Rio De Janiero
Jul 24, 2001 in GavInBrazil, Travel
God I hate these computers!
Anyways I seem to remember most of the points I wanted to make…
1) Thanks all the people that have emailed me! Good to hear from you, if you’ve got any questions, or want to know what’s going on then send ‘em in dammit!
2) Dad, you’re not funny. People, don’t encourage him.
3) Dan, thanks for telling everyone about Clare’s Bra size, I’m sure she’ll appreciate all the dirty emails she’ll now be getting from now on. I’m thinking Dave here. (It’s clarey30e@yahoo.com) Oh and Dan, thanks also for telling everyone that I owe you 74 quid. I’m in BRAZIL! Anyone heard of Ronnie Biggs? He owed 2 million… 
p
Right last I time I left you I’d just arrived in Brazil, well I arrived on the morning of Friday the 13th (an omen?) but my connection from Rio de Janiero to Recife (Pronounced ‘hee-oh de hya-niro’ and ‘hay-see-fay’) was not until Tuesday evening. So I’m lost in Rio, all by myself and with no friends for 5 days then? Well, no. Aiesec being that wonderful global organisation that it is, I realised (well actually Bryan realised) that Lovely Lynsey from Strathclyde Uni up in Scotland(that’s the one with all the hills, James) was in Rio for 8 weeks. Woo-hoo! So despite not speaking a word of the lingo, and meeting no-one who spoke anything even resembling english I found my way across Rio to the Aiesec office. How you ask? Well you forget that I speak that internationally understood language, of pointing at an address on a scrap of paper, listing to them tell me which way to go, nodding in understanding, ignoring it completely and just following their flamboyent hand gestures. So with much huffing, puffing, bewilderment and head scratching, I eventually found my way to the office. I was met with a very excited and overjoyed reception, by a hugging Lynsey. This was for one of three reasons as far as I can tell Lynsey was very happy to to see…
a) A fellow British person (NB Not English, she likes being called that like I would like to be called Welsh or something)
b) Me, cos she likes my company so much
or,
more likely…
c) Me alive as I was over 3 hours late and she probably thought I was dead or something.
So anyway, after a brief tour we checked into a hotel Lyns had organised for us, SEPERATE beds, Rach, and all the gossip queens out there, Pras, you know
who you are…
The hotel was well, you, know, alright, in a nice sort of way. It wasn’t expensive, it wasn’t 5 star luxury, but it was nice enough, had a warm shower which is important when it’s as hot as it was, and when it is A 2 MINUTE WALK FROM COPACABANA BEACH!!!!!! Yee-haa!!
ALL TOGETHER NOW…
“Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl
With yellow feathers in her hair
and a dress cut down to there
She would merengue and do the cha-cha
And while she tried to be a star,
Tony always tended bar
Across the crowded floor, they worked from 8 ’til 4
They were young and they had each other
Who could ask for more?
At the Copa, Copacabana (Copacabana)
The hottest spot north of Havana (here)
At the Copa, Copacabana
Music and passion were always in fashion
At the Copa….they fell in love. (Copacabana)
His name was Rico. He wore a diamond.
He was escorted to his chair, he saw Lola dancing there
And when she finished, he called her over,
But Rico went a bit too far,
Tony sailed across the bar
And then the punches flew
and chairs were smashed in two
There was blood and a single gun shot
But just who shot who?
At the Copa, Copacabana (Copacabana)
The hottest spot north of Havana (here)
At the Copa, Copacabana
Music and passion were always in fashion
At the Copa…. (aaahhh!) She lost her love.
Copa… Copacabana…
Copa… Copacabana…
Copacabana…
(instrumental)
Copa… Copacabana…
Like in Havana… Have a banana…
Music and passion… always the fashion…
(instrumental)
Her name is Lola, she was a showgirl,
But that was 30 years ago,
when they used to have a show.
Now it’s a disco, but not for Lola,
Still in the dress she used to wear,
Faded feathers in her hair.
She sits there so refined, and drinks herself half-blind.
She lost her youth and she lost her Tony,
Now she’s lost her mind!
At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana (Copacabana)
The hottest spot north of Havana (here)
At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana
Music and passion were always in fashion
At the Copa….don’t fall in love… don’t fall in love.”
Sorry, got a bit carried away there but you get the Idea! The beach there was amazing! It was mid winter there, but I think the Brazillian definition of ‘winter’ differs somewhat from my own. The only evidence of the season were a couple of dogs at a house we went to wearing coats to protect them from the 25 deg. ‘çold’????? It was still warm enough to wear a t-shirt in the evenings and still be pretty warm, so that’s fine by me! Went to the beach a few times. WOW! it’s just soo cool, you can sit back and just watch everyone go by, it’s not all blokes in speedoes and girls in thong bikinis you know. Quite a lot of it, but not all! All these dudes keep coming by trying to sell you stuff, “Agua Mineral, Coca Cola, Ooola-Ooola!” as well as shrimps “Camarão! Camarão!(for those with a steel stomach only!) Sarongs (kangas in Brazil) and loads of other stuff.
Picture this then boys and girls, so I’m sat there, in the sun, in Brazil, in Rio, on Copacobana beach, listning to the waves, looking at the amazing scenery, (Swanky hotels, with a backdrop of sugar loaf mountain at one end, and all the others behind the hotels, topped off with corcovado, the one with the huge statue of Jesus looking out over the city) and drinking from a freshly chopped coconut. All I needed was Rach and a couple of angels to play the harp and I’d've be in heaven! Aaah!
In the evenings the kids all play footy on the floodlit beach, they’re sponsored by the big rio teams, Vasco de Gama, Flamengo, Botafogo, Fluminese, etc. and they are amazing!!! Every single one of the 7 year olds we saw playing (I was supporting the team in the Liverpool kit!?!) Could’ve run rings around me, nutmegged me, chipped the ball up in the air and bicycle kicked the thing into the back of the net before I could say “Ronnie Moore’s Red and White Army”. I’m hopeing to poach one of them to boost Rotherham’s Division one campaign this season. More on football later…
Anyway, thanks to the lovely hospitality of Lyns, and all the Aiesecers in Rio, I had a great time, generally chillin’ amd soaking up the atmoshpere and the beer. We went to Ipenema one night and went into the bar where The Girl From Ipanema was written, (For lyrics look here~~ www.kbapps.com/top50/21ipanema.htm )didn’t actually get a drink cos it was full, but sat in the one opposite. Apparently this guy used to sit in this cafe and watch this girl walk home from school every day. True to form the original Brazillian lyrics are somewhat more suggestive than the english version!!!! Also went in a surprisingly authentic Mock Tudor English pub, ‘the Lord Jim’ which was rammed, mostly with locals drinking gin and playing darts!!
The highlight of my time in Rio was undoubtedly the ascent of Corcovado mountain at sunset. Standing up there as the sun fell over the mountains, the lights of Rio lighting up 800 metres beneath you was absolutley breath taking. it’s worth going to Rio just for that! Honestly, the statue of Christ the redeemer is huge and he has the best view in the world, possibly a close second to his dad’s, but pretty close all the same!!
So I left Rio on last Tuesday, what have I done since then? What’s Recife like?
Find out tomorrow with “GavInBrazil”!!!!
A cliff hanger…
On My first proper night out in Recife did I?
a) Go to a Forro club where I danced the night away to the sexy brazillian
beats ,and got home at 7?
b) Go to a Samba club where I tried to dance but made a complete ass of
myself?
c) Go to a Bossa Nova Club where I refused to dance, and went home at 2?
d) Go to a Techno Club where I got completely plastered and threw up?
e) Go to a Rock Club where I bopped my head with 16 yr olds till 5?
f) Go to a House Music club where I woke up at an after party with the sun in my eyes?
or
g) Go to a trendy modern bar where I spent the equivalent of 2 weeks wages on Capirinha’s?
Answers on an egreetings card by tommorow please!
See ya soon,
Love
Gav
PS After speaking to Rachel today I realised what I really miss about home!
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