So I arrived into Rio at 5am on Thursday, and the first thing that struck me was the amount of mad traffic on the roads as I took a taxi to the hostel in Leblon. Is this the norm?! Crazy!
I could barely keep my eyes open when I arrived at Lemon Spirit so I creeped into the dorm, found my bed, and napped till midday. Of course, I’d missed all the tours leaving that morning so instead I went for a stroll along Ipanema beach. The waves were HUGE and I became transfixed watching the surfers from the rocks that separate Ipanema and Copacabana. After walking home (ft. a comforting McDonald’s) I headed back to the hostel and met the other travellers. I had a truly magnificent dinner with some of the girls (Holland, Denmark, and Argentina represent!) at one of those restaurants where they keep bringing meat around and you can have as much as you want (not a normal backpackers dinner – mucho dinero £££). The salad buffet was to die for though. Ok so normally after ridiculous amounts of rich foods, delicious Argentinian wine AND a warm chocolate brownie this can only lead to a nap…oh but not when you’re in RIO! We took an Uber to Lapa and headed to Leviano, a ‘club’, but one where they have a live band playing and everyone dances in pairs and does PROPER dancing. I tried to blend in but my hips just don’t move in those angles and the extent of my club dancing is fist pumping and looking awkward. It’s quite normal here for men to ask ladies for a dance so I let someone show me the ropes – I think I’m going to need more lessons.
We stayed out pretty late so I didn’t wake up until afternoon on Friday. I decided to venture to the local mall to sort out a SIM card so I have internet access out here (first world problems). After a spot of lunch (keep missing breakfast- d’oh) I strolled around the lagoon and made my way to the botanical gardens. It was actually very peaceful to see the diverse range of plants and I particularly enjoyed seeing the medicinal plant garden. The weather has been on the cloudy side (still humid) and every now and then it spits (it’s that fine rain – you know) so I took shelter at the cafe and next thing I knew I’d consumed a hot chocolate AND chocolate cake. Oops.
I spent the evening with my new friends at the hostel and enjoyed the Caipirinhas (still don’t know how to pronounce).
As you may have gathered, I am travelling solo for this trip and I hope to get better at being comfortable with my own company. I miss having Beth by my side at all times but I feel this adventure is going to be a good thing for me. Everyone has been super friendly and I LOVE learning about other countries and other cultures.
