Arriving in Rio was so exciting although when you arrive at night you just can't grasp the full beauty of the place as it is simply lights and you can't see the full picture so I couldn't wait for the next day to actually see it for real in daylight and also get some well needed sun on my face having been in 6 inches of snow for the past couple of weeks back in the UK! I wasn't prepared for the 30 degree c heat at midnight though!! On arrival at the hostel Jucati I was pleasantly surprised that the guys in reception were expecting me and that they spoke pretty good English. I couldn't wait to see my friends with whom I worked for 2 years again having not seen them for quite a few months since they had been travelling down through US and Mexico before flying down to Rio. I got to the door and found the rather scary levitating head looking at me through a hole. So it began, the adventure had started so we decided to head to Ipanema for catch up drinks.
Having returned at 4am and then my alarm going off at 7 meant I was a little groggy the next day although I did go back to bed sleeping in patches although I was keen just to get out and see the place so we got up and headed towards Copacabana beach. Stepping out in daylight in Rio for the first time was an awe inspiring experience, the glaring hot sun directly above you, the forest covered mountains surrounding the high rise buildings and the sites, smells, amazing new flora and fauna, amazing new architecture (not new in the modern sense but rahter new to me) and the whole geological scenery cannot be summed up into words and all I can do is recommend anyone who is keen on travelling who has not been before, it has to be done!! I actually said to my friend Lee today that this is definitely the most amazing place I have ever been and I have been to my fair share of places! It is the immersion in the new culture and meeting new people and seeing new places that I've come for and I have not been disappointed! Even trying the food here has been an experience, we went to an all you can eat buffet today where they came to the table with skewers of every different type of meat you can imagine which was fantastic, a real meat feast and something I've never experienced before. Another experience here which I'm trying to get used to is going outside to be warm which is the direct opposite to the UK where most of the time you go inside to get warm!
So we went to the beach but unfortunately didnt swim just got our feet burnt by the scaldingly hot sand. The heat is intense, I thought I'd be okay havin been to places like Mexico and Egypt but here the heat is unparalleled and I would advise anyone who comes to try and have water and suncream on them at all time! After the beach we went to Fluminese's ground to buy tickets for their game against Bangu only to find the game was at the ground of Flamengo, the Maracana stadium which was an amazing experience if you like the beautiful game, it's a must! The game was a good one with Fluminese coming out 3-0 winners although again the heat and dehydration really takes it's toll so you must be prepared to buy lots of drinks off the vendors inside the ground as you're not allowed to take drinks into the stadium.
It's been a fantastic day and tomorrow I will do a full city tour including the Christ the Redeemer statue, Sugarloaf mountain and a trip to the forest which I'm immensely looking forward to and will tell you all about it ion the next blog although unfortunately the weather is forecast to be stormy but I'm sure that'll be an experience in itself.
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