The last hog - Rio

So, we’ve come to the final stint on what has been a truly epic trip.Flying over Rio in the evening after sunset was a good start, a patchy sea of flickering lights obscured by the many mountain tops.

A 2 hour coach journey from the airport and we arrived in Leblon, which is considered the nicest place in Rio, just 3 blocks from up from Ipanema beach.

After an average nights kip in the flat we were staying we took to the streets to grab some breakfast and go for our general wonder to scope out the place. We noticed how well it was maintained, plush buildings overlooked wide roads with trimmed palm trees lining the streets. Spent most the day on Ipanema beach, immediately took in the fantastic view of Sugarloaf mountain and the favela’s that occupied the bottom third, it was much more visible at night when the favela’s lit up the bottom half of the mountain and the dim light causing the rest of the mountain to stand out against a ‘starry blackground’. Stunning.

 https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ipanema+beach&sa=X&rlz=1C1WZPF_en-GBGB457GB475&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=xEDOU6_0MOX9ygOWqIKoCQ&ved=0CC4QsAQ&biw=1119&bih=712

The same night we hit the main area in Leblon, about 4 blocks back from the Copacabana, felt like we were in London, just a lot warmer! Quite a classy place with loads of small boutique wine & cocktail bars. Jumped into a big one that was busy, got straight on the shots and caipirinha’s, a popular cocktail in Brazil similar to a mojito.

Was a top night, mingling with the locals and other internationals. Walked or should I say staggered back along Ipanema beach around 3am, could have taken a cab but was nice to enjoy the view.

Feeling rather sensitive we left the flat around 9am and went to Corcovado mountain and upto Christ the Redeemer, took 2 minibuses up there, cost around £25, including entrance.
The pictures says it all really, the statue was extremely impressive, only beaten by the views over Rio. Could have spent hours just taking it all in, was absolutely stunning. Only negative thing were the amount of people there, quite a small area and frustrating knocking past people stretching their arms out for picture every 5 yards. Goodtimes though.

Decided to spend the rest of the day on the beach again, really going to miss it, it’s one of the favourites in Brazil I can see why. This last evening we had was spent enjoying a 400g Uruguayan fillet steak and a few cold ones.Got up early next day and had a last minute sunbathe on Ipanema, few coconuts later we had to go back, pack and hail a cab to the airport.

Rio, Madrid, London, home. Writing this a few days later, still whacked from not sleeping for 30 hours, but nothing will halt the feeling of knowing what an incredible experience it all was. It’s only going to be something to look back on now, I know there are millions of people that have experienced similar to what I have but it doesn’t make me feel any less lucky.

I think it’s safe to say I have the travel bug. Only thing to do now apart from all the clothes washing is to think of where I can explore next!
Thanks for reading! J

Alex

World cup Final week

Picking this up on the 3rd of a 5 day stretch in Porto de Galinhas, the time was spent leisurely, getting the most out of the beautiful beaches the east coast of Brazil had to offer. I think the town's pace of life could set record lows, it was like walking in slow motion half the time, very enjoyable, definitely the flipside of what life back in the UK is like. We gladly joined in and soaked it up.

Whilst Bren went surfing I spent a day walking 3km up the main coastline, stopping regularly to sunbathe and divulge in the odd coconut. Time stopped that day and everything in life back home just seemed so beautifully insignificant.

As evening approached I swung by the town to grab a few gifts for the family, met Bren and went to a local bar to watch the Germany vs Brazil game. Game of the tournament in so many ways for me. 

The build up was just Neymar Neymar Neymar, everyone was talking about it, it seemed evident, especially when Luiz & Cesar held up his shirt whilst singing the anthem before KO that the team's focus was elsewhere. They certainly underestimated the drilled German force. 5-0 at half time and the bar just emptied, the people who did stay for the second half were full of acceptance, clapping the 6th and 7th as they knew they had just witnessed the biggest humiliation in world cup history. Ouch.

The next day we took a coach upto Recife to spend 4 nights before flying to Rio for the final leg.

Our host Marcus was extremely accomodating, we ended up with a single room each which was a pleasant change! 4th floor flat in a 15 story building. Big place with 4 bedrooms.

The first full day was spent scoping out the place and walking along the beach front for a few miles. A perfect urban beach, aligned with classy high rise buildings across the road. 

The next evening came and Marcus' mate took us out for a few beers in the main drinking area, a maze of streets buzzing with all kinds of people and bars. Most of the streets had live music going on, whether it be a quartet of drummers or a typical band. After wondering and nipping into various places for a quick beer to soak up the vibe of place we settled oustide a cool bar with maybe a hundred people listening to this awesome band play. Consisted of an extremely talented guitarist, base player, drummer and a dude with some bongos. Worked really well. Played some classic stuff, singing in both Portuguese and English. The best part for me though is that if this was set up in the UK the band would be on a stage further back from the crowd and would be over-organised. This was just like they threw their kit on the street oustide a bar and just starting jamming, occasionally stopping to go for a piss and grab a few beers! 

Was a privilege to be part of that, wicked night.

The following day it was more of same, and we finished off with a 2 hour Muay Thai training session, first time for me, Bren had some decent experience but I got through it. Really enjoyed it actually, great workout for the whole body although after 5 weeks of doing naff all I felt it massively the next day! Would recommend it to anyone.

Watched the Final yesterday, nothing much of a game really, the Argies had their chances to go 1 or even 2 up, but with some Gotze magic the deserved team came through in the end. A fitting end to a team and a country that's world class, both on and off the field.

I read somewhere today that the Germans came to Brazil 6 months ago, paid and built their own training complex, hiring only the Brazilian locals. After the cup they will hand the complex over to that community for sports facilities and a school. All paid for by Germany. That's the sort of thing that makes you worthy winners. 

Just about to board the final Internal flight to the last destination, hoping time will stop once more. 

All for now.

Alex x