Well carnival has come to a close, it was one hell of a period of partying followed by more partying and lots of crazy brazilians. Ended up going to the Sambrodrome even though I wasnt that bothered about the whole event, I figured it would be like being the designated driver at a party with all the dancers going crazy and us just sitting there watching. But went down with a few spanish guys and haggled for a dirt cheap ticket and it was actually a decent night, for most of us. The area the dome is in was well, lets say not as glamourous as the parades that pass through it. There were 3 muggings in our group, one girl had a bag cut open, and my australian friend got well and truely done over. Bought a ticket for one of the best areas in the dome and thought he´d done really well until he´d got to the gate and the badge was missing. He then stepped away from the entrance to look for it and the VIP pass disappeared too, some genius pickpocketing at work me thinks.

Fortunately I stayed away from the unlucky ones and managed to make it through the night unscathed, not that I had anything on my worth robbing anyway. The next day we went on the complimentary boat trip from the hostel which was fantastic! Free alcohol and food for 6 hours around the beaches of Rio and you have the makings for a good time.

Unfortunately now the tight family that was our hostel over the last few weeks is splitting apart and most people are heading on their way. I´m one of the few that still remain. Was a little bored due to that fact today, so decided to go to the beach, but walking seemed a little dull so we hang-glided in. Was pretty cool, went to the top of the mountain in the national park then had to run and jump off a cliff face, which was the hardest thing to do. Once we were up though it was amazing, so quiet and the views were amazing!

So tomorrow I’m heading north to Salvador, the next stop on my jaunt up this country which is fast becoming one of my favourite. I hope Salvador can live up to my experiences in Rio which were just simply amazing, mostly due to a good crowd of people I would love to see again! It seems the phrase my brother told me before I left is fast becoming true in that traveling is more about the people than the places.
Anyway there will be more to come.
Hope your all well at home
Andy