rio de janeiro
I took a bus from Sao Paulo to Rio. 5 hours in all. From the bus station I jumped in a taxi and managed to convey where I wanted to go to the taxi driver. I figured the better the devil you know so I opted for the same place I had stayed in back in June when I arrived. Hotel Turistico!
The city didn't have the same buzz as when I was there before. The football euphoria long since past. The weather wasn't as good either as it it rained a lot. There were a couple of days of 38 degrees though. At least I knew my way around and was less anxious too.
It feels safer than Sao Paulo. Not as dirty and overcrowded. I passed my time by visiting a few places I hadn't been before. The sugar loaf in particular. Although I shouldn't have bothered as the weather was dismal and the views were very restricted. I made my way to the Irish pub. Met some interesting characters, one a middle aged English bloke who had just decided to leave his family and shack up with a Brazilian woman. All well and good I thought. From where I was sitting the unseen part of his head looked a bit funny. Like something was bulging out of his head. I figured it was his ear but then he went on to tell me he had received a big payout for having the sh*t kicked out of him. He showed me his deformed cranium. He then went on to rant about England being swamped by immigrants. How tiresome! Him who emigrates to Brazil. Then I understood why he had had the shit kicked out of him.
One night I met some Italian blokes and ended up going to a club called Help. I can hardly articulate how beautiful all the women were. Simply gorgeous. I was in a constant state of shock. The ratio of men to women was quite a novelty too and then it clicked, they were all prostitutes! Why I hadn't figured this out earlier was beyond especially given the number of passes I was getting.
So it was time to leave South America. I was sad to go. This part of my trip exceeded all my expectations. I pinch myself when I think of all the places I have been and all the things I have done. When I arrived my objective was to trek to Manchu Pinchu. Back then I would hardly have believed all the things I would experience. Things I never new about. Love affairs I hadn't expected. A language I would kind of learn. A whole world of sights and sounds I will never forget.
The city didn't have the same buzz as when I was there before. The football euphoria long since past. The weather wasn't as good either as it it rained a lot. There were a couple of days of 38 degrees though. At least I knew my way around and was less anxious too.
It feels safer than Sao Paulo. Not as dirty and overcrowded. I passed my time by visiting a few places I hadn't been before. The sugar loaf in particular. Although I shouldn't have bothered as the weather was dismal and the views were very restricted. I made my way to the Irish pub. Met some interesting characters, one a middle aged English bloke who had just decided to leave his family and shack up with a Brazilian woman. All well and good I thought. From where I was sitting the unseen part of his head looked a bit funny. Like something was bulging out of his head. I figured it was his ear but then he went on to tell me he had received a big payout for having the sh*t kicked out of him. He showed me his deformed cranium. He then went on to rant about England being swamped by immigrants. How tiresome! Him who emigrates to Brazil. Then I understood why he had had the shit kicked out of him.
One night I met some Italian blokes and ended up going to a club called Help. I can hardly articulate how beautiful all the women were. Simply gorgeous. I was in a constant state of shock. The ratio of men to women was quite a novelty too and then it clicked, they were all prostitutes! Why I hadn't figured this out earlier was beyond especially given the number of passes I was getting.
So it was time to leave South America. I was sad to go. This part of my trip exceeded all my expectations. I pinch myself when I think of all the places I have been and all the things I have done. When I arrived my objective was to trek to Manchu Pinchu. Back then I would hardly have believed all the things I would experience. Things I never new about. Love affairs I hadn't expected. A language I would kind of learn. A whole world of sights and sounds I will never forget.
posted by Ciarán at 5:44 p.m.
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