No matter how close my trip to Brazil got, I still didn't do much about planning it. From what I kept hearing, hotels and hostels alike jack up their prices around Carnaval time and there's absolutely no hope to get Couch Surfing in a place like Rio. People told me that, even if I was prepared to pay a fortune, I would've had to book these things at least a few months in advance in order to secure a bed somewhere.
Well...not on this ridiculously lucky trip in which everything seems too good to be true!
Vere asked her friend, Alessandra, if we could stay at her house for three nights and Alessandra very generously accepted. Then, this wonderful couple, who at the last minute decided not to go out of town and therefore accept a couch surfer, said I could come for the first four nights I was in Rio. Somehow I had an entire week of accommodation set up in Rio during Carnaval! What???
Shworm and I had been traveling together but parted ways to go to our respective hosts' homes once we hit Rio. We were a short subway ride away from each other and somewhat able to coordiante throughout the week to meet up and go to the Carnaval blocos (street parties which ranged from horrible, drunken frat parties, complete with overwhelming piss smells, to beautiful cultural events, filled with hilarious and creative costumes, great live music, and talented artists--you just had to pick the right ones to go to).
The wonderful couple I couch surfed with lives in Copacabana, about a block from the beach. Copacabana is a pretty fantastic place. I spent a few different mornings going running in the sand, followed by drinking the water right out of a fresh, chilled coconut. Delicious. I made some friends on the beach each day and, once, ran out onto one of the many soccer fields (yes, soccer fields all up & down the beach...seriously, I'm obsessed with this country) where a few guys were practicing penalty kicks. They let me take one, I made it, and I kept running. Near the beach, there are also markets on different days, tons of fresh juice stands and restaurants, and there's music everywhere all the time (often live).
Anyway, back to the point of things going ridiculously well... After spending four fun nights with Vanessa and Robert, Vere had gotten to Rio and texted me to tell me where the house we were going to stay was. It was literally on the same street, but like three blocks down. What are the chances?!
I strapped on my over-sized backpacker backpack (the size of it still embarrasses me every time I put it on) and walked down the street to meet Vere. When we got to the house, everyone (Alessandra, her niece & niece's boyfriend) was getting ready to go to a bloco so Vere and I joined in, borrowing extra costume stuff that Alessandra had. There was a lot of chit-chatting going on while we were getting ready but the majority of it was in Portuguese. Everyone there could either speak English (Alessandra spent about a decade in England) or understand Spanish as well as Portuguese, but they were trying to help me learn. Whenever I missed too much of something, I'd give Vere a quick, confused look and she'd summarize whatever was happening in Spanish for me. Everyone there was super friendly, funny and excited about Carnaval.
As we set off, walking down the street to the first bloco of the day, I was chatting with Vere, telling her that I wasn't sure what I was going to do about the rest of my time in Brasil (where I was going to be sleeping after we left Alessandra's, when I'd visit her in Brasilia, how I'd find work in Rio, how I'd find an affordable place to live there since everything's so expensive and so on). Alessandra, who I'd known for less than an hour and a half, turned around and, in her adorable, British accent, said "Oh, you can stay at my house. I'm going to England for 3.5 months and have to pay the bills anyway so you can just stay there. If you could just pay the internet and utilities, that'd be great."
I was so dumbfounded that I couldn't even believe it was real. Speechless, I turned to stare at Vere, giving her a look that was meant to say "Is this for effing real?!? Are people seriously this nice?? What's going on?!" Vere, who'd been accustomed to seeing that confused face of mine all day and then translating whatever was said into Spanish for me, reflexively did just that. She started, "Ella dice que se va para Inglaterra y que si quieres, tu puedes--"
"I know what she's saying!" I told her. "That was my own native language!! I'm just seriously confused because oh my god...How are people this nice?!"
I can still barely believe it but it but Alessandra really did mean it.
Vere, Alessandra and I spent the next few days hitting blocos around the city and talking a lot. We all know I love to talk but Vere and Alessandra both happen to be well-traveled, way-smarter-than-me, hilarious, big-hearted people -- the exact kind of people I love conversing with.
Vere asked her friend, Alessandra, if we could stay at her house for three nights and Alessandra very generously accepted. Then, this wonderful couple, who at the last minute decided not to go out of town and therefore accept a couch surfer, said I could come for the first four nights I was in Rio. Somehow I had an entire week of accommodation set up in Rio during Carnaval! What???
Shworm and I had been traveling together but parted ways to go to our respective hosts' homes once we hit Rio. We were a short subway ride away from each other and somewhat able to coordiante throughout the week to meet up and go to the Carnaval blocos (street parties which ranged from horrible, drunken frat parties, complete with overwhelming piss smells, to beautiful cultural events, filled with hilarious and creative costumes, great live music, and talented artists--you just had to pick the right ones to go to).
The wonderful couple I couch surfed with lives in Copacabana, about a block from the beach. Copacabana is a pretty fantastic place. I spent a few different mornings going running in the sand, followed by drinking the water right out of a fresh, chilled coconut. Delicious. I made some friends on the beach each day and, once, ran out onto one of the many soccer fields (yes, soccer fields all up & down the beach...seriously, I'm obsessed with this country) where a few guys were practicing penalty kicks. They let me take one, I made it, and I kept running. Near the beach, there are also markets on different days, tons of fresh juice stands and restaurants, and there's music everywhere all the time (often live).
Anyway, back to the point of things going ridiculously well... After spending four fun nights with Vanessa and Robert, Vere had gotten to Rio and texted me to tell me where the house we were going to stay was. It was literally on the same street, but like three blocks down. What are the chances?!
I strapped on my over-sized backpacker backpack (the size of it still embarrasses me every time I put it on) and walked down the street to meet Vere. When we got to the house, everyone (Alessandra, her niece & niece's boyfriend) was getting ready to go to a bloco so Vere and I joined in, borrowing extra costume stuff that Alessandra had. There was a lot of chit-chatting going on while we were getting ready but the majority of it was in Portuguese. Everyone there could either speak English (Alessandra spent about a decade in England) or understand Spanish as well as Portuguese, but they were trying to help me learn. Whenever I missed too much of something, I'd give Vere a quick, confused look and she'd summarize whatever was happening in Spanish for me. Everyone there was super friendly, funny and excited about Carnaval.
As we set off, walking down the street to the first bloco of the day, I was chatting with Vere, telling her that I wasn't sure what I was going to do about the rest of my time in Brasil (where I was going to be sleeping after we left Alessandra's, when I'd visit her in Brasilia, how I'd find work in Rio, how I'd find an affordable place to live there since everything's so expensive and so on). Alessandra, who I'd known for less than an hour and a half, turned around and, in her adorable, British accent, said "Oh, you can stay at my house. I'm going to England for 3.5 months and have to pay the bills anyway so you can just stay there. If you could just pay the internet and utilities, that'd be great."
I was so dumbfounded that I couldn't even believe it was real. Speechless, I turned to stare at Vere, giving her a look that was meant to say "Is this for effing real?!? Are people seriously this nice?? What's going on?!" Vere, who'd been accustomed to seeing that confused face of mine all day and then translating whatever was said into Spanish for me, reflexively did just that. She started, "Ella dice que se va para Inglaterra y que si quieres, tu puedes--"
"I know what she's saying!" I told her. "That was my own native language!! I'm just seriously confused because oh my god...How are people this nice?!"
I can still barely believe it but it but Alessandra really did mean it.
Vere, Alessandra and I spent the next few days hitting blocos around the city and talking a lot. We all know I love to talk but Vere and Alessandra both happen to be well-traveled, way-smarter-than-me, hilarious, big-hearted people -- the exact kind of people I love conversing with.
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