Rio (Santa Teresa)

We`re now staying in Santa Teresa, up into the hills and away from the beaches and bustle of Copacabana and Ipanema. The heat also seems to be slightly less intense up here. We`ve been hearing that Santa Teresa is the coolest place in Rio (though Mauro thinks that may just literally refer to the temperature). The hostel here is absolutely beautiful - it`s at the top of a hill, with amazing views of Christ the Redeemer and the twinkling lights of the city below. The downside to this is that these lights are a bit too far away, which makes getting almost anywhere pretty inconvenient. Santa Teresa is supposedly the bohemian part of town where artists and intellectuals live. It`s a world away from Copacabana, but we like it just as much. There`s a rickety tram (the oldest in South America, I think) that hurtles through the cobbled streets, and lots of samba blaring out, artists selling their wares on the streets and, crucially, great bars where lots of locals hang out.

On Saturday we headed to nearby Lapa, which is THE place to go out in Rio. It`s hard to explain how crazy and full-on the nightlife is here - neither Mauro or I have ever seen anything like it. There`s bars and clubs everywhere, with people pouring out onto the street, and live music pouring out into the street after them. Then there are stalls selling street food and drinks, and yet more people sat around on steps, grass - anywhere - drinking. Guys walk around with a tequila-kit on a tray, ready to sell you a shot if you`re flagging a bit. Mauro and I got a bit excited about the caipirinhas and have since agreed to limit ourselves next time. It felt being at a festival, but it`s just a night out in Lapa. And the strange thing is, no-one seemed to be totally wasted. Not a sign of vomit anywhere. Can you imagine this working anywhere in the UK?!

The portions of food here are enormous, so this is helping us manage our daily budget nicely. Whatever we order, we know we will take at least half of it home, de viagem, which sorts us out for a meal the next day. Everything so far in Brazil seems to be really exciting, intense, yet slightly daunting, and the food is no different. In the last few days, we`ve tried some Bahian food and some feijoada. Both delicious. We`re slowly getting to grips with the farofa - toasted manioc flour (cassava? me neither...) that Brazilians sprinkle on almost everything. Mauro got carried away with the hot, hot, hot Bahian pepper sauce and the farofa... Here he is laughing as I called him a manioc maniac.

He won`t be laughing for long if he insists on doing the `OK` sign (thumb and forefinger in a circle) to everyone. We`re not quite sure what it means in Brazil, but we know it`s highly offensive.

Oh, and we got the cable car up to Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf mountain)! We timed it perfectly and hit sunset on the way up and came down after nightfall. It was spectacular, even if the hordes of tourists vying for the best photo opp marred the magical views slightly.

I`m so glad we`ve got a couple of weeks here in Rio, so we don`t have to rush around to make the most of everything. The heat and humidity really takes it out of you - Rio is definitely a place to take it easy (except maybe in Lapa. And Carnaval). OK, time to head out now and brave the local kombis (VW minivans which operate as buses - but that's another story for next time...)!