Day 1 in Rio

Argh, this feels like a very momentous occassion: my first proper blog entry! Don't quite know what to write!

So, the journey here was pretty uneventful to be honest. Plane journey was infact only 10 hours long (not 15) and time difference is only 2 hours (not 5 - shows how much we knew!). However, at the other end we did manage to get a little lost in the airport looking for money changing facilities and consequently were the last to meet up with Felipe and the rest of the group who had been on the same plane.

We stepped out onto Brazilian land, to find that it was raining!! But a nice warm, humid (sweaty) rain, not like lame cold English drizzle! We were taken in a taxi up to our house: over the power lines which were across the road because a telegraph pole had fallen over in the street earlier that day!! By the time we got to our accomodation, we pretty much just collapsed into our mosquito-netted beds and slept right through till mid morning! Ace.

Today, we got up and realised we had no food! So we managed to schneck a lift down the hill with Alex, the guy who owns the house and fortunately owns a car *thumbs up*. We went down into the Gloria district and changed some money before going to the local supermarket and stocking up on the basics!

After that, we hitched a lift home with some of the other volunteers we found in town (8 of us in a 5 seater car!!) and thus avoided walking up the hill (a 5 minute walk according to Felipe, but only if you 'walk slowly like a cow'!)

After breakfast/lunch, we headed down to the other volunteer house which is just down the street and decided to hit the beach! Fortunately we met two guys who have been here for a couple of weeks, so they took us on the Metro and we had our first taste of Copacabana (fewer beautiful bronsed Brazilians than expected, phew!). The sea was crazy: it was just like Cornwall only a bit warmer, which I suppose was to be expected from the Atlantic in the Southern Hemisphere Summer!!

We are now back at the volunteer house, having had a hearty and oh so exciting dinner of pasta and tomato sauce and are conisdering whether to head out to Lapa (party!) District with the a few others. Don't worry parents, we're not planning on drinking too much! We just want to try one of the local cocktails (for now). Although having said that, we did have a beer at the bar Felipe recommended at the bottom of the hill before facing the walk up this afternoon!!

I think that's about all for today...!
Love and miss you all, Kat xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx