dancing shoes on and then we went off to my first samba experience this side of the new year.. And ....oh... my... god... Im in love with the samba!!!!! Of course being me, the night would not be the same without some kind of mishap.. So Layla went home a little earlier than me and I was to share a taxi with these 3 Argentinians that I had been chatting to, as they also lived in Tijuca... so a few hours later i found myself in ... well not quite Tijuca, but Bahia de Tijuca, which is about an hour from Tijuca by taxi... Oisann.. So had breakfast in Bahia de Tijuca, and then had to trek back for an hour or nearly two on the bus and metro.. but hey, got to see a bit more of the place.. when I finally got back... We (Layla and me) were joined by her equally lovely friend Anny from North Brazil... So had a little disco nap, a good girly chat, then we went out, got some beers and went to a house party.. In a gorgous old colonial building, with a swimming pool and a big group of couch surfers.. Mostly Brazillians a few Germans, a Dane and my goodself.. Listened to some good tunes, danced, laughed, drank some beers, met another new best friend.. Suellen (yup, named after the bitch from Dallas.. haha... thankfully she found it funny too).. then we went out for Pizza (which some of them ate with ketchup and mustard??? WTF??) and then off to Lapa again, where the others went to a couch surfing party.. Suellen and I went of in search of the perfect caipiriniha (found it and had a good few), got a dance lesson from a barlady and here tiny assistant, and then went for a walk about in Lapa... now, Lapa, is AMAZING!! Its this rather dillapetated area of Rio. With gorgous old colonial buildings, famous arches.. and the big draw is all the live music going on.. Oh my god (!!!!!) the drums... it gets in your body.... or booty rather, there are drums everywhere, and stunning girls dancing the samba .. and the men too... and they are all fit as fuxk!!! Its like dying and going to party heaven... (and I didnt get robbed this time, which was a plus as well).
Next day, beach, was introduced to a great Engish gal who lives with her Brazillian husband in the Favela just behind Ipanema, watched a girl getting pick pocketed, the guy getting nicked by a whole beach chasing him and the life guards cathing him and for the robber to subsequently be made to sit on the live guard tower and people yelling rather angrily at him.. was quite a spectacle.. then went for a few beers, then some more beers, met some more great people and had a super night without any mishaps...
Yesterday I moved out of Laylas, and into the hostel where I was meant to beat the beginning... well thats after visiting Tee in the Palace that he lives in first.. 3 storey house in ipanema with a swimming pool on the roof.. so chilled in the swimming pool.. then we went to the favela where he used to live.. Took a motor bike taxi to the very top, got invited in to a house by Francisco, an old Brazillian chap who must have the best view of Rio ever.. from his roof toop terreace.. Then we walked down through the favela.. And it was amazing.. Little alley ways everywhere, and the place is full of LIFE... its litturally buzzing!!! Kids, monkeys, music, little shops.. tiny little shops, gorgous women, manly men, police with machine guns (not so nice.. they where driving around in this jeep with machine gun barrels pointing out of all 4 windows... looked straight into one as i had my lunch... good job they aint got no speed bumps in the favela.. But seriously, the police were the only guys who felt intimidating in any way up there.. It was amazing!!!!).. As Tee had lived there he knew lots of people, so we kept stopping for little chats and everybody made me feel so welcome... Am now in love with the favela... Got my sim card for brazil and then we headed back to Ipanema.. i got to the hostel.. left my bag.. went for a beer and then off to a football match.. Arsenal (I got very excited.. but its Arsenal Argentina.. vs. Lis.. uhm.. i cant remember..).. Learnt a new word.. PUTAAAAAAAAAAAAAA... well i knew that allready (whore), but have never heard it quite so many times, shouted quite so loudly by quite as many people..well, men... the stadium took 42.000 people.. wasnt full.. but there was at least 25-30.000 people shouting PUTAAAAAAAAAAA at anyone time so yes... wont forget that one.. On the way home i got an impromtu samba lesson by the Brazillian girls that i met in a bus shelter.. haha.. youve gotte to love these people... The girls here are uber cool!!! The men are scorching hot, and the women are fabulous..
Spent my first night ever in a dorm room.. When i got home it was empty, its not a big room, an average hotel room room, with a bunk bed, a double bed, and a single bed...and I could tell there was another 4 people in there, but they were not there when I fell asleep.. One above me, 2 next to me and another one to the side.. and this morning I woke up in Chile.. That was a bit weird too, gloriously weird.. hahaha.. waking up and then going...uhm Ola.. sono norvegese.. where are you from?.. they didnt speak much english, so we were all lying in our beds, trying to make some sense of eachother... think i now know that 2 were from Santiago de Chile, 2 from somewhere else, they left today.. but the 2 santiago guys and me will be sharing for the next 3 nights.. haha..they invited me to the beach with them, so i think we are amigos allready....
I am SOOOOO excited by life right now... this is living.. for me.. Tjohooooooo
Now, I shall dash to the beach, and tonight Tee is Djing in a bar in Leblon, quite an upmarket are of Rio.. so heading there for a bit of a dance with some of my new found Brazillian girlfriends.. haha.. oh my god.. how will I ever leave this place i wonder.. its in my blood!!
Ok so this got quite long again... but i want to go for a wee swim so no time to look it over.. Have a splendid day to all 3 people who might still be reading this (thanks mum and dad :) )
Bejois from Rio... the marvellous city indeed!!!
PS.. Me, me, me.... I hope everyone is well!!!
Oh god.. where to start...?? Have been here for 5 days allready and its been non-stop crazy good.. I am madly, deeply, gloriously in love with this city.. If London was my husband, and Rio was my lover I would seriously consider a divorce by now...amicably of course..
Well, starting from the beginning, cause it kind of started with a bang.. I got to the hostel at midnight last Thursday, only to find the reception closed.. oisann.. But luckily the hostel next door was open so I got a bed there.. dropped off my luggage and ventured out to toast my arrival to Rio all by my lonesome.. but really rather excited.. 7 hours later I found myself in a little drink kiosk on the board walk of Ipanema beach, enjoying a gorgous sunrise, whilst laughing my head off with my new best friend Tee, a DJ from California, a couple of very very charming gay brazillian women, some prostitutes, and a few drug dealing sons of politicians.. Yup, as first nights go... it was pretty damn good... Then went to get my luggage, dropped it at Tee's and went with him and 2 of his mates to a beach about an hour outside Rio. Prainio (or something, meaning little beach), which was surrounded by lush rainforest and rocky mountains..Perfect... learnt to surf a bit, flashed the beach a bit (surfing in a bikini which doesnt quite fit is not recommended), slept a bit, and laughed a lot :)
Same evening my couch surfing experience went of with a bang as well.. Well, first of all i was one hour late.. and could not get hold of my host Layla.. so was a wee bit nervous on the metro, that I was going to be spending the night in a bus shelter (allthough only last night, at 2 in the morning, I did spend a good half hour in a bus shelter, learning to dance samba from a couple of lovely Brazillian girls, so might not have been so bad after all). Anway, Layla was there (also an hour late so perfect) and took me home to her lovely flat in Tijuca a non-touristy part of Rio.. showered, put the dancing shoes on and then we went off to my first samba experience this side of the new year.. And ....oh... my... god... Im in love with the samba!!!!! Of course being me, the night would not be the same without some kind of mishap.. So Layla went home a little earlier than me and I was to share a taxi with these 3 Argentinians that I had been chatting to, as they also lived in Tijuca... so a few hours later i found myself in ... well not quite Tijuca, but Bahia de Tijuca, which is about an hour from Tijuca by taxi... Oisann.. So had breakfast in Bahia de Tijuca, and then had to trek back for an hour or nearly two on the bus and metro.. but hey, got to see a bit more of the place.. when I finally got back... We (Layla and me) were joined by her equally lovely friend Anny from North Brazil... So had a little disco nap, a good girly chat, then we went out, got some beers and went to a house party.. In a gorgous old colonial building, with a swimming pool and a big group of couch surfers.. Mostly Brazillians a few Germans, a Dane and my goodself.. Listened to some good tunes, danced, laughed, drank some beers, met another new best friend.. Suellen (yup, named after the bitch from Dallas.. haha... thankfully she found it funny too).. then we went out for Pizza (which some of them ate with ketchup and mustard??? WTF??) and then off to Lapa again, where the others went to a couch surfing party.. Suellen and I went of in search of the perfect caipiriniha (found it and had a good few), got a dance lesson from a barlady and here tiny assistant, and then went for a walk about in Lapa... now, Lapa, is AMAZING!! Its this rather dillapetated area of Rio. With gorgous old colonial buildings, famous arches.. and the big draw is all the live music going on.. Oh my god (!!!!!) the drums... it gets in your body.... or booty rather, there are drums everywhere, and stunning girls dancing the samba .. and the men too... and they are all fit as fuxk!!! Its like dying and going to party heaven... (and I didnt get robbed this time, which was a plus as well).
Next day, beach, was introduced to a great Engish gal who lives with her Brazillian husband in the Favela just behind Ipanema, watched a girl getting pick pocketed, the guy getting nicked by a whole beach chasing him and the life guards cathing him and for the robber to subsequently be made to sit on the live guard tower and people yelling rather angrily at him.. was quite a spectacle.. then went for a few beers, then some more beers, met some more great people and had a super night without any mishaps...
Yesterday I moved out of Laylas, and into the hostel where I was meant to beat the beginning... well thats after visiting Tee in the Palace that he lives in first.. 3 storey house in ipanema with a swimming pool on the roof.. so chilled in the swimming pool.. then we went to the favela where he used to live.. Took a motor bike taxi to the very top, got invited in to a house by Francisco, an old Brazillian chap who must have the best view of Rio ever.. from his roof toop terreace.. Then we walked down through the favela.. And it was amazing.. Little alley ways everywhere, and the place is full of LIFE... its litturally buzzing!!! Kids, monkeys, music, little shops.. tiny little shops, gorgous women, manly men, police with machine guns (not so nice.. they where driving around in this jeep with machine gun barrels pointing out of all 4 windows... looked straight into one as i had my lunch... good job they aint got no speed bumps in the favela.. But seriously, the police were the only guys who felt intimidating in any way up there.. It was amazing!!!!).. As Tee had lived there he knew lots of people, so we kept stopping for little chats and everybody made me feel so welcome... Am now in love with the favela... Got my sim card for brazil and then we headed back to Ipanema.. i got to the hostel.. left my bag.. went for a beer and then off to a football match.. Arsenal (I got very excited.. but its Arsenal Argentina.. vs. Lis.. uhm.. i cant remember..).. Learnt a new word.. PUTAAAAAAAAAAAAAA... well i knew that allready (whore), but have never heard it quite so many times, shouted quite so loudly by quite as many people..well, men... the stadium took 42.000 people.. wasnt full.. but there was at least 25-30.000 people shouting PUTAAAAAAAAAAA at anyone time so yes... wont forget that one.. On the way home i got an impromtu samba lesson by the Brazillian girls that i met in a bus shelter.. haha.. youve gotte to love these people... The girls here are uber cool!!! The men are scorching hot, and the women are fabulous..
Spent my first night ever in a dorm room.. When i got home it was empty, its not a big room, an average hotel room room, with a bunk bed, a double bed, and a single bed...and I could tell there was another 4 people in there, but they were not there when I fell asleep.. One above me, 2 next to me and another one to the side.. and this morning I woke up in Chile.. That was a bit weird too, gloriously weird.. hahaha.. waking up and then going...uhm Ola.. sono norvegese.. where are you from?.. they didnt speak much english, so we were all lying in our beds, trying to make some sense of eachother... think i now know that 2 were from Santiago de Chile, 2 from somewhere else, they left today.. but the 2 santiago guys and me will be sharing for the next 3 nights.. haha..they invited me to the beach with them, so i think we are amigos allready....
I am SOOOOO excited by life right now... this is living.. for me.. Tjohooooooo
Now, I shall dash to the beach, and tonight Tee is Djing in a bar in Leblon, quite an upmarket are of Rio.. so heading there for a bit of a dance with some of my new found Brazillian girlfriends.. haha.. oh my god.. how will I ever leave this place i wonder.. its in my blood!!
Ok so this got quite long again... but i want to go for a wee swim so no time to look it over.. Have a splendid day to all 3 people who might still be reading this (thanks mum and dad :) )
Bejois from Rio... the marvellous city indeed!!!
PS.. Me, me, me.... I hope everyone is well!!!
Monday 16 January 2012
testing testing
Hey hey,
First blog from Birchington road... Hello.. I am super tremendously excited.. so excited I am sitting on the sofa eating grapes, digging music and actually doing something.. as in creating a blog.. Which is really not that easy.. Tjohoo... should also be buying things like travel insurance, sleeping bag, spare contact lenses, flashlight, and probably some other bits and bobs as well... but hey, all in good time, travel insurance i will sort though.. soon.. before I go definately.. Anyway this is just testing testing.. tata from Birchington rd.. Lovely flat, loveingly handed over to great friends..soon.. OMG... enjoy!! xx
First blog from Birchington road... Hello.. I am super tremendously excited.. so excited I am sitting on the sofa eating grapes, digging music and actually doing something.. as in creating a blog.. Which is really not that easy.. Tjohoo... should also be buying things like travel insurance, sleeping bag, spare contact lenses, flashlight, and probably some other bits and bobs as well... but hey, all in good time, travel insurance i will sort though.. soon.. before I go definately.. Anyway this is just testing testing.. tata from Birchington rd.. Lovely flat, loveingly handed over to great friends..soon.. OMG... enjoy!! xx
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