Wow where to even start. Each port just keeps getting better and better! I loved Brazil and had an amazing time! I fell in love with Rio and the culture. I am not kidding when I say we did not sleep for 3 days. I really have no idea how we did it. I have drank more coffee this trip then I have in my whole lifetime.
DAY 1:
After sailing 2 long days down the Amazon we finally arrived in Manaus. We lost a few hours of sleep changing our clocks but that did not stop us from waking up at 7am. Right when we arrived we went on another boat that took us threw the town. I was shocked to see how poor the city was. When I pictured Brazil I always thought it was some tropical paradise, but boy was I wrong. Looking at the town from the boat, it looked crowded and the houses were basically falling down the mountain. After the hour boat ride we switched into another very small boat. The small boat was the boat that took us down the small areas of the Amazon. It was just like what you would see in the movies. Very green and very muggy. The whole time I held on to the sides. I thought I was for sure going to fall out of this small wooden boat that was going about 20 miles per hour. We saw tons of snakes, bugs the size of my hand, and alligators! It was so cool going down the Amazon. The people that lived on the water shocked me. It was so incredibly poor it was sad to sea. Houses were just floating in water. They looked abandoned but then you would see a baby come out the door and wave. It broke my heart to see people living in these conditions. The tour guide said that the people that lived on the river were some of the most generous people in Brazil. It amazed me that these people had nothing and were still so generous. When our tour ended we went to a floating restaurant with a traditional Brazilian food. The food was a lot better then it looked. After eating we had some time to kill before our flight to Rio so me and a group of kids walked into town. I have to say we lasted only 15 min. The town was packed and very dirty. We also did not feel very safe. They had separate subways for women because of the way men treat them. It was very weird and scary so we went to the ports bar and listened to Spanish music and hung out. At 9pm we left for the airport where our flight had an hour delay. The flight was 6 hours to Rio and all of us were so excited that we could not sleep.
DAY 2:
We arrived in Rio at 7am and we all were exhausted to say the least. Thinking we would go straight to the hotel and change and freshen up, SAS had another little surprise up their sleeves. What do you know ANOTHER hike….at 8am! A group leader met us and told us that we had to walk up this huge hill to the top of the mountain to get breakfast. I am convinced that different countries like to test Americans and see how much we can walk up an incline in 100 deg heat without passing out. When we got to the top of the hill we had a beautiful breakfast waiting for us. The restaurant looked over Rio. They had fresh fruits, breads, and cheeses. After we were done with our meal, what do you know we went on another hike! 2 miles all up hill. It was worth it though because when we got to the top we literally saw the whole city of RIO! We were as high as the airplanes that were coming in for landing. It was very cool. On our hike back down the mountain we met up with 5 more leaders. We were not sure why, but then they told us that they were taking us threw the slums. The slums are illegal towns built up in the hills of Brazil. Drug lords solely run them, and if you do not have an invite into them they can kill you. SAS as well as all of our teachers told us never to go into them so we were all confused why the tour was taking us threw them. The slums were absolutely terrible. Dogs and cats were everywhere. Houses had no doors or windows, and people were looking at us very funny. The smell in the slums is a smell I will never forget. It was so poor and run down it was hard to see something like that. It was defiantly not a place to ever go without a leader and a group. After our hike we went to the beach and relaxed. We met some American guys that were on vacation. They actually were from Chicago so we had much to talk about. The beach was breathtaking, minus all the men in Speedos. They definitely like to show skin in Brazil. After the beach we went as a group to a famous Brazilian steak house. Every second someone would come up to you with trays of meat. It was so much food but it was delicious! After dinner we actually went to an Irish pub where they were playing the Rollin Stones. We had a lot of fun but we decided to go to a more Brazilian club. We danced till about 5am then went back to our hotel and got a total of 35min of sleep.
DAY 3:
Waking up at 7am was brutal but we did it. We took a train up to one of the 7 wonders of the world, the Jesus statue. It was gorgeous and a lot bigger then I expected. On the train ride back down a Brazilian band got on the train and started playing music for us. It was so cool riding down an open window train with a live Brazilian band playing for us. It was a party in a boxcar. The statue ended up taking the majority of the day since we had salsa lessons at 7. The group and I went out to dinner then took salsa lessons. It was so much fun! Dance is a huge part of the Brazilian culture. The dance in Brazil is so romantic and fun. Definitely a lot different then dance in the states. We finished our night in one of the world’s top 10 bars. It was a blast. We ran into other SAS kids and hung out with them. We had to be ready to leave for the airport at 7am and we got back to the hotel at 6:50am. We had to fly back in our clothes from that night. Needless to say we were all very exhausted. It was two crazy nights out. When we got back to the ship it was like a ghost town. Everyone was sleeping. I went to bed at 5pm and woke up at 8am the next day. It was a very exhausting trip but it was some of the best days I have ever had. We were always on the go and I loved it. Rio was beautiful! It was like night and day compared to Manaus. I wish I could of spent more time in Rio but I was very excited to get back to my little cabin and twin bed =)
SHOUT OUT to pit and Dionne for sending me the most inappropriate, sassy, most hilarious emails. Thanks guys. AH you keep me young.
