The last few days in Rio have been great! We attended some of the Carnival events, but Stephanie and I have proved to be the opposite of party animals. I know this doesn't come as a surprise to my family and close friends.
The blocos are basically just street parties where people dress up in their fantasia, or our equivalent of Halloween costumes. We did get some costumes, but did not wear them...I know, how boring of us. However, we did attend the Samba parade which was amazing. The costumes and the dancing are fantastic and I would say it has been the highlight of Carnival! Plus we stayed there until 3 in the morning...so we are trying to improve our partying skills!
The beaches are fantastic! Nice sand, no jelly fish or seaweed and a great amount of people watching. Stephanie and I got a little sunburned and looked like true tourists...not that the full butted swim suit bottoms didn't already give it away.
The last thing to comment on would be the transportation. Apparently traffic laws are simply recommendations here! It is not necessary to stop at red lights, and many of the taxi drivers blow through them or use them more as yields! The buses feel like they may go on 2 wheels around corners and it is good to always keep your hands pressed against the back of the seat in front of you so that you don't slam into it every time the driver breaks, which is every 5 secs. The funniest thing about all of it is that I have never felt unsafe, even when Stephanie and I rode a combi on our own. Thomas' Portuguese teacher seemed a bit horrified that we did this.
However, she then drove us up Corcovado mountain, and accidently took us into a favela. The kids guarding the favela were yelling at her telling her she was going the wrong way. She realized it soon enough, we turned around and they teased her a bit and then we were on our way to the Redeemer. We got the last bus up and clouds were rolling in which made the appearance of the statue even more amazing! After seeing the Redeemer we went to Renata's house and she and her friends made us a Brazilian dinner. I love experiencing a culture when locals show me their country and teach me so much more than any guide book could ever do!
Thomas' roommate Deborah also helped us out so much while we were here. She called a friend today and we did a tour of one of the jewelry museums. She has provided us with a great place to stay, awesome recommendations and translating! We will be sad to leave, but on to Foz do Iguacu tomorrow...
