Salvador then Rio de Janeiro, Day 37

So we finally made it back into the south of Brazil, and to Rio de Janeiro; an almost mythically reputed place 'where the party never stops'. Or at least where the stories and tales create an incredible identity, of fun and danger. Before we flew here, though, we had another one of those leaving-a-place-and-all-your-friends days. Joanna and her Spanish friend Oyer are off to Spain on Saturday (today as I write this up). Its hard to explain just how nice, happy and bubbly Joanna has been the entire tim I've travelled with her in Brazil, 'la Chiespa'. Beyond grateful for her hospitality and help in Salvador.

Before we had to bid farewell to Cat and Alex, who are also moving in different directions but at least managed to spend some more time together. I feel like I've learnt a lot of those two, especially Alex, a real idiosyncratic Brit. When I first met him the size of his personality sort of hit me a bit, but its not forced or put on, he just is a massive character. Now I know him well and he is one of those people who can talk about anything with anyone, without showing off or pressing his own opinion. Also we left behind the Essex teachers Rupa and Inge who we met in Recife. I haven't really written much about them in here but they're a real laugh and we've had some funny days together. They are at the same stage of naivety and as languageless as we were a month or so ago. Hopefully they'll find a Renaud to guide them through and help them out.

So we bussed out of Salvador to the airport, lounged around for a while and then caught a flight, with a connection in Belo Horizonte. I was a little depressed today as the protracted sense of finality, The End, hung around. Fragmentation of the group is almost complete now. As soon as we got going, though, this was replaced by the same childish excitement at travelling and moving that has accompanied us everywhere, here still attracting the same observent and interested stares as in the rest of this vast land.

We taxied from the airport to our last hostel, where the reception guy was waiting to check us in then take us out, Lapa on a Friday night, part of the myth. For me Rio has always been a place I could never envisage myself actually arriving in: its too exotic, too wild, too perfect almost for someone from nowhere in the West of England to make it to. And then, suddenly, we were in the thick of it, the best party in the city, and slowly the layers begin to peel away, with every English face you see and travelling voice you hear. We ended up wandering the area til five or six. It was fun but strangely impersonal, slightly synthetic, not very Brazilian it seemed. There was also almost a touch of 'morbo' about the scouring transvestites and very public homosexuals, the white girls being latched onto by Brazilian men and Englishmen chasing the Brazilian girls. Saw two old, haggard, painfully English men with two young Brazilian prostitutes. The party, on first impressions, has morphed and grown and is almost a caricature of itself, moved away from the roots of Rio.

But here I am doing Lapa a disservice, we didn't enter a club and didn't explore the area at all. Lets see how the next few days go and give a more rounded view of the place, not based on gringo-tourist culture.

Again we bumped into our Berlin friends, which is always great because they're such a good laugh and always up for a good time. More unexpectedly I was walking with Renaud and Rob down a street that basically served as one long public toilet when I heard a "Sean!" through the gloom, and looked across to see Martha McGregor, a friend from the year below at school who I haven't seen or spoken to in over two years. She is having a gap year and seems to be going it well, though she did have some horror stories from Peru (guns and police stuff).

Still had time to meet some new friends as we walked home, out of nowhere. In fact the area away from where we were led was more accomodating, friendlier than I gave credit for at first, and all it took was to speak to someone. Who am I anyway to theorise on the sociology of a city after five hours there. Tomorrow we're off to the football and I can't wait. Life is great/a Vida e Belize.