Leaving Rio
Topic: Brazil
We were very reluctant to leave Rio as we had been so happy there. Two weeks was not long enough but we had had a good taste of the city. Apart from what I have already written about, we had the chance to see a few other parts. One day we took a ferry over to Niteroi to see the space ship that was the modern art gallery. The building was far more impressive than the exhibits but the views over Rio from there were phenomenal.

Another day we visited the 1000 ton Jesus on the hill. It really is massive. I wasn't impressed with the slow hot train that takes you up there or the number of tourists all beating each other up to get a photo of their family members in front of the statue. The views from the top however were tremendous.

One Sunday we packed a picnic and headed for Tajuca national park and spent a few hours walking in the forest and looking at waterfalls.

We also spent a couple of frustrating days faffing around in Internet cafes and telephone boxes doing "jobs" like changing and booking flights, working out budgets, getting bus tickets, looking for somewhere to stay in Salvador for carnival and other such arrangements. The phone system is impossible. It took us ages to figure it out as the number you dial depends on which phone card you are using! The prices vary a lot too. We can't ever phone Ireland again as the most expensive phone card you can get gives us only 3 minutes talking time.

We are going to miss a lot of things about Ipanema like our regular stand up juice bar where you can get anything. David has been working his way through the menu with some surprising results. Some fruits have no translation in English either. Another is our regular stand up espresso bar which serves the most perfect coffee in the world (we think). Another is our little section of Ipanema beach. Another is our regular selection of kilo restaurants. They are buffets where they charge you for your food according to the weight of your plate. Brilliant. I normally hate buffets as I either over eat of feel like I'm not getting my money's worth. Another is our regular caipirinha bar and finally our fabulous local supermarket. Life is so relaxed and healthy here you'd think it was California.