[Sorry this is late, but life here in Rio is moving at a deceptively fast pace.]
On day the second I think I gave in to jetlag a bit more than I planned.
I slept for more than a few hours before I really did anything. (By the way, I´m finding it hard to tell time here and am thinking of dropping the date and time from my lexicon for a while...)
When I eventually woke up I spent the day in lounge mode. I went to the beach early and walked the shore for a bit. The view is stunning, though I suspect that I will say that a lot. Not just the islands and mountains though. I don´t know if you knew this, but many modern locals have zero modesty and Rio is possibly the thong capital of the world. You´ll have to judge for yourself when I get these videos online. There were plenty of Cariocas (Brazilian people) on the beach and I got to see some of the Kite Surfers riding waves and winds. I wrote for a while before my stomach convinced me to seek a new thrill.
I had a lunch of Bife a Cavalo (literally translated Beef Steak, Horse Style) which really hit the spot. It´s a local dish of black beans, rice and beef served with an egg fried hard and sunny side up. I wanted to order Sucor (Fresh Fruit Juice) but I made the "mistake" of getting Açai instead. It was a sweet cross between soft serve and smoothie made from the trendy berries and, if the picture was any indication, strawberries and bananas. Cariocas from all over Brazil generally enjoy it with fresh fruit on top and muesli (like granola). To be honest I don´t think I could take much more sugar even from fruit, but it was quite good.
At night, after a few drinks including another Caipirinha at the hostel, I headed out with a few tourists (a couple of guys from South Africa and my trusty sidekick, Badgers, or maybe I´m hers...) and we went out to a Couch Surfers party on Copacabana Beach. For the unitiated Couch Surfers is a website kind of like a social network that hooks up travelers with locals in lots of different countries who can show them around or let them crash. I met a few locals and we walked back through Copacabana and promised to meet up the next day for new adventures. Meeting people from neighboring states and cities like Sau Paolo, Niteroi and Belo Horizonte made for an interesting evening. Apparently Brazil, like America, has many states with their own capital cities, Rio being the capital of Rio. Someone should put this stuff on a map or something...
The night was a success. And I found 2 Reals on the lonely walk back to my hostel. It´s roughly a dollar American, but I strolled along under the moonlight along the beach and figured it was a fortune.
Please be aware it is completely possible that I have butchered the spelling (and pronunciation on video) of every single term I mention. Videos coming soon, I promise...
