We started off Thursday by heading to the Carioca, which is the heart of the city. (Carioca also refers to a person from Rio, like a Chicagoan from Chicago) We were told we could not go to the bank to withdrawl money alone because once people see tourists, they will follow them. So, we went with our volunteer head, Viviana to the Carioca. We were treated to a mini-tour, where she showed us the Cathedral, the largest oil company in Brazil, a pork belly restaurant and the market. The streets of the city are packed with people and vendors. It is really exciting to walk down the streets. There is so much to look at, it feels like you want to stop every two seconds and look at the jewelry, clothes, food, sweets, drinks, everything!
After we put some cash in our pockets, we headed back home on the bus to grab a bag for the beach. Mike and I took a path down the hill/mountain to a subway station called Gloria. After getting off the beaten path for a second... or longer (it isn't an adventure until something goes wrong, right?), we found Gloria subway station. It is similar to the El, only here, the subway is very clean and spacey. Once we hit Ipanema (about 20 minutes), we got off and went on a search for the beach. Luckily, it did not take too long. We ended up seeing a barefoot man with dreadlocks and only board shorts on... my senses told me we were in the right place. A couple minutes later, there it was Ipanema.....
Needless to say the beach was absolutely breathtaking. You can see in the first picture, that a storm was coming in from the South. After watching the surfers, climbing some rocks and walking on the beach, we decided to head back into the city before the storm came in. We made a trip to the market to pick-up some groceries for the house. Once, we grabbed the bus for Santa Teresa, we were on our way back home. Amazing, already had the transportation figured out... Did you know that the bus and subways here have no timed schedule? Could you imagine? But, that is Rio for you. Everything takes a half hour longer because there really isn't any concept of time. Which is nice when you're late, but not really when you're hungry. Sure does remind you to... relax!
And, that is just what we did when we got home. We had a tea and a nap. This is what everyday should consist of.. at 4pm everyone should just have a tea and a nap. Wouldn't we all be so much happier? After that, we grabbed a couple of unbelievable Rio sandwiches from a Cafe on a rooftop in Santa Teresa. The cappaccino and Brazilian nutcake had us energized to come back to the house and have some drinks and play some games with our fellow volunteers.
Today, (Friday) we went out to the market in the morning for some fres fruits and vegetables. Everything is fresh and you can bargain with the locals if you do not like the price. We were able to buy 5 bags of veggies for $5 real, which is about $3.50 U.S. dollars. After the market, we gathered with a group of the volunteers and went up to see Christ the Redeemer.
After a long bus ride and a short trolley ride, we arrived. I'll let the pictures do the talking...
An unbelievable time thus far, to say the least. Feeling truly blessed. Can't wait to see the children on Monday and play some footy, but until then, the weekend has just begun and there are many adventures to be had. Below are some pictures of where we are staying.
Our room in Santa Teresa:
View from outside the house:
Eating Area on Rooftop:
Our Kitchen on Rooftop:
Mike in the livingroom:
Tchau!
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