well my dears, i can first off say, undoubtedly i need to return.
having only 2 weeks before me in this intoxicating country is just a small hint of what/where i could find myself if time allowed for further exploration--
that being said, i have thus far, been making the most of my time here.. which i guess has only been 3 days if we discount the travel time... (15 some odd hours, monterey->la->dallas->Sao Paulo (2hr delay)->Rio) many stories can already be told.
i found myself the first night in Rio in a hostel by the name of ´Girl from Ipanema´ just steps away from the immortalized sands... which were not dissappointing, filled with bronzed bodies, teeny weenie bikinis (of which i am now the proud owner of a few), impromptu soccer games and people trying to sell you everything under the sun. i was immediately befriended by a little colombiana gal, Luchis, who became my official tour guide for the day, where we swam together at ipanema, watched the surfers, negotiated the jolting public buses and finally found ourselves atop Pao de Acucar (Sugar loaf Mountain) to take in the views of the city as the sun slipped below the horizon. it is amazing how peaceful it was up there, the city seemingly oozing between that magnificant geography, favelas (the infamouns brazilian ghettos) clinging to the mighty mountains in a last effort of desparation & survival. we sat in silence taking it all in, then back to the hostel, via cab where we sat in traffic that could easily rival LA, and into the "backpacker" scene... it has been years since i have traveled like this.. surrounded by people from all over the world, my ears filled with accents and travel stories that delighted my imagination... ah to be around travelers again! my finally a group of us emerged for dinner consisting of 2 guys from Belguim, 4 guys/1gal from Espana, and my friendly columbiana. we drank caiparinhas (the traditional drink of the country, akin to mojitos, with fresh lime, sugar and the sugar cane alcohol) late into the night, telling stories of travel and life- the dominant language was spanish, so it was quite fun tuning my ear back into the discussion... anyhow. one of the Belgian guys had just finished a 10 month tour on bicycle starting in Los Angeles out to Vegas, through J-tree, then down through Baja, across to mainland mex, through central america, taking a plane over the Darian gap, then through Columbia (where aruguably his best stories were from :) down the west coast of S. America, climing mountains, scuba diving, rafting and the like in between, then up the east coast and ending in Rio! quite a journey, if interested you can check his blog at rubenmaakteenreisje.bloggen.be . i am hoping he will write a book, someday, what is it with me and bicycle touring men these days... ? :) anyhow, too many great stories of travel to be told.
having only 2 weeks before me in this intoxicating country is just a small hint of what/where i could find myself if time allowed for further exploration--
that being said, i have thus far, been making the most of my time here.. which i guess has only been 3 days if we discount the travel time... (15 some odd hours, monterey->la->dallas->Sao Paulo (2hr delay)->Rio) many stories can already be told.
i found myself the first night in Rio in a hostel by the name of ´Girl from Ipanema´ just steps away from the immortalized sands... which were not dissappointing, filled with bronzed bodies, teeny weenie bikinis (of which i am now the proud owner of a few), impromptu soccer games and people trying to sell you everything under the sun. i was immediately befriended by a little colombiana gal, Luchis, who became my official tour guide for the day, where we swam together at ipanema, watched the surfers, negotiated the jolting public buses and finally found ourselves atop Pao de Acucar (Sugar loaf Mountain) to take in the views of the city as the sun slipped below the horizon. it is amazing how peaceful it was up there, the city seemingly oozing between that magnificant geography, favelas (the infamouns brazilian ghettos) clinging to the mighty mountains in a last effort of desparation & survival. we sat in silence taking it all in, then back to the hostel, via cab where we sat in traffic that could easily rival LA, and into the "backpacker" scene... it has been years since i have traveled like this.. surrounded by people from all over the world, my ears filled with accents and travel stories that delighted my imagination... ah to be around travelers again! my finally a group of us emerged for dinner consisting of 2 guys from Belguim, 4 guys/1gal from Espana, and my friendly columbiana. we drank caiparinhas (the traditional drink of the country, akin to mojitos, with fresh lime, sugar and the sugar cane alcohol) late into the night, telling stories of travel and life- the dominant language was spanish, so it was quite fun tuning my ear back into the discussion... anyhow. one of the Belgian guys had just finished a 10 month tour on bicycle starting in Los Angeles out to Vegas, through J-tree, then down through Baja, across to mainland mex, through central america, taking a plane over the Darian gap, then through Columbia (where aruguably his best stories were from :) down the west coast of S. America, climing mountains, scuba diving, rafting and the like in between, then up the east coast and ending in Rio! quite a journey, if interested you can check his blog at rubenmaakteenreisje.bloggen.be . i am hoping he will write a book, someday, what is it with me and bicycle touring men these days... ? :) anyhow, too many great stories of travel to be told.
Labels: Arrival in Brazil
posted by Tanja Roos at
8:33 AM
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