Round the World

Just a few final thoughts about Rio. The people are incredibly friendly everywhere - from the football fans to the waiters in the restaurants - everyone says how much they love England when we tell them where we are from - this is such a refreshing change after travelling around Europe in the last few years! Also, everybody speaks English if they can (which is very good if you are ignorant Northerners who know no other language than their mother tongue). Rio grows on you slowly and if you´re not careful, a year could go by, and you could find yourself stuck there. So we have (hesitantly) moved on to other climes.

This was taken by Andyb when we were on about to board the train on our way down from Christ the Redeemer - we think it´s a capuchin.

By the way - if one other person comments on our blog that "the weather´s lovely here" (referring to Rossendale) the "drought busters" shall fly back immediately and change all that! - consider yourselves warned.

Went on a tour to the largest favela in Rio on Sunday (around 200,000 people live here). Was taken around by an organised tour group called ¨be a local¨ and would highly recommend them as the tour was excellent (they didn´t even need to bribe us to say that). We parked at the bottom of the hill and then took a motorbike taxi to the top of the favela to start the tour. Tip for the girlies - don´t wear a tight skirt when planning to go on the Favela tour (difficult to negotiate hopping on and off the bike) and also don´t wear flip flops (not too hygienic given that the streets are full of open sewage) - still Andyb wouldn´t listen....

The tour guides are really knowledgable and seem to know EVERYBODY in the Favela. It´s quite a well organised community - loads of shops and bars. The houses that we saw inside (forever the nosey northerners) were quite well equiped; a few of them were watching the Grand Prix on very nice large screen tellys - though I´m sure they´re not all like that. Could´ve settled myself down for the afternoon....

Got taken to a very nice bakery - where Lisa had the best banana cake she has ever eaten - belly very happy after that detour.

Towards the end of the tour, the guide was explaining the drug trade within the Favela to us - and as if on cue - a drug baron passed with a grenade on his right hip and a hand gun on his left. Lovely man - not at all scary. Weren´t allowed to take photos of this man (for obvious reasons) and as the tour guide noticed this man´s arrival he warned "this man´s packing juice" which is code for "don´t take a picture if you rather like your face free from blood".

We actually felt very safe inside the Favela (certainly no more dangerous than walking the streets of hassi on a Saturday night) and apparently there´s very little trouble inside the Favela (courtesy of the men with guns and bombs). If you have limited budget and are thinking of what to miss out in Rio - don`t miss the Favela tour - it was one of our best experiences so far (the banana cake clinched it).

The Brunton´s world tour began after a gruelling night flight to Rio courtesy of B.A. Only just recovering hence it´s taken a couple of days to have anything to blog about. Our backpacks weighed a tonne and we´ve now realised why - we had packed the British climate. Since our arrival, Rio has experienced lots of rain, thunder, lightening and power cuts - a general blanket of (weather) misery has descended upon the concrete city. We are planning to go into business as drought busters on our return to Blighty - "Rent a storm"; for the price of a flight and (modest) accomodation drought ridden countries can hire us out - the kind of day job Lisa could cope with.

The mosquitoes are certainly pleased that Andyb has arrived in town (even if the tourists aren´t). They must have been spreading the word that a new deli had opened up in the Santa Teresa district "chez brunton". They are very clever and wait each night until the 50% deet insect repellent has worn off and feast on his legs until dayrise. Andyb´s blood donation to the insects of Rio is not the only way we have been helping out the locals - we have been providing the beggar population of the town with muchas amusement with our accents. One little boy who was asking for money - called Andyb a "gringo" and mocked us down the street with a northern "no" after being refused our shrapnel. Although you feel quite safe as there is plenty of polica on every street corner carrying machine guns (even one policeman sicking his machine gun out of the car window as they ambled down the busy streets) no one batted an eyelid, nor did we hear any tutting going on. Must be normal around these parts...

Today we have been enjoying the sites of Rio - mainly the beach areas. Given the weather there were more pigeons than people on Copacabana

but fun was had by all particularly by Lisab who was like a small child in a sweet shop when given her first taste of the Rio waves (we will upload the small video Andyb took of the event).

Mummy Wharton - the cow parade has arrived in Rio! We have taken lots of photos of Lisab with the cows and will email you with them (just as soon as you and Kenny get round to sending us an email - we don´t have your address at present).

Staying at a fabulous hostel - (not very) imaginatively titled 'Rio hostel' (wouldn´t suit the "Molassiotis empire girls" but good enough for the dedicated backpackers). Staff are really friendly and it´s in Santa Teresa which we would highly recommend as a place to stay - near the best nightlife and far more cultured than the pigeons in Zona Sul.

View from our Hostel bedroom

Finally, enjoying Rio - it´s a wierd mixture of concrete and old (collapsing) buildings with really friendly people - even the one´s selling their wares (on any bit of free pavement) are not THAT pushy. Sampled a bit of the nightlife so far - went to a free festival last night in Lapa - really good bands on.

No time to discuss food - suffice to say both the Bruntons´bellies have been full and satisfied (mainly) courtesy of Andyb.

Will blog some (informative) stuff later, bye for now,
Lisa & Andyb xxx.