Booking Brazilian Buses and Collecting Carnival Tickets

Okay, this is when I knew travelling would be a bit more stressful than being a beach bum. Actually trying to make things happen.

I'd heard of foreigners having trouble booking buses online because you need to input a Brazilian tax number (CPF) when you pay. I was keen to book in advance because Milena and I are going to Ilha Grande on Wednesday, straight after Carnival, and a lot of other people I've spoken to are planning to do the same thing. So my friend's mum booked it for me with Costa Verde and I gave her the cash. We had to provide our passport numbers, but because Milena was on a plane at the time we put my passport number in for both passengers. So tomorrow we're going to have to go and explain that we need to change that passport number, just in case they refuse us boarding to the bus on Wednesday. So fingers crossed we can sort that out. (My friend wrote out an explanation in Portuguese, so with any luck that will be sufficient).

And then I thought, okay, let's make this a productive day, I'll go and collect the Carnival samba parade tickets I ordered for me and Milena from Rio Carnival.net for this Sunday. I found the place without trouble and handed over my photocopy of my passport and the debit card I used to buy the tickets. The man disappeared for a second and then came back. He waved me over to the side and then said "There's been a bit of a problem". Right.

Apparently they are waiting for more tickets for Sector 8 (which I ordered because it's meant to have one of the best views of the whole parade) to arrive, so he offered me two tickets for Sector 7. Now I knew that Sector 8 was one of the most expensive sectors, so I told him that that wasn't good enough, and he insisted that the sectors cost the same. So I said I would return on Sunday, which is when he said they'd have more Sector 8 tickets. (I checked when I got back to the hostel, and did the sectors cost the same? Did they my foot.)

I asked the woman at the door when I left the collection point, and she said they might get more Sector 8 tickets tomorrow afternoon. Conflicting information! So I might go on Saturday during the day and see if they have any. But considering today is the first day we were able to collect the tickets, it's pretty poor that they didn't have enough for everyone.

My worry now is that they won't have ordered enough Sector 8s and we'll miss out. Of course I'll kick up a fuss if that's the case, and ask for more than the CD of samba music the guy offered me as a "present". But will I end up regretting not taking the Sector 7 alternative and cutting my losses, when I'm stuck in Sector 1? We'll see.

Anyway. Here's a picture of the sunset at Copacabana yesterday. That's just nicer in general.

Favela Tour of Rocinha

Yesterday a group of us from my hostel did an escorted tour of the largest favela (shanty town) in Brazil, home to 300,000 people. We did the tour with a company that the hostel is linked with. (I think it was Inside Rio, but I could be wrong about that). It cost us R$75 each, which is just under 20 pounds, and that included private transportation from outside and hostel to the favela and back again.

The favela culture is widespread across Brazil, and the government lets people settle on hillsides in and outside major cities simply because it's cheaper for them if the people build their own houses. Then the government will bring electricity and public services such as schools and healthcare to the areas (although these are renowned for being sub-par).

There are 1,024 favelas in Rio alone, which is incredibly difficult to comprehend, even for me being here. 900 of those are still not pacified and are run by drug dealers and gangs. The government has put into place the UPP, a sub-section of the police force designated for the pacification of favelas, but with 900 still to go, there's a lot to do before the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics here.

And even Rocinha, a pacified favela, still has outbreaks of violence. I found out from a Brazilian friend last night (after having been round Rocinha) that two weeks ago there was a shoot-out in the area and there were a couple of deaths. Oh, thinks I.

I studied Rocinha in Geography in Year 9, so I was really keen to go and see it while I'm here. So I was very happy when the tour guide told us that's where she was taking us. She did ask us not to take photos of people, but that views were fine. I had heard about trouble from locals when tourists ignored these warnings, so I made sure to avoid having any people in my photos. Overall, the locals seemed really happy to have us there, and many wished us a good day as we walked past. Children were a bit more disparaging, with a couple of choice phrases shouted at us, including a particular quote from Team America. None of us were American, but okay.

The first stop was a row of craft stalls, overseen by a group of armed UPP officers. One of the reasons tourists are welcomed to areas like this is that they bring in revenue to the local shops (of which many wouldn't have looked out of place in my local area in Birmingham).

And from there we walked over the top of the hill and down through the favela to the other side. It was a real mixture of areas, with some nice brick buildings, many colourful apartment blocks surrounded by trees, and narrow, winding, cockroach-ridden alleyways surrounded on all sides by rubbish, dripping water and people's front doors.

These photos should give you an idea of what it was like:

Seeing the favela was a really good experience, and I'd definitely recommend doing it. But even going round a pacified area in the middle of the day I could tell that it wasn't an area to wander into by yourself, and it would be easy to get lost. Definitely a big part of Brazilian culture to experience if you have the chance though.

First Few Days in Rio

Oh Rio! Oh Rio! What a place. It's a soup of energy, beauty and excitement. The last few days have been a blur of beaches, cityscapes and amazing food. And when I call Rio a "soup", that may be because it was 38 degrees by 10am this morning. I'd been using factor 30 sunscreen until yesterday, but I was still burning. (Some may blame my weak British skin). So I bought some factor 50 today and that seems to have done the trick. The sun is so intense here. You have to be really careful.

I've done quite a few touristy things, including the beach. On my first full day at the hostel I'm in at the moment I went for a wander along Copacabana and Ipanema, and sat on the beach until I overheated and had to run into the shade to drink a coconut. Life is hard.

Ipanema is definitely my favourite beach in Rio. And possibly the world. It is so beautiful, the way it stretches along the front of the tall buildings, ending in the 'Two Brothers' mountains. A friend and I went and sat at the opposite end of Ipanema last night to watch the sun go down behind them. I felt like the world was completely at peace - it was lovely to sit on the rocks and watch.

 I also went up to an observation tower behind Ipanema to see the view, which was fantastic. But I did take a wrong turn and found myself in a favela (shanty town), albeit a pacified one. An old woman walking past me smiled and wished me a good day. So not everything you hear about the favelas is true! I did a favela tour a couple of days later, which you can read about here. 

Today I went up to Christ the Redeemer with two girls from Norway who are staying at my hostel. I'd seen it from various places around the city, but to see it up close was great. And again, fabulous views over Rio and the Atlantic.

So I have four days left before my friend Milena, who went to my Uni, meets me in Rio for Carnival! The big shabang! We're moving into a different hostel closer to the action on Friday, and then we'll probably leave Rio after Carnival finishes. So I've got plenty of time to keep soaking up the sun in this wonderful city. His name is Miles, and he fully intends to dance on the sand.

Touchdown!

I am here! I am so here! I've actually been here since Thursday night, but things have been such an amazing blur I've been neglecting my blog. The flight went surprisingly quickly, and I got chatting to an Irish couple who were going to Argentina to get married. What a nice thing to do! And then suddenly I found myself in Brazil. At several points I've had to check myself and think "Hold on, I'm in Brazil." But it's a wonderful feeling.

I got to my hotel without incident, although don't go to the first taxi company you find at the stands in the airport - they are much more expensive than the others! When I got to my hotel I found that I'd been upgraded for free to a Superior room, which had a sitting room, a bath, a shower and air-con. What a treat!

And now here I am, sitting in a hostel in the middle of Rio, sweating buckets but very happy.

Ready and Raring to Go

And that's that! I'm pretty much packed, I've crossed the final thing off my to-do list, and I'm actually really excited to get on a plane tomorrow and arrive in Rio. The great unknown! (To me...) 

It's feeling more like a holiday now than a huge humbling trip. It helps that the weather forecast for Friday in Rio is 31C and sunny. Can't complain! Well, I'm British. I'm sure I'll find something.

The last few weeks have been a manic blur of sorting things out, buying a ridiculous amount of stuff and seeing people for various goodbyes. And it's all culminating in tomorrow morning, when my family and I get up at 5am and make our way to Heathrow for my flight. I've got to have an entourage when I leave the country. Why break the habit of a lifetime?

Having done a practice pack a few days, I knew that everything would go into my rucksack, so I wasn't worried about that. But it was still a relief to see it all go in there. And it only weighs 13kg, which I'm quite pleased with. (I don't find it easy to pack light, so I'm happy with that. I still might lose some disposable things along the way, but from looking at advice online I think I've got the right stuff.

So now all that remains is to have a nice final evening - I'm about to have a bath, and then we're having pie and mash for dinner. Oh yes! That'll keep me going on the British food-front for a few weeks.

My next post will be from Rio, most likely tapped out on my iPod over wifi, so I guess let's see what happens between then and now.

Wish me luck, and I'll see you on the other side!

My Trip

I thought I'd just give a brief overview of where I'm planning to go on this trip, although I'm prepared for my plans to completely change at times. This will be a lesson in flexibility! (A lesson I think I need to learn...)

I booked my ticket with STA Travel and it cost £2200, so considering the amount of flights it includes, and the distance I'll travel, I absolutely could not fault the deal. There are some mileage and destination restrictions, but luckily everywhere I wanted to go fitted in nicely with those.

So the plan!

On 20th February I fly London to Rio, and I'm there for the spectacular Carnival period. I've got tickets booked with a friend (who happens to be travelling in Brazil at the same time as me) to go to the Sambadrome and watch the samba parade there, which just looks fantastic. (I'm a big fan of Latin dancing, so that was a big draw of the Rio Carnival for me).

I'm then planning to make my way down the south coast of Brazil and end up at Iguassu Falls on the border of Argentina, and then go to Buenos Aires. From there I'll fly to Peru and work my way down the coast to fly out of Santiago, Chile. I'm hoping to arrange some volunteering for when I'm in Peru (yes, I'm actually volunteering in Peru...) but that's still high up on my to-do list!

Then I've booked a Kiwi Experience bus tour of New Zealand to take in both islands and see the sights. And possibly even do a skydive! It will be winter there, so I'm preparing to wrap up warm. Might be a bit of a change after South America...

Then I've got a Working Holiday visa for Australia, and hope to be there for a few months while I work and build my funds back up. And conveniently wait for the weather to warm up.

I fly out of Cairns and have a week in Hong Kong before heading into Bangkok and traversing South East Asia in a loop, and then I come back to the UK from Bangkok. At the moment I'm expecting to be back in January or February next year (my flight ticket is valid for 12 months from the date of departure) but obviously if my money runs out I'll be back sooner! Flexibility, Miles, flexibility...

My ticket is flexible, in that I can change the dates (and even destinations) for a fee. I bought STA Travel's Multi-flex Pass, which allows for three changes without an admin fee charged by STA Travel. However, if the price of the ticket I want to change it to is more expensive than what I paid, I have to pay the difference.

And that's the flow of my trip! As you can imagine, I am incredibly excited. And while part of me just wants to leave right now and start exploring the world, another part of me is still very attached to the UK and home. I know I'll be fine once I'm out there (I've lived in Japan twice, for which I kept a different blog - Memoirs of a Gaijin) but there's a lot to get done before it's a reality.

Wish me luck!

Let's Get Cracking

Well first off - hello! If you're reading this then I'm guessing you've got an interest in travelling, or like reading about travel in general. So hopefully this account of what I get up to over the next year will inspire you to do something similar, or just provide you with some entertainment!

It's two weeks to go until my trip of a lifetime starts. And for me, it really is the trip of a lifetime. When I got down to seriously planning this epic adventure last year, I thought back to all the places I'd wanted to see since I was a child (Machu Picchu, Iguassu Falls, Ayers Rock, Sydney Harbour, Hong Kong, Angkor Wat... The list goes on!) And I basically connected the dots, took my list to STA Travel, and created a flight itinerary. And boom! Two weeks from tomorrow I leave London and fly into Rio for Carnival.

I've done a lot of planning over the last few months, but there's still a pile of stuff to sort before I'm actually ready to go. But my to-do list is gradually getting smaller and smaller. And the smaller it gets, the more excited I allow myself to get.

During the course of this blog, I hope I'll be able to provide you with some information about how to do what I'm doing, create an accurate account of things that I get up to across the globe, and give you a few chuckles when things don't quite go as planned. And of course, I'll post photos galore of the places I see. (Not gonna lie, I'm a bit of a photo fiend).

I hope you enjoy taking this journey with me!

- Miles