And, One More Time... Buenos Aires

Hey Lana, guess what? IVE BEEN ON THE SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR IN AUSTRIA!!! Whose surprised? Anybody? ANyone? No...oh. Well, you can see the pictures when I get home. Speaking of pictures I have OVER 1300, and these are the ones Im keeping, Ive deleted way more. To answer another matter, do you guys really think that I would publicize the fact that I got a piercing on a website read by my whole family if you couldnt SEE it? I mean, come on, use your heads!
ANyways, Im heading off to the airport in a while so Im drinking lots of water, because I wont get any on the plane! Just kidding, I dont think those banns affect any of my flights, although I could get to the airport and realise that Im wrong, who knows. These last few days have been lame. I was bored and really lost the will do go do anything, plus I was running low on cash and refused to take out more from the bank (damn those bank fees) because I wouldnt have needed to take out a lot. So Friday morning I went downstairs for breakfast and there was this Irish guy sitting at the bar drinking a pint of beer. I asked him if he was seriously drinking beer at 9 in the morning? He asked me if I was SERIOUSLY going to the gym while I was on vacation. We both said `touche´ and parted ways. So I worked out and had spanish lessons and walked around a gypsy market (I think thats my 6th GYPSY market this trip, not to be confused ith other markets) and a road where all the stores sold antiques. It was like walking from one garage sale to another. There was some cool stuff but how was I gonna fit a tea set or candelabra into my bag? Went out for lunch, watched Gilmore Girls. OH...things got really exciting when the bead of my piercing fell into the toilet as it was being flushed, so I had to walk half way across town to get a new one. Meanwhile i was worried that the bar would fall out, but nope, that sucker stayed put! Whenever I feel like sleeping in theres this guy in my dorm who ALWAYS starts snoring around 830 in the morning (I think its cuz he goes to bed around 8 am) so, no.
On Saturday I went to the gym again, then Spanish. It was our last lesson, she was really great! I walked around for a bit but it was weird. All the stores were closed and there was like, no one walking on the street, which is weird for a saturday. Its like a ghost town, i dont know why. Ate...packed(I had to buy another bag to get everything to fit and not weigh too much)...watched tv, caught up on my journal. I dont know why I insist on keeping a journal when I travel. I never have one at home, but somehow, on a trip it seems like a good thing to do. Its a bit redundant having a blog and a journal, and plus, especially with the GAP tour there was no time to write, so you fall bahind and then it just becomes a game of catch-up. Oh well, Im sure when Im 80 Ill appreciate it...if I can still see when Im 80. I kinda felt sad walking around which surprised me. I mean, I dont wish I could stay here longer or anything but, it was kinda sad that this was my last day here, you know?
This morning I went to a market near the hostel thats always on on Sundays. I wasnt gonna buy anything though because again...no cash and plus after so long, all the stuff they sell at markets looks the same. Oh more jewlerry, more candle holders,more fancy soap...it gets old. But i found this wearhouse full of racks and racks of clothes by independent designers. So after buying a shirt and eating lunch I am down to 30 pesos...and sharing a cab to the airport with Ricky will cost me 25 so, cutting it close I know, but thats better than being left with tonnes left over.
So I guess that this is my last entry. Lets try not to cry about that. I guess Ill see most of you soon and (I dont know, this is awkward) thanks for reading? :)

Yep.. Still, Buenos Aires

This town is bleeding me dry. Ive tried not to spen money but somehow, because I can just put it on visa, it seems like im not spending money, until I look at my balance online and see...if i had to be here for another week I wouldnt be able to afford it. Monday night I didnt do much after Anouk left. I watched the Juror with Demi Moore and Alec Baldwin, and read my book `The Traveller` oooo, it actually has nothing to do with travelling, and its sci-fi which is kinda lame and the cover says that its the `new davinci code` which is another strike against it, but what did you expct for free. On Tuesday I went and took a bike ride tour of the city. It was the historic tour, so I saw a lot of monuments and learned about the city too. ´Buenos Aires´ means good winds and because the Spaniards would sail here to pick up all the goods being sent from SA to Spain, because its a good central location, they named this city Buenos Aires...neat? It lasted around 4 hours and the guide kept asking me if I would go out with him for a drink afterwards,which I was trying to keep putting him off, but then this girl Maria asked if I wanted to go to a jazz club with her, of course I said yes. We went out for dinner first and had champagne? Why not its so cheap? Shes from New York (arent they all) and here for 3 weeks doing research for her PHD. Its so weird to me that I meet these random girls and we go out and basically tell eachother our life stories and talk about guys and life and all our problems, but youve only just met, and youll only know eachother for a few days, or even one day. I find it weird, but kinda nice. Anyways then we went to the jazz club and, Im so not into jazz music, but it was nice to do something different. We met up their with one of Marias friends, a guy from Oxford and, you know what, I actually just realise that I have no idea what his name was. Its kinda funny when I meet these people who havent been here long because Im the girl with all the stories now. He was like, ooh rio, whats that like, and hes doing a group tour through Bolivia and Peru and i was telling him all these things he should do, like a wise old SA expert. And then he was like, oh hows your spanish and i said terrible. But when the waiter came and talked to us he had no idea what was going on and I was understanding everything, he was like, I thought your spanish was terrible? Its kinda a cool feeling.
Since we were all going in opposite directions we all got our own cabs so that was so long to Maria and gool ol` whats his name? Wednesday I had my first...Spanish Lesson? Ill admit that maybe my first one should have been BEFORE I left Canada, but I figue better late than never. This woman, Laura is gonna come to the hostel everyday from now until I leave for a 2 hour lesson, which yes is only 8 hours in total, but at least its something. And Ive been picking it up pretty quick so...who knows what 8 hours could do? Shes cute, shes little and Columbian and my age. She is studying Film at the local university. We had some fun over how dumb I was. She gives me homework though...terrible. I also went for a manicure and a pedicure, it was $12, total. I would get it done once a week at home if it was that cheap. Plus I also started going to the gym. Theres a nice one pretty close to where Im living and you can pay a drop in fee. Its nice having a daily routine, its like I live here, kinda, for four days. After my lesson I went and got another piercing! Yep you read that right. But shhh dont tell my mom k, cuz shell freak out and just tell me how once again Ive `ruined my good looks´. I really like it, and Im not telling where it is, youll just have to see when I get home. The girl at the hostel (who has many peircings herself) told me a good street to go to, and it turns out that she sent me to PUNK CENTRAL. I had to buy the jewlerry at one store and get the piercing in another and god, did it hurt! But I also discovered a clothing designer who I LOVE named ´Agarrete Catalina´ and I bought a few shirts as well. Spent the rest of the night studying.

Thursday I went walking around and took pictures of all the things Ive been walking by withouth taking pictures of so, the main square, the theatre, Casa Rosada (you know, where Evita sang Dont Cry For Me...on the balcony, IF the musical was real life (which Im kinda convinced it was). Speaking of Evita Moments, in the song `Hello Buenos AIres`I thought one of the lines in it was just non-sequiter spanish, but its actually street names from the city, and Ive walked down them all... Rio de la Plata, Florida, Corrientes, Ave 9 de Julio, pretty cool huh Lana...huh? I had another Spanish lesson and we went for a walk around the neighborhood and would point to things and I would have to say what they were and also describe in Spanish what we were doing ´I am crossing the street` ´I am sitting at a table`. Then she made me ask her questions. It was fun. I asked her about living in Columbia, and was it safe? I also remarked that in Canada I am pretty short, but she only comes up to my neck, so she is REALLy short. She said she has a hard time finding clothes that fit. Then, after thinking about it for a while, I decided to take a tango lesson. My reasons for not wanting to do it were two-fold.
1- I dont have a partner
2- Where am I ever going to get to use what Ive learned? Its not like theres a local tango club at home...
But bordom overcame rationality and there I was. My partner was a mixture between the female and male instructor. She asked me where I first learned Tango and I said that this was my first lesson and she couldnt beleive it because apparently I caught on quickly and have no problem following the lead. I told her I did a lot of ballet...Then I went and sat at a cafe to finish my book, only to find out that its the first of FOUR, I cant wait for the next one! Actually, I can, I can wait a very long time.
Ive basically lost all motivation to do anything anymore, Im all sight-seeing-out (now I KNOW thats not a word). I have a basic routine of gym in the morning, spanish in the late afternoon and I basically just walk down a different street during the days. Lunch fills up a lot of time, yay lunch. Because the meals are so big here, lunch tends to be my big meal, so I work it off the rest of the day, and dinner is just like a sandwich or something. People here love eating late, but I dont see the point of eating a big meal and then going to bed? Maybe if I was cool and had friends we would go out after the big dinner and dance it off for the rest of the evening...aww, friends.

Buenos Aires

So now that Ive been out and about I realise BA is actually pretty cheap. I bought a new pair of jeans for $75! JEANS!!! I know that none of you can understand how nice it is to be able to wear jeans again after 2 months of ugly cargo pants that you hate (although yes Jen and Laura, they ARE handy) but beleive me its a good feeling. And you can get a steak dinner for like $8. Spent Friday walking around and doing some casual shopping. There was a street tango show going on so I stopped to watch and the guy saw me put some money in the hat and then he grabbed me to come dance with him...I sucked, it was a little embarrasing but funny at the same time.

Speaking of embarrasing, I guess I forgot to mention that while on Isla Grande I went with Melanie to take a Capoiera class. Thats the Brazilian style of karate and its like a mix of kickboxing with hip hop dancing and back flips. It was crazy. I had no idea what I was getting myself into and spent most of the class sucking and laughing at myself for how bad I was. We did across the floor stuff where everyone was walking on their hands and I could barely do a handstand! Then we did some routines and he told me not to worrry, but he was impressed by how quickly I picked up the routines (yay 15 years of dance!) Then we all sat in a circle and clapped and sang (I just sang what it sounded like and it was really repetitory (is that a word?) so it was easy, while people in the center sparred with eachother. It was neat to watch but I was glad they didnt make me get in there. Anyways, back to BA...

Friday I bought tango shoes! They were handmade and the lady who ran the shop also designed them. Theyre really neat, black and silver. Where will I wear them you ask, dont ask. Later at the hostel I met a gil from holland named Anouk (yes Justine, like Anouk and the Sun) and we talked for a while. Shes here till monday. That night I went to a tango show where you get dinner beforehand and then go watch the show. The meal was good , you pick an appy a main and a dessert. Plus the wine is included so he asked red or white, and then proceeded to open an entire bottle of red for me, and kept topping it up. I asked if he was trying to get me drunk? Because the last time I drank an entire bottle myself I had to be taken home early (so Im told, because I sure dont remember!) Anyways, he managed to get me to drink half of it...good for him. So ofcourse Im at a table all by myself, which I dont mind, but everyone else seemed postitively horrified by a young woman forced to eat on her own!!! The HORROR! My waiter asked me why and I said I was travelling and he said we never see girls in here on there own (I kinda felt like bridget jones when shes at a dinner party with all these couples and they all turn to her and ask her why there are so many single women in their 30`s) The couple sitting at the next table must have felt the same way because when we got taken to the show I was shown to my seat (which was okay) and they were taken up to the balcony (which was much better) and the woman told the waiter to get me to come and sit with them, which was a really nice gesture, but since they didnt speak a lot of english, we could only have a very basic spanish conversation. They were Grace and Raoul from Uruguay. Their sons girlfriends name is also Lauren. They came to BA just for fun, because its only a 3 hour boatride...thats it. The show was awesome, there were 4 couples of dancers and live musicians. They also had singers and peruvian musicians between the dances. I took some pictures withough the flash, but lots of people were taking pictures with their flashes on and I was like...umm hello? Wheres your theatre ettiquite? Appartently they didnt have any.
My eyes got all infected again so this confirms my theory that its makeup thats making them go that way. Which seems really weird, I know I havent worn it in like 2 months but still, how can I magically become allergic to makeup that I wore all the time at home?

I share an 8 bed room with 5 other guys and when I went to bed at 1230 I was the only one in the room and I was like, great theyre gonna come in late and make lots of noise and Ill get woken up and itll suck. But when I woke up this morning, only one of them was in his bed, the rest just didnt come home. Where were they all night? Its a mystery...
I had to wake up relatively ealry cuz I was getting a theatre tour at 10 am. Teatro Colon is one of the top five opera houses in the world and it looks like a theatre out of Amadeus. It was so beautiful, but we could only take pictures of the main lobby. Theres a main floor and 6 balconies and the auditorium is in a giant U shape. Theres a huge dome ontop with a chandeleir. After the tour was over I decided it would definatley be worth the money to buy a ticket to the show. I thought that it would be like $100, but for Saturday night, main floor, center, `The Emperor of Atlantis`it was only...$30, can you beleive it? Thats cheaper than going to a movie! Its insane, but Im happy. During the rest of Saturday I walked down to the neighbourhood known as Recoletta and visited the huge cemetary there. After much searching I found Evitas tomb. It was like a `yep there it is´kinda moment. Then I walked around the gypsy fair a bit before going homw.

The opera was cool, it was about Hitler and the holocaust and all that stuff. As I expected, it was sung in German with Spanish subtitles, so I didnt quite understand what was going on, but they had a pretty cool set and some other technical stuff that most of you wouldnt understand, so I wont bore you with it. Then I went back to the hostel and I was dying of tiredness, so of course I go out with Anouk to the cafe downstairs and we had coffee and then wine. So by midnight I was more than ready to go to bed. We talked about lots of things and I asked her all they typical things you ask someone who lives in Amsterdam. NO she does not smoke weed all the time...just to clear that up. I knew I was getting really sick and that I had to sleep a lot, but sleeping in here is really hard because im so used to waking up early, so I do naturally and the noises of everyone else in the room waking up and coming and going is really annoying. Anyways I managed to make it to 1230, which was an effort let me tell you, and I feltl much better in the morning.

At 130 we left the hostel to go to a football game. Apparently you cant be here and not go to one, but, sports fan that I am, I wasnt really looking foreward to it. But actually I had a lot of fun. Anouk and I sat together and the atmosphere was good. But it was soooo cold and windy that we were all like, oh god whens it over? Our team won (Boca) or at least the team I was told to cheer for. When it was over we couldnt wait to leav but apparently you have to wait until the away team (bamfield) fans leave the stadium so theres no rioting. The security was a little crazy you had to get checked three different times for weapons and they have a special girls line with a female officer so you dont get molested by the men, but of course that line was twice as long as the mens line. We met this guy from our hostel named Ricky and hes indian from England. Hes actually on the same flight home as me (to toronto at least) and were going to share a cab together.

So the three of us decide to go out for dinner and we found this nice place with a live band, steak and wine. Everyone goes crazy over the steak here saying its the absolute best theyve ever had, but Im a girl from Alberta, who works at a steak house so...I mean its good but not anything to write home about. I guess the fact thats its so cheap iis a nice feature. But its cheap like, getting staffed at the keg cheap so, yeah.

Today I went and got my hair done. It was nice to feel like a girl again, and its pretty cheap here compared to at home. I was a little nervous when the guy who does the dying didnt speak english and the receptionist had to translate what i wanted to him, but actually i reall like it. Its a lot lighter than usual, but its nice to have something different. There was a little girl sitting beside me waiting for her mom and the girl cutting my hair told her that I spoke english and the lttle girl was like, no I dont remember her from British school, she cant speak english. Then when I laughed she asked if I was laughing in English. She was cute!

Then I met up with Anouk for her farewell lunch cuz shes heading out to Iguazu tonight. Thats all for right now...

Ummm...Rio to Buenos Aires

HEY!! I am NOT homesick!!! Not saying it wouldnt be nice to be home but, I can handle myself down here. And, yes, I AM the shit everywhere I go (in Rio), but Im sure you would be too since youre white and have blue eyes.

Anyways, I ended up not being able to go hangliding, even though the rain let up so the most annoying thing (other than not being able to go) was the fact that I had deliberatley taken out enough money to get through my last 4 days in Brazil and end up with relatively nothing by the time I hit the airport. But not going mean I had 240 Reals burning a hole in my pocket. Now I know I could have just gotten it changed into pesos when I got Argentina, but I decided it would be much more fun (and time consuming) to buy a nice outfit. I felt a bit like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman walking into all these posh stores looking like a grungy traveller.All the saleswomen looked at me like ´what are you doing in here, theres no way you can afford this place´ even though I could. I finally found this funky shop called OH BOY and the girl was really nice, she spoke a little english and she just kept bringing me dresses to try on. I tried some jeans too, but since all the sizing is different down here I really didnt have the patience to try and figure out my SA pant size. And plus, dresses are much more fun. They were having a 50% off sale, so I ended up getting 2. And I love them! Anyways, since the only things playing at the movie theatre were Pirates and Superman,I spent the rest of the night packing (my bag is SO heavy now) and hanging out with Bruno, the guy who works there playing pool and watching...the OC.

The next morning I had to get up early and leave for the airport at 530. I had a terrible sleep and felt nautious all the next day. I have a bad sore throat...I think Im getting sick. I was a bit nervous because this was my first flight down here without Melanie telling me what to do, and airports are crazy enough without everyone speaking Portugeese. So I left for a 9 Am flight at 530 and was ready to board the plane by...615. Meaning I had a lot of time to waste in the airport and you can only eat breakfast and browse in the duty free shops for so long. They didnt even put my bags through customs when I arrived in Argentina, which I found weird? The flight was fine and I got to my hostel around 4 pm. Its okay, theres a bar/resteraunt on the main floor. But Im sharing with 7 other people (mostly guys) and the bathroom doors dont close completely and one of the guys warned me to lock up my valuables because some stuff got stolen outta the room last week. I sat at the reception for like half an hour asking the guy what there is to do here, and theres some stuff, but its quite expensive. This city is going to break me! Im coming home broke, which is odd because in Lonely Planet it said that BA was cheap, but not so my friends. There posh resteraunts and cafes everywhere. Every where serves wine and coffee, thats like all you can get, and the streets are really pretty as well, very European. The guy told me to go for a quick walk to the main square but from there I walked to the main street, where theres this huge obelisk in the middle and the whole place reminded me of Times Square. anyways, I ended up walking around for hours looking at shops and stuff and didnt get back to the hostel till around 9.
Today I walked around some more and tonight Im going to see a tango show. Youre supposed to dress up so its a good thing I bought some dresses, although I only have flipflops to wear on my feet and a fleece for a jacket. But what do they expect from travellers, really?

Rio (Part Two)

We woke up on Tuesday morning and the weather was a bit brighter so we decided it was time to go see Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf mountain. It was Chris and Jades last day anyways so it was basically now or never. We took a bus there and the driver was a maniac but arrived safely nonetheless. You take a train up to the top of the mountain and we were getting nervous because the coulds were coming in. We got to the top after a painstakingly slow ride and quickly took a few photos. Two minutes later the Chrsit was completely covered in clouds for the rest of the day, so we were very lucky. The statue was huge, like 13 stories high and if you dont know what im talking about think about the Christ statue in Romeo and Juliet that was in the middle of the city, basically hes there to bless Rio. The pope even visited the statue (not on the same day we were there of course). We ran into David and Sarah up at the top which was quite the coincidence. Then we raced over to SUgarloaf and you get up there by taking 2 different cable cars which kinda made me queasy. Jade and Chris rushed around taking pictures and then said goodbye because they had to go straight back to the hostel and go to the airport. Im so jealous of everyone whose going home, and there jealouse of me cuz im not...funny the way that works? We stayed up there and took our time. David and Sarah were there too so we decided to share a cab back to Copacabana with them.
We walked around a bit. Rhiannon had some last minute gits to buy so we did that and got back to the hostel around 5. Then we met up with her friends from Inca Trail (Tammy and John) again for dinner at 730. We wanted to go to the outback steakhouse (which actually ive never been to at home) but I asked the hostess how long the wait was and she talked to me in really fast portugeese and there were lots of people waitig so we decided to go to a ´world famous´burger place, although none of us had ever heard of it? The menu sud]ggested getting one of their milkshakes because its the best youll ever have...and you know what, i think it was. The menu didnt have any prices? so i was a bit worried, but it was also going to be my last big night out in bRazil so i didnt mind if it was expensive (wound up being $20). We all wrote farewell messages to eachother on our placemats (which John found really stupid, but signed them nonetheless). Rhiannon and I stayed up talking while she was packing. She stupidly bought 3 bottles of cachaça(to make capriniahs), which are each a litre and lots of other stuff so she was having a hard time fitting everything in.
In the morning we had brekfast together (and watched some Gilmore Girls, which Ive gotten her hooked on, its on tv here all the time) and then she left for the airport :( so now im the only person from the tour left in South America. It was really sad that she left actually because we spent so much time together and we had a lot of fun. Usually I have a great sence of direction, but in Rio its been horrible, I just cant figure this city out. Everytime I think we need to go one way...its the other. So now I dont have someone to hold my hand and take me places what am I gonna do? The weather is HORRIBLE and its not just raining, its pouring. Everyone whose left the hostel comes back drenched. So now I cant go hangliding and I cant do anything around town and...I cant do ANYTHING...bored bored bored. I fly out tommorow morning for Buenos Airesand hopefully (though colder) the weather will be nicer...hopefully?

Rio de Janerio (Part One)

So we arrived in Rio and the weather turned nasty. Its been raining here ever since which has crushed my hopes of spending 4 days on the beach. We´ve had to find other things to do. Our first night here was our last night of the tour so we went out for a farewell dinner. It was this huge buffet place and I must say that Ive become a buffet champion. For desser they had chocolate pizza which was weird because it was pizza dough with nutella on it but it also had cheese? Which souynds gross but actuall tasetd all right. Then everyone wanted to go to the markets but Melanie wanted to go out clubbing because it was Saturday night in Rio and you know what, I agreed. So everyone else left to be boring and we went out partying with another group and another guide (10 all together). The other group was on a ´comfort tour´ meaning they had spent a lot more money for their trip and had a lot more money. Three of them were staying at the Marriot and one guy (who was 28 and a plastic surgeon) loved showing off the fact that he had tonnes of money so he bought drinks for everyone all night. He always made sure I had a beer in my hand...I wasnt about to complain. We went to Club 6 which is like the hottest spot in Rio. It had 3 floors and 4 different dance rooms. When we got there there was a huge line up and they make the girls and guys go in seperate lines. But this guy selling cigarrets walked up to us and asked if we wanted to buy VIP cards for 5 Reals. Well of course, so we got in right away. I wondered why everyone didnt buy them and the gu7ide were like, well they cant afford it. They save up all week just to come here. When you get in they hand you like a plastic credit card. So you dont pay cover or for any of your drinks until the end of the night, which could get dangerous because you dont really keep track of how much youre spending, plus you have to wait in line to leave at the end of the night. I was looking HOT in my short pants and socks with hiking shoes and smelly t-shirt. Plus my eyes were really irritated from something and bright red and leaking, but I still managed to get smarmy boys hitting on me. I really think they need to get higher standerd. This one guy kept grabbing my face to kiss me and I had to keep shoving him off. Finally I swore at him, not just any swear, like the WORST swear you can possibly say in Latin America, he got the hint. But these guys are just rude and insane. We left at 3 AM.

Had to wake up early to say goodbye to everyone. We were going to go on a city tour, but since the weather was really bad, the guide said we wouldnt see anything anyways, so we should leave it for another day. Rhiannon and I decided to take a tour of the Favellas. Now in Lonely Planet they say do not, under any circumstances go to the Favellas. Yopu will be raped, robbed and murdered. They are basically ghettos run by drug dealers and since the residents steal water and electricity and dont have to pay taxes it is the cheapest area to live in Rio. I think (after dinosaur tracks of course) that this was the best tour Ive ever been on. We got driven to the base of it (there were 8 of us) and then you get on the back of a motor bike and ride up to the top. The guide said you can bring anything with you ,money camera, gold bars and you WILL NOT GET ROBBED for 2 reasons. #1- 60% of the money you pay for the tour goes back to the community so they like you being there. #2- The drug dealers employ drug managers to watch the strees and ensure that there is absolutely no crime in the Favella because crime attracts police attention and THAT would get in the way of their drug dealing. This makes the favella the safest place to live in Rio. Plus they dont need our stuff anyways, the amount of money that goest through there is insane. The drug managers alone make 10 million Reals (about 5 million dollars) a MONTH...EACH. Also unlike in Peru where if you take a picture of someone you have to give them money, in the favella they beleive that if they are on your camera they will get on tv and one day be famous. They just wanted to be famnous so they would run up to us begging us to take their picture and then we would show it to them after and they were thrilled. One man ran to get his pcamera to take a picture of us. All the people were really nice and friendly. They teach the kids to make stuff to sell rather than beg for money. So they paint pictures on old pieces of wood or make bracelets. Rhiannon laughed at me as I bought quite a few, how could you NOT encourage them? Then near the end one of the drug dealers came up to us and wanted me to have a drink with him. Jim Beam and coke, well how could I refuse. I keep great company these days. The guide said that he told her if I ever wanted to come back to the favella on my own, he would protect me. All in all he was pretty nice, for a drug dealer? We stopped at an art gallery run by people living there and Rhiannon and I each bought a painting. Then we went to a bakery and had some cake. It was a really great tour. After it was done we got dropped off at the hippy market that is only on on Sundays.

There were a lot of stalls, it was way bigger than we thought it would be. We both bought some stuff and realized that we had spent an obscene amount of money that day. It was weird random starngers would come up to us and ask if we were sisters. We dont look alike at all except for the fact that we´re both short, and white. Then we went back to the hotel to pick up our stuff to move to the hostel for the next three days and Chris Jade and Donna were there waiting for us because the hostel messed up and everyone was in different rooms and they didnt even have my reservation so I didnt have a space at all. So they ran around trying to find another hostel that we could all share a room together. It worked out to be 3 Reals cheaper a night, but Im glad that they dealt with it for us and we just shopped all afternoon. That night we ordered pizza and watched a pirated version of the new superman movie, which we all thought was terrible. We basically mocked it the whole time. Chris was in a really bad mood and wouldnt talk to anyone except me for some reason. Jade was just like, why is he being nice to you. I said its cuz Im pretty. She told me I could have her husband for 20 Reals...I said that was too expensive. OUr roomates were 3 gay guys in town for the gay pride festival that was happening on Copacabana beach. They were flamboyant and loud, but really nice. One even offered to style Donnas hair after she took a shower because he was a hairdresser. She refused.

The next day Donna left for the airport and after shopping together for a little bit Chris and Jade broke off from me and Rhiannon and (sadly) us two girls were stuck together for the whole day again (just kidding I really like her). We did a lot of walking basically because after looking in the guidebook about Rio there was only 3 things to do:
1. Go to the statue of Christ and Sugarloaf mountain (which were covered in clouds)
2. Go hang on the beach (where it was cold and rainy)
or 3. Go to some museums (which were way on the other side of town)

So we decided to have some lunch and go walk across Copacabana beach, weather be damned. It was about 4.5 KM across the beach and it was nice. We walked along the water but sometimes we had to run cuz the water would come in further than usual. The waves were huge because the ocean was so rough. We met up with Chris and Jade at the hostel and went out for dinner with a couple Rhiannon had met on Inca Trail. They were really nice, from England. Then we headed off to see Pirates of the Carribean. Everyone was mad cuz I had a student card and paid only half of what they did (worked out to like $3). The movie was really good, I liked it alot. Then we went back to the hostel for bed. The guy who workes there keeps telling the other girls how beautiful I am and how much he likes me, and gives me free chocolate and caiprinahs...its funny to see them be like, we want chocolate and capriniahs. Oh well...

Curitiba and Isla Grande

First of all I would like to fix any confusion that comments by one Miss Lana may have created. I am NOT coming home in a week, the group tour was simply ending in a week. I will be home August 14 at 10:35 AM loacl time. and #2 I am NOT a camera ho. I simply cannot be held responsible for who the photographer chooses to focus his attentions on. Anyways, back to the trip...

So after the huge meal in Curitiba we had a long walk after. The others went back to the hotel early but Melanie and I stayed at the mall to use internet and then went for another long walk before heading back to the hotel. In the morning we lazed around until midday and then headed to the local farmers market to buy stuff for a picnic lunch. I got plums which was a nice change from the usual fruit that I eat down here (papya, pineapple and banana). Also got some cheese (cheddar which we were all in heaven over because its really hard to find here), deli meat, bread, snacks. Then we took a long cab ride to this park where we picnicked. Rhiannon, Melanie and Chris all played frisbee while Jade and I read. Then they got it stuck in the middle of a nearby pond, so whe started splashing the water to make waves so that the frisbee would come closer to the edge. We took the public bus back to the mall where we went to a food court for dinner. Then it was on a nightbus for a 14 hour ride through Rio to pick everyone else up. Thne we switched buses and headed to Isla Grande.

When we finally got there it was really quite small. And there are no cars allowed on the island except for like ambulances and stuff, which they have a few because of all the watersports it can get kinda dangerous. They have self service ice cream shops, which sound like a good idea until they charge you based on how much your ice cream weighs. The also have these huge carts full of cakes and desserts that they wheel around so, all in all Id say it was a pretty great island. Hehe.

We had dinner that night, I had the fish stew again and then in the morning most of us decided to take a two hour walk to a beach. Now ths walk was really difficult, especially in the sun and I got the first blisters of my entire trip. But I think it was worth it in the end because the beach was beautiful and I was really fun to swim in the ocean which was surprisingly warm. We met up with another group who was doing our trip but in the opposite direction and just starting out. Meeting them made me really thankful to be with the group I was. One girl was just plain scary, the other a neurotic nut case who tells you all of her problems within the first five minutes of meeting her and continues to whine about them for the rest of the time. She was actually booked to be on our tour, but her friend backed out so she had to rearrange things (thank god, although she really hated her group and wished she had been with us) then there was a really quiet guy and on older german couple who barely spoke english. That was the group! I cant imagine spending all my time with them. Their guide was really fun, Peruvian but Im so glad Im with my group.

ANyways the next day CRISIS!!!!!! The airline Varig has gone under and cancelled all their flights. Donna found out that her flight home was cancelled and she had to be home on August 1st cuz she has movers coming to move apartments the next day. Jade and Chris' flight home was also cancelled and they HAD to be home on their day because they needed a full 20 days between getting home and their next trip to get a chineese visa. So they decided to head back to rio early and get their flights all sorted. We didnt know if wed see them again, or theyd hop on the first flight or what. So the rest of us (along with the other group) rented a boat for the day and had a booze cruise. We snorkled and drank and ate barbeque and drank and then went to a beach had a foodfight, played murderball and drank some more. It was pretty fun I must say. Then we went out late and had dinner at 10. There was a huge music festival starting at midnight but I was feeling sick and couldnt be bothered. The people who did go said they were unimpressed because it was so crowded not only could you not see the stage, but also you couldnt really hear the music.

This morning we caught the ferry back to the mainland at 10, arrived in Rio at 3 and Im just chilling until dinner at 730. Its our last night of the tour so were going to one of those Brazilian bbq places again. I dont know if Im ready for it. Tommorow we're doing a day tour of Rio, going to see the big Christ statue and all that. Anyways, 4 more days in Brazil!