Carnaval!

Guys it's rediculous how far behind I am on this blog, but with this long entry of Carnaval weekend and an entrance tomorrow of last week's week I should be up to date with my current location: Sao Paulo, but you have a bit of reading till you get there!

Friday 8th - Sunday 10th February

So all those years ago I told you that I'd picked out my Carnaval gear and that I'd fallen asleep missing out on a full-blown Brazilian party with some Rio senioritas - you win some you lose some. I'm sure Nath preferred it as I Skype her on our anniversary.
My mum has been travelling since October and I'm due to see her on Sunday (this has obviously already happened but I'm trying to make it all seem up to date) but as she's visiting her friend in Sao Paulo I've been scheduled for a fervela tour with her travel group today. I think that most of them are idiots who spend their lives blogging about nothing and sitting on the hostel stairs smoking. But the fervela tour - now this, for anyone who goes to Rio is a must-see, in my eyes. I'm not an experienced traveller, I've not seen the poverty of Kenya or India, but on this tour you really understand a lot about the Rio culture. I mean it's not a competition, poverty, us gringos weren't there to pat them on the head, or to necessarily feel sorry for them, a lot were there for the million dollar views that look over all of Rio and understand why a lot of people just don't wanna leave. We went with a tour company called Be a Local so it was totally safe and only ventured in to selected areas. The tour guides, a lot of them at least, are from the fervelas and can offer guides in English, Spanish, Potugese, Yiddish, German, Italian... Yeah, pretty impressive for those without schooling.
The tour was really interesting, we learnt about the three gangs of the area, and throughout we saw the kites being flown, each of the movements meaning a different message for the drug lords in charge... Either that or they were just playing with the kites. I found out that there's actually a lot of exotic animals around the fervelas - I saw a turtle! A pet turtle in a fervela! - I saw a music performance, I was offered suma dat piff lemon and best of all, we had a de-tour as a transformer was being transported up the narrow streets so we went down a route that was not actually agreed to be stepped on - could have been a dark day for us all, but it was fine.
When I got back I was worried that I had missed out and was not going to be able to find my gringos till tomorrow, and until 11pm I was sure that was the case. They returned drunk from the first real Day Party of Carnaval - they told me of the girls they'd kissed, the events they'd witnessed - all in preparation for what I was due to see tonight. We were gong out about 11 as that was when Romelo and Luciana were off the clock, so in this time I designed what was to be my official carnaval top, a vest with a superman sign and 'Super Gringo' written on it aswell as Me Beija Eu Sou Gringo! Feel free to translate.
Our first stop was Salvador Square, a place filled with teenagers drinking away and hoping that they can get lucky in their Fred Flinstone costume (yeah, there's a lot of them during Carnaval). We weren't there long as I think some of the crew felt a little old, and we knew that it was Lapa where you would get the real feel... WOW. Lapa is Rio's party town but at Carnaval it is so much more. Thousands of people pour in to Lapa from all ages and costumes, everyone is pissed out of their head and looking to have a good time. There was a lot of us so there was no risk of any hassle, and it didn't take long till some of the crew 'pulled'. I had such an amazing night and we wolfed in a lot the atmosphere from areas that are key to the Rio culture - such as the Lapa steps. The best thing about the Carnaval is that unlike events in England, drinks are cheap. I could get two 350ml cans of beer for 6 reals (that's 2 pounds!) and for all of the night I felt safe. We got in about 6am and I had to process that this was to be my routine for the next week or so...

Despite getting in at ridiculous o'clock I got up for breakfast and enjoyed my fruit and juice (with some cake) and was fresh for the day. In the morning I got chatting to a British girl at the hostel, Sophie who I learnt is going to UCL in September (I know right!) so it was interesting to hear the routes of other gringos in their journey prior to Uni life. I'd been scheduled for yet another trip with mum's crew - I was going to watch Vasco vs Fluminense in a local derby. The temperature for the day was a modest 36 degrees and we were taken again by Be A Gringo although this time I didn't like them: it was a scam, we got dropped off at this petrol station area that had some stalls that offered beers and souvenirs and we waited there for hours (in this heat!) while each of the different groups arrived and we waited for the 5pm KO (we were there to buy beers and thus give them more money). So maybe if you're wanting to go to a football match when you're in Brazil, find out from the right people where not to sit and where to buy the tickets, cos I'm sure this is more expensive and equal hassle. The game was good to be fair. I've become a Vasco fan as the atmosphere was electric and the fans are so enthusiastic about their team and they actually play pretty attractive football!
 I got back about 8pm and again the Pineapple Gringos (our gang) were all out on the piss, telling me stories about how I'd missed out once again on the day's drinking. I was becoming a regular in the kitchen and I'm a better cook than I was back home (probably because I cook everyday while I'm here). Romelo had said there was a BBQ we could go to for the night, but that if we didn't like it we could go on to Carnaval, but we wanted the intimate experience of a Brazilian BBQ... It was Gay BBQ. I had no problem with this, I don't even know if I had a problem with being hit on by 'The Queen of Copacobana' (who was f*cking massive!!) it's just that Rio is the gay capital of the southern hemisphere and it seems that I'm being hit on by a lot of gay people on my journey! I had a great night though, everyone there was very friendly (not everyone was gay), the BBQ was delicious, and for 10 reals (3 quid) we had all the drink we wanted.. I just didn't have as much as the Queen had wanted me to drink! It was another late night and we could've spent longer there, however Jens had said he was seeing triple and he had become the new target of the Queen, so we ended the night at 5am :)

The problem with getting in late and living off four hours sleep is that it catches up on you. I'd been drinking endlessly for the past few days and my sleeping pattern was pushing me to the edge, so when you say to your mum that you'll pick her up from the airport when she has a flight that gets in at 12 you start to think that an early night is a better idea. The domestic airport is amazing in Rio, where City airport in London lands in Canning Town and is just full of businessmen, this airport is bang in the middle of Rio, and when you land you see Christ and Sugarloaf/hut out of the same window! (wow!) I walked to and from the airport from the hostel along the seafront, and in the beautiful weather it's a majestic walk. It was great to catch up with my mum, and I helped her with her bag so we could walk through the Bloco (street party) with 'no worries'. When we checked in I said to mum that we should venture to Lapa, and she enjoyed the walk that saw the streets of Rio and Lapa's atmosphere. We only stopped to grab a bite and a drink and returned as tonight was the heart of the Sambadromo! When we got in I slept on a sofa for 30 mins (as I'm such a nutter that I don't have accommodation for the night of Sambadromo  as the event finishes at 6am and there was a party afterwards nearby, and as prices quadruple for Carnaval I thought I'd save my money) to charge me for the night ahead. I'm not even going to comment on my mum's carnaval outfit. We all got really drunk and it was an hour's walk to the stadium and a long night of chanting, chatting, screaming, dancing, partying and appreciating some of the most incredible parades you could ever imagine! I spent a lot of it with a guy I actually like on mum's trip, Ty, a gay guy from the States who made me laugh for the most of the night. My Gringos actually had tickets also, but I'd got my section tickets months before and couldn't party away with them.

For anyone who has their heart set on visiting Rio for Carnaval (do it!!!) and wants to see the Sambadromo, get the Sunday tickets, you could get them a week in advance, and it really doesn't matter if you go alone. I got chatting with a group of Portugese girls who spoke really good english and they were telling me all about what the songs meant and the parade - one of the floats was dedicated to Germany's role as a saviour in Europe!!! If I was to do it again I'd pay a little more for the next best seats as, I had a great time and had some good views, but with section 10 you will see so much more! Well, that's the end of this post, I had an amazing Carnaval weekend, arguably the best of my life, and I would recommend anyone to experience this. Will update soon, never this long again I promise!

Over and out, T