Florianópolis and Rio de Janeiro

The "continuation" to the last past is finally here :p ...when I got to Florianópolis on Tuesday morning I called Patricia, my host. She instructed me to get on a bus and meet her. When I arrived she was there waiting. We got to her house--which was right on the beach--around 8. I was still tired to I went to my room and slept until 1. I got up and had lunch with Patricia, her mom, and her son. We then went out and ran some errands. We returned and had dinner, and afterwards there was a get together of some people in Floripa. We watched "The Wave," and a short film by Ernest Hemmingway. We headed out after that and returned to the house. Sleep followed..

Wednesday I got up and had some breakfast. Patricia had to do some work so I headed out to the beach! (which was only a block away). It was nice and sunny and warm and Brazil! Ah, so good :) I returned and we headed into town to go to the Lagoa and see some famous places. We snagged a bus and a snack in downtown, and explored the beaches and the area. We returned home and headed out again to the Florianópolis CS Meeting which was taking place at a local bar. I met some fun people, including some kiwis (New Zealanders) that I had met in Porto Alegre. We spent some hours chatting and meeting people, and it was quite fun :) I also got a ride set up from Floripa to Curitiba (the city where I would bus to Rio de Janeiro). We headed back and went to bed.

Thursday I was going to leave for Curitiba and then Rio in the afternoon, so we had a relaxed morning. I met up with Felipe (the guy from CS from the bar) and we headed to Curitiba, a city about 3 hours away. Thanks to traffic it was about 4 1/2 hours, but I arrived with plenty of time for my bus! I was in the usual leito (cama; bed) bus that is pretty standard, and embarked on the 14 hr trip--no big deal! I read and wrote a little (una carta para alguien especial) and slept, only to wake up in beautiful, warm, and sunny Rio de Janeiro :)

The plan was to spend 3 days in Rio, but because it was so nice I spent 4 :) That day I arrived and my CS host was there to pick me up from the bus station. We arrived to the apartment and I set my stuff down, relaxed for a little, and headed out! We went to see some cultural sites--national library, the theater, and some sweet bookstores, very Harry Potter-esque. We then went to get some tickets to an indy short film festival that was going on that evening--exciting! We returned and relaxed and headed to the festival w/ Junior, Paulo's roommate. Do my disappointment the short films weren't too good :( There was even one that took place in Argentina (and was in Spanish--every film was in a different language) so I was pumped...only to not be :/ Oh well. We headed back and I got ready for the next day!

Sunday I called up another CSer and met up with him, only to find out he was meeting up w/ 2 others, so together us 4 got the plan for the day--Cristo Redentor. The 3 of us, me, a Brazilian girl, and a Russian/Canadian guy all headed to the place. After waiting for 2 hours to get the ticket we finally made it to the top. Truly amazing. That's why its one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. We spent some time up there and came back. The whole process was quite slow but well worth it! We returned and ate a buffet dinner, and I met with a friend from CS for some drinks and food. I came back and slept for a Monday that included the Botanical Gardens and Tijuca Forest (Largest urban forest in the world!).

..I woke up and was supposed to meet my Canadian friend, but it turns out he over slept (he told me later). So I met up with another couple from Canada who wanted to go, so off we went! The Botanical Gardens were very nice. Well maintained, with lots of Royal Palms and other large, elegant trees! We left the gardens and had to cross the city to get to the forest. Two bus changes and about 6 hours later we managed to pass through the forest but not actually stop and explore it, as well as get to the other side of the city, switch buses because ours was finished, and make it back to Copa at 7 p.m. I packed up my stuff and met up with the couple from Canada and my other CS friend, Eduardo. We had a nice dinner and came back, because I was taking the 12 a.m. to São Paulo! I got to the station, got on board, and settled in for the ride!

Thanks for reading and leaving comments (some more than others--special thanks!) and as always, feel free to communicate with me (if you're unable to figure the comment posting out) at benthelefty@gmail.com! Sincerely, Benjamín