We didn’t meet up with Rod and his family cause we already had a delay getting on the metro. Just look at the line-up and this was only for the ticket.
After finally buying them and getting on it, the rest was a piece of cake. We got off at the right station with all the others and apparently looked so out of place that we were immediately approached by a scalper if we needed tickets. We had a limit beforehand of 300 Real. Sylvia asked for the cheapest ones and we got them for 200.
After 90 minutes it was all over. At least for us, cause we left. Everybody else stayed on to watch two more Samba schools strut by. Maybe it is not in our blood, but we were just not that excited. It was interesting to see, but two more? No, not for us. For us it was back to Ipanema and our crazy neighborhood to have the first Caipirinha of this vacation. For Sylvia it was her first non-alcoholic cocktail.
This morning we slept quite a bit longer and then decided to do the Favela tour. It is not actually gawking at the poor but kind of a local development aid. The money for the tours goes to projects in the area.
So having booked the tour, we decided on going to the beach right in front of our hostel. We are after all only a block away and have not been in the sea so far. The water is surprisingly cold at first, but then so refreshing. That’s actually the only difference to Jesolo. The Brazilians don’t want to sunbathe alone. Apparently the more the merrier.
In the absence of a parasol, Sylvia used my umbrella.
We just came back from a Favela tour. We saw Rocinha, but there are a dozen others. I think this one is a model ‘community’, that’s how it is called now. Politically correct. Still, I don’t want to live there and I am really glad I don’t have to.
Rod will pick us up at 7pm and I have to get ready. Have to rush.
Yours, Pollybert
