Copa, Copacabana

Hello and a happy new year viewers!
Local time as I sit here in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, is 2pm on the 31st. Currently I am sitting on the balcony of our 12th story room enjoying my first beer of the day.
On Boxing Day my bus set off on the 20 hour journey from Florianopolis to Rio. Bus journeys in Brazil proved to be quite different to that of Argentina. Most obviously the Argentinian buses never stopped, while in Brazil we regularly stopped for toilet and food breaks. Another notable difference is the frequency of breakdowns in the middle of the night, of which I experienced twice on the way to Rio. One of the breakdowns occurred right on dark, and it was about two hours before we hit the road again. Credit to the bus driver has to be given for only being about half an hour late after a two hour break.
The next few days I spent doing very little with myself other than walking up and down beaches drinking caipirinhas. I think I need to learn how to ask for a little less sugar in my caipirinhas, and Shara may need to learn how to ask for a little less alcohol.

Caipirinhas are sweet

Caipirinhas are strong

On Saturday nights, the place to go is a district of Rio called Lapa. Once we got there the feeling of the place was electric. Thousands of people lined the streets and filled the nightclubs. We got to Lapa at about eleven o'clock, and sat down to have some pizza and a drink. The people watching here is incredible, you have drum groups walking the streets with inescapable rhythms, there are people dancing samba for hours on end, and street stalls selling caipirinhas. I found that the street was much more enjoyable than actually being in any of the clubs, and a whole lot cheaper, so we enjoyed the warm night air, caipirinha in hand. One of the best parts about the Brazilian nightlife is that there is absolutely no shortage of alcohol, yet there doesn't seem to be any people completely wasted like you would find in any city in Australia on any weekend. I don't usually complain about Australia's binge drinking culture, but it does become clear as a problem in need of addressing once you see how other places can do it so much better.

Cocktails in Ipanema

Other nights have been spent making our way through cocktail menus, eating food that doesn't really compare in quality to other places I've been, and plenty of charades to understand people.
Yesterday we set out to reach the top of Corcovado to see Christ the Redeemer. With our infinite wisdom, we decided it would be a great idea to walk up the mountain in the 34 degree heat instead of taking one of the minivans. Shara, who was sitting in Coventry in England (4 Degrees) less than a week ago, wasn't confident she'd make it to the top. A few other mates and I convinced her she'd be fine, and we set off up the road, trying our hardest to stay out of the way of the vans. Soon after, our water had run out and it was proving a more difficult climb than we may have envisioned. A bit further up the road we were a man down. The combination of the heat, little food, and generally living on a diet of vodka had got to Shara, and she was forced to turn back.

The trooper pushing on

How I looked when I eventually made it to the top

At the top, the views of the city and beach were incredible, it was a clear day and they are rare. The view of big guy wasn't as impressive as I thought it may be. I definitely like the view of him better from a long way away, cause its then that you get a picture of how massive it really is.

'Stand and Smile' number 2

Tonight Shara and I will catch up with some people I met in Buneos Aires before heading back to Copacabana beach for midnight and for some time after I'm sure. Two million people on that beach shall be quite the experience

Did I find a 12-pack of beer for R$2.69???

Try to look a little more chuffed next time Zac