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.

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.

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!