Rio was a party town, so people generally partied all night and slept during the day.^9
It wasn’t something I was used to but, what the heck, as they say, “When in
Rome.......”.
Amanda arrived in the evening, dead tired after a 22-hour long-haul flight.
Although tired, the chatter continued until the wee hours of the morning. She
must’ve been exhausted as she never uttered a word about our abode being
terribly small and that we had to share a bed (albeit a double one). Something I
knew (from childhood) she hated, seeing pillows were always placed between us
whenever there was any sharing of beds.
The next morning was cold and overcast, and not very conducive to our sightseeing
plans. First, we took Amanda’s bicycle to the shop to be reassembled. Then we
were off to the famed Copacabana beach, the colourful markets, and backstreets
where old men played cards in the park. After midday and a quick nap, we were at
it again, this time by bus to the famous Sugarloaf Mountain. The cable car price
was a tad steep for a cloudy day, and we gave it a miss and hoped for better
weather the following day.
The streets came alive after dark, as vendors sold touristy trinkets and bites to eat.
After a beer on the beachfront, the most inexpensive meal was two pizzas from the
bakery we cooked in the microwave at the hostel. The pizzas were eaten
accompanied by a cheap bottle of wine. The wine did what it was supposed to, and
Amanda almost fell asleep with her head on the pizza.
The following morning, we went up Corcovado, the 710-metre-high mountain
sporting a statue of Christ. A tram ride up the steep slopes brought us to the 38-
metre-tall statue. Although immensely touristy, the views over the city were
spectacular. Unfortunately, it was too cold and windy to hang about and we soon
descended to the city’s warmth.