So, after the usually painful 9 hour flight we have arrived. The transfer in Sao Paulo was shockingly easy... and that had it´s very expected consequences. Our luggage has fallen behind. Initial dismay was substituted by a general comatose state and before we knew it (just an hour and a half!) our luggage decided to join us for the rest of the trip! Unfortunately the damage was done and that resulted in us thinking that it is a good idea to ¨pump¨ some music through intricately connected portable speakers... Don´t ask.Anyhow, after getting some coffee and cheese bread (¨pão de queijo¨) we were off to the bus station. After handing in our giant paragliding bags and getting ticket for that same evening´s overnight bus to Governador Valadares, in the state of Minas Gerais it was time to explore Rio!
Absolutely exhausted we hopped onto a city bus and headed to the place that no self-respecting tourist can stay away from - Copacabana beach! (¨Praia de Copacabana¨). The cool part was seeing the less than spectacular parts of the city, hanging out with the locals and all that for about a $1 a piece! The only problem - no where to change (see Carol´s heroic efforts at changing her swim suit she bought right on the beach - the rest of us... well, we improvised!)
Now, here is the weird thing about Brazil - anyone can find the place they feel at home at. Just check out what Marko and Joka found 5 minutes into being in the city...
Then, a few coconuts later, a cold Skol and a quick swim in the Atlantic ocean - we felt a whole lot better! Almost ready for an even more painful then the 9 hour flight, 8 hour bus ride to Valadares! But before that we managed a walk from Copacabana to Lagoa, enjoying spectacular cityscape and getting ourselves properly tired to sleep thru the ride!
But before, as usual, the first contact to make in Rio was getting in touch with my cousins - the Unikowsky family - Debbie, Zilmar and Jessica were in Rio, and Liz, as per usual was exploring the world. The view of the city from their window was just the icing on the cake of a spectacular day!
