I am writing this while sitting in a bikini in a laundromat, waiting for my clothes to smell somewhat decent again and be somewhat free of stains. I have already given up hope of having spotless or ironed clothes. My phone is charging next to me because after the plumber repaired the shower in our dormitory yesterday, the electricity stopped working. But life is pretty great.
After the dramatic cliffhanger in my previous post, you are probably wondering whether the cut in my foot has healed properly or whether I am now walking around with a table leg like a real pirate. It has mostly healed well, so far! The only thing I haven’t managed to do is take it easy.
The day after my hospital adventure, I spent the day at Paraty Mirim beach, a beautiful and quiet beach in the bay next to Paraty. The beach dogs immediately found me and decided that my towel was also their towel. To get to the beach, I paid way too much for an Uber, 100 reais, but to get back, I took a local bus for 5. I thought I would have a quiet day, but ended up walking 15,000 steps. That evening, I met up with my new German friends again and we happened to end up at a samba drum circle on the beach. The volume and energy are impressive! The next day, I decide to go back to the same beach (by bus) and met a Brazilian-German family. They were going to take a boat to the fjord in the next bay and asked if I wanted to come along. Of course! With my backpack full of clothes to repair and all my electronics to write with, we took the boat. Unfortunately, the beach and the bay were a real tourist trap, but they were the starting point for the hike to the Sugarloaf Peak in Paraty, a beautiful high mountain (about 400 metres elevation) with a great view over the fjord. We climbed slowly and after about an hour we reached the viewpoint, where we had lunch. I talked a lot with the couple, she is Brazilian and he is German, but his Portuguese is flawless! After we safely returned to Paraty town, they gave me a kind of guava jelly in the shape of a block, as a thank you for the beautiful day we spent together. I go for a burger and vermouth with the Germans in the evening, after which we say goodbye to each other.
On my last day in Paraty, I try to find waterfalls, without much success. Suddenly, rain pours down from the sky and I seek shelter under a small roof together with a Brazilian teenage girl and an older Brazilian man. We want to return to the centre, but the next bus is not for another 1.5 hours. So, we stick out our thumbs to hitchhike back (sorry mum and dad) and 20 minutes later I’m standing in a sun-drenched centre. I’m ready to head to Rio and am curious to see what awaits me there.
My first night in Rio feels a bit strange. I notice that I need a day to get used to the new environment everywhere I go. Unlike in the past, when I sometimes only stayed in one place for two days and couldn’t afford to be cautious about the new place. I’m staying in a very social hostel and within a few days I have a whole South American group of friends, mostly Argentinians. They come to Rio in large numbers to break out of their winter blues. It takes about two days before I also start using ‘sh’ instead of “j” and replace everything that used to be ‘tu, usted, os or ustedes’ with ‘vos’. Although I don’t understand all the words, I still think it’s a nice accent and a fun way of talking! Some of my top words that I learned in the past two weeks were “Chamochear” (to look for interesting people) and “Coquetear” (to flirt in a coquettish way). Since I’ll be back in Rio in December, my focus isn’t super touristy. I just want to experience the city a bit, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. During the day, we go to the beach, a market or the city centre, and in the evening we go out. I saw the neighbourhood in the city centre, cycled around the lagoon, hiked to Pedra Bonita, went to Praia Vermelha, ate delicious freshly prepared food in Lulu’s canteen at the Pura Vida hostel, but I spent most of my time on the beach with a giant caipirinha in my hand. It feels almost criminal not to be on the beach when the sun is shining in Rio! Of all the parties we went to in Rio, Fundacao Progresso was my favourite. This is a party in a large hall in Lapa, Rio’s nightlife district. It’s a samba party, with a stage in the middle where about 10 musicians play samba together. People dance all around the stage. The atmosphere is fantastic, intimate and free, yet spacious. Because the bar is far away, Brazilians often buy ice buckets full of beer. They place them on the floor in front of them to mark their ‘territory’.
Meanwhile, I have been in Rio for so long that my hostel is fully booked and I have to move. Together with a friend, we go to the rival hostel, which has a large and well-equipped kitchen. We start a tradition of cooking and eating together every evening. Eventually, my friends went home one by one, and on Wednesday, almost two weeks after I arrived in Rio, I decided to leave when my last Ecuadorian friend also caught her flight. I knew I had to do it, because otherwise I would get stuck in the haze of beach days, caipirinhas and leisurely strolls in my Havaianas. But first, I want to experience the rest of South America!
Rio surprised me in many ways. I must admit that I was a little apprehensive about going there beforehand, because I had heard so much about the dangers of the city. But it turned out to be much better than I expected. The city is beautiful, full of nature, beaches and liveliness. Rio is all about lifestyle, enjoying life and not just working. I think I might stay there a little longer in January, and I’m considering doing some volunteer work at a hostel, such as organising trips to markets and beach days.