Fancy Having Your Pet for Lunch?

Peru is a different place.

As much as I wanted to chain myself to a tree to stop guinea pig being killed for Peruvian lunch, I have learnt relatively quickly, that as visitor to this beautiful country, one has to respect traditions and ways of being.

My guinea pig restaurant experience formed part of the weekly Friday class outing. It was uninimously decided that all groups would go to a local restaurant to eat ´cuy´ (Spanish for guinea pig). Again, the restaurant is not a place you would find in Lonely Planet. Our teachers are great that way, showing us the local experience, void of tourist. As I am a semi vegetarian (eating fish), the idea of having an a pet for lunch totally freaked me out.

The group getting ready for the ´cuy´ experience

Sign welcoming us to the best Guinea Pig in Cusco

But when in Rome, tag along. I had potato instead, and went along for the ride and experience. The restaurant can only be reached by local taxi, about a 15min drive from San Blas, in a relatively new area above Cusco, known as Santiago.

As you will see from the pics, the entire guinea pig is spread out across your plate, with little feet, hands, claws and head still intact. I considered fleeing the table. But I stayed, convincing myself that this was another culturally enriching experience. I wasnt partaking in the eating, but seeing the little carcases lined up around the table, made me feel like a mass murderer.

Christina about to devour her Cuy

After the meal the teachers told the students to open up the heads, as there is a MINISCULE little bone inside (lodged somewhere behind the brain) that is shaped EXACTLY like a ´zorro´ (Spanish for fox). It is believed that this bone holds immense spiritual power if you consume it by throwing it into your glass (if consumed any other way, all spiritual power is lost). The belief is that on the night of consuming this bone, you will have vivid dreams revealing your future. A cheaper version of visiting a psychic. Tomorrow I will be able to report (after chatting to my friends), whether this belief holds true.

As we were settling our account, I heard squeaks eminating from the basement of the restaurant. When we went outside to wait for the taxi, they were busy offloading crate-fulls of guinea pig. Seeing the cute little balls of fluff being stuffed into a bag, making their way to the execution palace was the pits. Our teachers told us that before each guinea pig is killed, a prayer is given to mother earth and the animal is blessed for sharing their body for human sustenance. The German girls felt this was a lot more humane than back home (where animals are force fed in tiny spaces, under artificial light). So everyone felt that lunch was justified.

The crateful of cuys being bagged for lunch

On a less macarb note. Yesterday I went on a mini trek to the Inca ruins above San Blas, known as Temple of the Moon. I went with two friends from school and a professor in Incan history (that happens to live in my hostal). The first part of the trek was incredibly steep, but the landscape was totally worth the climb. Ofcourse Pablo (the Incan history prof) gave us lots of interesting info about Incan history during the trek.

Temple of the Moon - the tin houses form part of the excavation camp

This ruin is currently being excavated by archeologists, and for this reason entrance is still free. Once we got to the top of the site, there were Peruvian tour-guides sitting there giving us all sorts of fascinating info (if you listen you pay, as I later found out..*another lessson learnt*).

There was a round sundial, which the Incas used to indicate time. There were also carvings of snake, birds and puma - out of solid stone. Sadly, parts of the bodies were missing. All three animals represent different stages of the afterlife. The puma - the present life, the snake - life after death and the bird - life before birth.  

The round Incan sundial

View from the top of Temple of the Moon

There was also a large cave being excavated, with a big hole in the roof. On the night of soltice, the moon illuminates the entire cave into a wonderworld of light. The window-like structure in which I am sitting is also carved out of solid stone - (how they did this with minimal tools still baffles my brain). The Incas believed that man came into existance through portals that looked like windows. Very much like the one I am sitting in. After death, the spirit returned to the afterworld, through this window. For this reason, Inca mummies (who were respected Incan priests) were often brought out and placed in these windows during the day time and offered food & drink.

Sitting in the window to the After Life

The scenery is stunning, and only a foretaste of the weekend to come. Tomorrow morning (after I move to my new residence), three German girls from my school and I will be visiting The Sacred Valley. We will be sleeping in Ollaytambo tomorrow night, and heading through to various Incan ruins,
Moray, Salinos and the famous market of Pisac. REALLY looking forward to it.

On a more personal note - had a really rough week. Missed home and familiarity a lot. Felt as if the walls of the apartment in which I am staying was swallowing me up. Didnt help that the week itself was uneventful. School finishes at 1pm and found myself ambling aimlessly around the streets until night descended. All the German girls live far out, so felt pretty alone after school. I know that this experience is making me stronger, but it remains a sinking feeling.

My mom always says that no matter how desperate you may feel during the night, there is always a new day break, a new day. So for now, I will remained focused on a BRIGHT new day and all the adventure it holds in store.

Peru - A Culinary Feast (with a view)

I cant believe it is Sunday already. The week passed in a flurry of activities and as a result I haven't managed to do an inkling of the studying I set out to do.

All good intentions aside. The first part of the week was spent finding warm clothes. Every day I wear just about every item of clothes I own, and even bought a mother of a poncho, which wraps around me like a blanket. When I went to celebrate St Patrick`s day in my new blanket on Thursday, I realised to what an all-time low my coldness has plumeted.

St Patricks day was celebrated in Cusco much like other parts of the common-wealth world, with lots of balloons hanging from every Irish pub in the city. Gringos (foreigners) sporting hues of green, face paint and wigs. We even saw a gremlin running around. Sadly I didnt take my camera, as pocket theft happens. Better safe than sorry.
 

Every Friday my language school organises an outing to one of the noteworthy places in the surrounds. These outings are typically not museum or church based (there are hundreds to visit here), but include things like the black market, animal shelter for exotic species illegally smuggled over the border, visiting the local Cusquenean restaurants (that you won`t find in Lonely Planet) and other such things.

Our class (two German girls, myself and our teacher) visited the Molino (black) market. Here you can find just about everything you need, including cheap camping and hiking gear. It is not unusual to see pig`s head being fried up in the corner, or other vile carnivorous dishes. There are enough smells to keep you entertained for millenia and the food, well, is typically Cusquenian. Food which any sane foreigner would not touch with a barge pole.

With Maja and Sandra infront of El Molino - the black market

Which brings me to my next topic. Food.

My ceviche dish

The Restaurant`s choice - enjoyed by my friends

Cusco (and I`ve heard Peru) is a culinary paradise. Be prepared to loosen your belt a notch or two after visiting. There is an amazing array of local dishes, infused with other South American flavours. One of the most famous is ceviche, which is cold pickled fish, with a highly toxic lime content and can be extremely spicy. The Peruvians eat VERY spicy food. Even if you love spice (like I do) always ask for the watered down version. You will be glad you did.

I had my first ceviche yesterday, at the best ceviche restaurant in town, which was full to bursting with local Cusqueneans. Other students had discovered this gem of a restaurant on one of the Friday excursions. You have to take a taxi there, which only costs 3 Soles (if you bargain). The main ceviche dish costs 20Soles. I went all out and ordered half ceviche, half shrimp, which set me back 25 Soles. The strong lime taste can only be managed in small amounts (that was my experience), hence best to mix it up with another dish.

The servings here are ginormous and there is no way you can finish it all. A typical menu consists of a three course meal and most restaurants serve these for between 12-15 Soles. The main meal is eaten in the afternoon and always (without exception) consists of soup, a main meal of your choice (there are normally about three), a small dessert if you are lucky, and juice or coca tea.

Most Cusqueaneans eat off the streets or in restuarants, as it works out cheaper than making your own food. If you are brave, you can attempt the corner vendor, but be sure to use your own in-built hygiene detector to decide whether it is kosher.

The are enough bakeries to drive you mad for the sheer mass of them. The students at my school always pop in during break time to buy the famous empanada, which is pastry stuffed with cheese or meat. This is a carbohydrate calorie bomb, but TOTALLY worth it.  

The goodies on display at the bakery

Celine and I in 7th Heaven

There are more than enough stairs in Cusco to build up a wicked appetite, if you dont faint in the process that is. Acclimatisation is key to attempting the stairways, and many special places can only be reached by foot.

We walked the thousand steps (so it felt, not sure how many there were) to Christo Blanco yesterday. He looks like Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, on a smaller scale. At night he is lit up and one can always see him stretching out his arms in blessing over the city. It is a heck of a climb to get there and you have to stop every few hundred metres. The photo only shows one part of the climb. It is not unusual to feel dizzy and spaced out for most of the walk, but the human body is a work of art and manages to adapt quickly.

Stairway to heaven (aka Christo Blanco)

Christo Blanco (translated - White Christ) which overlooks the city from His mountaintop

After our feeding frenzy we went home to have a little siesta, and hit the town running last night. We went to one of the most famous bars, known as Mythology. The evening started off with salsa classes, boasting a spectacular display of salsa expertise to sweaty gringos, who were all too keen to learn. Yours truly was also spun around by one of the instructors for a few beats, and it was a lot of fun. After the salsa show, the contemporary club tracks started playing.

In the midst of all the fun there was a police raid. All club goers got booted out into the street by the masses of army clad police, because the club (apparently) had no licence. What that means I still can´t tell you. Apparently this is routine drill in Peru, and at first we all thought it was a drug bust. This dampered the evening a bit, but not our spirit. We headed off to a rastafarian bar, where a rasta band was playing an ecclectic mix of Bob Marley infused Inca tunes. There was a lot of incence and a small fire in the middle, and I had the feeling that I was watching an old Incan ritual. The music certainly inspired old worldly clan feelings. Another magical experience that is hard to do descriptive justice. You have to hear it, to be swayed by it:-)

I'll end by posting pics from my apartment - as you will see I am extremely blessed with an amazing view over Cusco. Next Saturday I have to move to a pipsqeak apartment above the school, which I will share with two other students. So have to enjoy the last sanctity of space this week.
Despite the beautiful view, I try to spend as little time as possible in the apartment, purely because it is frostbitingly cold. This morning my water got turned off just before 9am, which meant that I just had enough time to shower, but not to fill up all my water buckets and bottles to see me through for the rest of the day.

View from my apartment

I do miss my first-world comforts a lot, as well as healthy food, a warm bed and just warmth - generally. I miss being able to cook decent food (not for want of trying) and a cuppa coffee or tea when I wake up. I am learning a heck of a lot about myself in the process. One being that I am spoilt and love my creature comforts.

Cusco still remains a place that steals your heart, despite risking your life on the narrow cobbled roads and being harassed at every street corner and feeling like a walking ATM. It is the place of legends and I look forward to discovering more of the magic.

Photoblog for Peru - 1st Impressions



The narrow cobbled streets - where car and man meet



City Square

With traditionally dressed Cusconian

The vibrantly colourful parade



The Most Amazing Event on the Planet

One night in which all fantasies become reality.

This reality is revealed in the spectacular Sambodromo event, which takes place in the heart of the city.

The sambodromo is a cacophony of colours, beating drums, otherworldy costumes and fantasical floats. For one night you feel part of something greater than yourself. I merged with the music, and felt waves of rhythm pulsating through my body for nine solid hours.

It is difficult to do last night´s event a descriptive justice. A part of me feels that you have to ´see it to feel it´. It is not so much about seeing, but about feeling.
The Brazilians have perfected this art of living. They understand what it means to be connected to music, to life, to the rhythm of your soul. They understand that there is something profound about being connected to  100 000 other people, all singing and dancing and celebrating. Brazilians know how to celebrate life.

They understand something at a very fundamental level which Western culture has lost touch with. If only we could escape the microcosm of our superficial existance and look to live outside of ourselves. I´m digressing from the spectacular...

The Sambodromo started at 9pm last night and when the last school came through I was schocked to see it was 6.30am. There were seven schools in total, each school consisting of between 4000-6000 participants. Each school has between 6-8 massive (think multiple storey-high) floats, which is the ultimate expression of fantasy and creativety. The floats and costumes epitomise the school´s history, as well the theme chosen for the year.

FAST FACTS:

No of spectators: 88 500

No of particpants per school: 4000 - 6000

Length of parade street (Avenida Marques de Sapucai): 700m

Cost per costume: R$300-800 [1US$ = 2R$]

The long street along which they parade is over 700m in length. Infront of each float there are pockets of brightly coloured costumes, each a different entity, creature or fantasy, and each pocket of costumes more breathtaking than the next.

These ´pockets´ of colour are interspersed with gigantic floats, upon which dozens of samba dancers strutt their fabulousness. Each float an expression of creative genius.

To give a small example, one float consisted of a four storey high godzilla, moving its head, eyes and mouth. Inside it´s opening&closing hand there was a samba woman dancing. Another float had amazonian like creatures - moving to the beat. Birds flying, eggs hatching, unicorns galloping. Each part of the float was alive & breathing. This was exacerbated by the samba dancers costumed out to the max, moving their hips to the sway of the samba beat.

The arrival of each samba school was announced by a magnificent display of fireworks - meaning there were seven of in total (to represent the seven schools). One stand alone fireworks display would have put PE´s Opening of the Season to shame (to put it into perspective).

Every school had their own song, and a new one is created each year. This is the soul representation of the school and the crowd sings along to the nursery sounding lyrics, which are basic enough to learn (even by foreign standards).

The samba band marches along behind the procession, playing, dancing and singing for the entire procedure. When the procession comes to an end, the music takes on a last fever-pitched exit call.
Each school takes about an hour to march through the parade street and before Mark and I knew it, it was 6.30. Since it has been raining non-stop since arrival, the Sambodromo had to have its own two hour melt-down. The heavens opened up and we headed into the stadium slums, where we spared being soaked.

There was one tradegy to the evening. Our stand was right at the end of the parade, and as such we got to see the costume carnage that ensued. After each school finished their performance, the costumes were simply piled into orange dumpsters. Mark said that the costumes could atleast be auctioned off on E-Bay - that way solving many a fancy-dress dilemma. But alas no, into the dumpsters they went :-(

Morning dawned too quickly, and after the event we made our way to the underground in the heart of the city. From the stadium you could see the favellas (slums) lining the horizon and walking back we were met by another stark, contrasting reality. Beggars sleeping along the road, in their droves.
Rio is a city of contrasts. Poverty is not mutually exclusive from wealth. Fulfillment not from desperation. But somehow this city makes it work and I think the reason for this is because its people never forgot how to live.

The Photoblog for Sambadrome

The parade street - which stretches for over 1km

The Magnificent Floats

Amazonian Magic with flying birds

Forest Feast - complete with fountain

Spider with moving legs and people hatching out of eggs

One of the pockets of twirling colours

A present for you :-)

Charles Darwin and Evolution

When Travelling is Not Fun

The past 24 hours are a blur. With a migraine headache that made for a lucid reality, I spent those hours between my bed and crawling to the loo to get sick. To be fair, the past day has been nothing short of awful.

I don´t know where I picked the bug up from, but I do know that I have never (in my 27 years of existance) felt so rotten. In between the bouts of cold sweats and pounding head, nothing I consumed vowed to stay inside. I slept the entire day (only getting up to make my way to the bathroom somehow).

Elzi was an absolute angel, sacrificing an entire day´s worth of carnival time to spend it with me in the flat and check that I was ok. She was very worried about me and kept on begging me to eat something. I tried to convince her that this was the very last thing I wanted to do, but eventually coaxed me into eating a mashed banana at 6pm. Needless to say it didn´t stay inside very long.

She had a point though, I had to eat something to be able to take the general antibiotics (part of my DIY medical kit from home). Was hoping that that would bring the fever down, as well as the nausea. Well my body is a little miracle and managed to work through the bug on its own. Just after midnight I managed half an apple which stayed down. This morning I had some papaya - and it remains in my stomach. Wooohooo!!!

I felt so rotten that I seriously considered boarding the next aeroplane home. It is no fun being on your own in a foreign country and not knowing what the heck is wrong with you. I just wanted to hear a familiar voice or know my mom is a phone call away. Giving up is not an option and with this new day my health returns.

A few days ago Mark bought tickets for me to attend tonight´s BIG Sambadrome. This is by far THE BIGGEST AND BEST part of carnival and consists of a massive parade down the main street at the stadium - float upon float making their way down. It is the first league Sambadrome, which means that the floats, outfits and entertainment is of the first degree. It doesnt get better than this. I payed R$100 for the ticket (+-R400). It is pricey, but this experience is what carnival is all about. The blocos are the street parties which carry on forever, but the Sambadrome is the penultimate experience. It´s the stuff we have all seen on TV, the bright costumes, the incredible show.

It only starts at 10pm tonight and will carry on until breakfast time. Luckily I´m feeling heaps stronger. Mark is also going, Elzi not though as it is expensive even in Brazilian terms.

On another note - I´m convinced that my bug is the direct result of a poor diet (generally only having eaten once a day) and the high level of toxidity after consuming something alcoholic four days in a row. Back home I´m very healthy and hardly drink, so I think it was my body´s way of shutting down and purging itself of all the toxins with a 24hour fast. That and the fact that I was drenched to the nth degree every single night we were out. Me thinks a combination of these factors gave birth to the dreaded bug.

Needless to say, I´ve learnt my lesson. I don´t have a Brazilian constitution and can not drink as often or as much as they can. Nor can I subside on french fries and pizza staples. When travelling you have to listen to your body and do what is right for you. So another life lesson learnt right there.

To health and happiness
xxx

VIDEO CLIP
Saturday night´s escapades (my last night out before I got sick)

This video gives you an idea what a typical street corner bar in Rio looks like. This one was in Tijuca, the area Elzi lives in (and where I´m staying). I went there with Elzi and her friend Marisia (whom I met last time I was here). There are thousands of these lining street corners all over the city. Each suburb has enough bars to entertain you for months on end.

Soaked to the Bone

Yesterday the heavens opened up in Rio and it has not ceased since. I lost count after being drenched for the sixth time - infact it looked like Elzi and I had gone swimming. Worried that it could turn into flu, but have been taking Vitamin C religiously, so sure all will be ok.

Bloco at St Theresa - this was one of the quiter parts

The day´s festivities started off with the bloco at St Theresa, which started at 1pm. We got there just after 3pm and things were already in full swing. Being too lazy to walk the steep incline up the mountain to St Theresa, we took one of many white mini combis taking people up. Once we got there we were swept away in the crowds by the thousands of people milling about the narrow single winding road which winds round St Theresa.

Experienced a few moments of sheer panic, with thousands of people crowded into this tiny little space. As the float was making its way forward, so there were people dancing along behind and infront of it. Also saw some incredibly creative costumes, which I should have taken photos of.

Elzi and I only stayed an hour - wasnt much fun fighting for air, so we headed back down (by foot this time) to Lapa again, where we stayed until 3am. It´s amazing how in Rio you spend the better part of the day on the streets and only really come home to shower and change clothes. One even eats off the streets (when you remember to do so).
We happened to bump into the two Germans, Marcus & Andre again (whom we spent the previous evening partying with). Marcus again found a super cheap caiparinha stand (R$5 for 400ml) and as a result my head is still swinging from the toxic level of kinshasa.
Caption for video: One of the performances at Lapa

Lapa was a-buzz again last night, with thousands more carnival goers lining the streets. There was a big lit-up stage and some band performances on that, as well as dancers amid the crowds. The heavens opened up without relent during the night and being wet was part of the experience. At some stage we left the open air concert and went to a pool bar to play pool with the gang, which included a friend from the neigbourhood Elzi grew up in, his cousins, the two Germans and Guilherme (a friend of hers that I met when last time I was here). We ended up taking a cab home just after 3am.

Marcus, Andre and Elzi´s friends @Lapa. Below - pool bar


Not sure what today holds in store. All I know is that I´ve had minimum sleep - thinking that we were going to Sugar Loaf today. Woke up at 10:00 rearing to go, but was met by overcast skies and *surprise* more rain. Elzi is still sleeping and I decided to be brave, make expresso like coffee and catch up on blogging & e-mails.

No doubt that tonight will be another bloco somewhere, but this time the umbrella is going with.

For the Boys :-)

Last night was the best party I have been to in my life! And I´m told this is only a taste of what is to come.

The bloco started at 6pm at the City Centre (Centrum) and we went straight through to 4am. Felt that I could have spent the entire night on the streets, the atmosphere was electric, everyone was just living it up. The bloco kicked off with some semi-naked beauties doing a samba jiggle and that performance carried on for a few hours.

The lovely lasses strutting their stuff

We stayed to watch, being lucky to have front-row views. We stayed at Centrum´s bloco for a few hours, then made our way to Lapa by foot (about 20min away), which is the bohemian district. There the party just continued in full force. I´m told that this area of the city is always a-buzz, day and night. At carnival time there are thousands of people milling about, spilling over onto the pavement from row upon row of street bars. People dancing in the street, singing, such an AWESOME vibe! It is contagious.


I did not want to leave. That says a lot for the girl who used to be in bed by 10pm and used get the sulks if I was out later than midnight. Now I feel like a different person, laughing more, chatting to everyone, just feeling so alive.


We left at 4am, and that took some convincing from Elzi´s side. But so glad she did, because today the new bloco at St Theresa kicks off at 1pm and will probably turn into another all nighter. Carnival is not for the faint hearted :-) The bloco in St Theresa is apparently one of the best in the city, because of the location.
St Theresa is the artistic mecca of Rio, with heaps of artists living there. The bloco itself will be held in old ruins/castle type building, with a panoramic view of Rio. Due to its ueber high location the view is incredible.
Before we went to Centrum´s bloco last night, Elzi, Mark and I went costume shopping. It was such a riot. In the city centre there is street upon street of super cheap shops stocking every possible carnival item you can think of. One needs a local to navigate your way round. Once again very blessed to have Elzi there. Also not the safest area, so wouldn´t go by myself. Cameras and phones best left tucked away. Was another awesome experience, with people milling about in droves.

Elzi and Mark in Centrum with their Carnival goodies

My writing may be sporadic and all over the place today, but my head still feels like a ball of fluff after little sleep and too much beer and caiparinha. Despite drinking heaps of water inbetween, it still caught up.


Met loads of foreigners and locals last night, everyone feeling the spirit. Also had on my blue hair and got A LOT of attention with that. Elzi was calling me the ´next top model´ with the hairstyle, because everyone was commenting on it. Told Elzi that I´m seriously considering dying my hair ocean blue - felt like a different person and loved every minute of it:-)







Elzi, Mark & I sporting our carnival accessories


Watch this space for tomorrow´s update on St Theresa.


LET´S GO GO GO!!!

A taste of Carnival

Yesterday was manic. Rio never fails to deliver :-)


I woke up just after 7.30 (early by Rio standards) and had a lot of pent-up energy. Decided to expend that on the tarmac, so put on my running shoes and headed out. Ended up dashing traffic like mad - Tijuca is not an exercise friendly area, but managed to find a nice little park/square nearby which I circumnavigated x10 times.

Got home absolutely drenched. The subtropic climate here (humidity level) is high, so by the time I got back it looked like I had been for a swim. Gross :-( And then I was totally disorientated and went to the wrong floor, trying forever to unlock the door. Became so desperate after ringing the bell forever, that I started kicking the door to get attention (thought Elzi was still sleeping). Then I started praying (had visions of myself dehydrating right there, realising that if there was no-one to open up for me, I would have no access to water (and after losing so much, that was a pressing concern).

City Centre (Centrum) getting ready for Carnival

St Anthony came to my rescue (again) and urged me to look up at the no above the flat. I saw the error of my ways and breathed a great sigh of relief and apologized to the not-at-home Brazilian family for kicking their door & screaming like a coogal for attention.

Anyways, after that experience Elzi and I went to the City Centre, walked around a bit and then had a bite to eat at a buffet style restaurant. I paid R$10 for x5 pieces of sushi and some green salad. Not bad, and the sushi was DIVINE!! Then off to Mark´s hostel in Ipanema, where we hung around with the other travellers until bloco time.

Caption for video: Taste of Bloco at Lagoa, not so many people but awesome Samba band.
My first bloco was in Lagoa - which is on the big river in Rio, in Ipanema. Just a quick definition. A ´bloco´ (pronounced ´bloca´) is a street carnival party, where people dress up, dance like crazy, and you have an energetic Samba band begging you to move your feet as fast as possible. I went right infront of the band to dance, and was swept up up and away by the fury of the beat, the energy and people. Can´t quite describe it, but it must be the best high on the planet. The high of losing yourself in music, in rhythm and just jiving until you can´t anymore.

Needless to say I need new feet. Didn´t help that I went in slip-slops either. Today I will be making an investment in party-friendly shoes, as well as a snackpack extrodinare. Being vegetarian after a late night of partying is not fun, cos one struggles to find stuff to consume. So now I´ll be clever and load my backpack full of goodies which will see me through the early morning hours.


We ended up walking miles last night - one always does here, so my am run was totally unecessary, prior to a night of dancing and walking km´s. We got home after 1.30am, deciding that we needed to save ourselves for tonight and tomorrow - when the action really starts.

Elzi, Greydon, Mark and I - soaked to the bone at Lagoa´s Bloco

Forgot to mention that it rained non-stop last night - we were drenched! Got home with mud caked legs and feet. Luckily I had packed a hat and pullover ´just-in-case´. The weather forecast is grey & overcast for the next few days, apart from Fri & Sat. Hopefully tonight is a dry one.


Tonight we will be going to the City Centre for their boco, and tomorrow to St Theresa - where there are thousands of people! St Theresa overlooks Rio, and is BEAUTIFUL!


Plans for today:
Going shopping for Carnival outfits or atleast accessories, as well as regular shopping. Rio has an AWESOME selection of shoes and bags, which makes maxing out my credit card seem like a good idea. Have to have serious convo with myself that reminding J9 that she´s here to travel & experience - not shop :-/
6pm the City Centre bloco kicks off and then so do we.


Hope I get a surge of new energy soon. The next week is going to be the craziest one of my life.
And I´m learning to adapt in the process :-)