Rio!

Tuesday November 30th.

Didn't sleep well, room hot and pubbers back at five. Went for a walk to the beach at eight and then came back for a decent continental breakfast with fruit.

Decided to join a city tour. It's probably the best way to see the major sites. Mini van came and got me by eleven. The first stop was Sugarloaf Mountain. There are two cable cars needed to get to the summit. The view from there is spectacular. Unfortunately because of the heat, the air was hazy and it was cloudy too.

The second stop was at a restaurant for lunch. It was another bbq type place. I skipped the meat and just had the buffet portion. They had fish and other good things, but the best were three fruit salads, one of apples, one of bananas and the best was mango with raisins and green onion.

Next we drove up to the Christ the Redeemer statue. It's 800 metres above sea level, so it's quite a climb up the mountain in the van. Again the view was amazing and the statue is huge.

Then we stopped at the third largest soccer stadium which is being renovated for the next World Cup, and the seating area where they watch the Carnival parade.

After that we visited the Cathedral de Sao Sebastiao. It's a very modern looking cathedral and houses up to 20000 people! And finally we visited the famous tiled Lapa stairs of Rio that were created by a Chilean artist over a twenty year period.

Back to the hostel by seven. The van had no air conditioning and the weather today was 35 degrees. So, it was a long sweaty day. So, I decided to go for a dip in the Atlantic. It's a three block walk from here. By the time I got there is was getting dark, so I just had a quick dip to rinse off the sweat and lower the body temperature. Then I walked the beach along the shore, enjoying the warm breeze and the sound of the surf. At the end I sat and watched four guys play volleyball with a twist. They used only soccer moves, no hands or arms, just feet, chest and head! Even served by kicking the ball. Amazing. Maybe it will be the new thing when Brazil hosts the Olympics, which they are doing next.

Then back to the hostel by nine to relax and get some sleep, hopefully.