Carnaval!

So, I just got back from 3 full days of Carnaval and I have to say that I am pretty exhausted. On the first day we left at 6:30 in the morning. We stayed with some friends at an apartment located in Barra da Tijuca. Although it was somewhat far from the events, it was free, so no complaints here. I did not end up going to the main parade because unfortunately the tickets are at the very least 600 reais, which is equal to a lot of money in U.S. dollars. But Carnaval is not just about the parade in the Sambodramo. There are a ton of Blocos all over Rio. Blocos is basically Carnaval on the street. It is composed of one decorated truck with a band playing music and a ton of drunk people, drunk people being key. Everyone at every Bloco was excited and usually were dressed in some sort of costume. After arriving on the first day we went to a Bloco in Leblon, a very nice neighborhood in Rio. After listening to some music at the bloco we spent the rest of the day at the beach in Leblon. Probably the worst part of Carnaval was having to travel back to Barra da Tijuca, because it is far and transportation was also somewhat limited. Anyway, second day was also very exciting. We went to a Bloco in Ipanema and ended up on the beach as well at the end of the day. Can't say that partying in Rio was terribly exhausting but it really took it out of you. For the last day we went to a very interesting Bloco. We went to Bloco Sargento Pimenta (Sargent Pepper). All of the music at the Bloco was music from the Beatles, mostly in English but also some songs in Portuguese. The whole place was full of people! Everybody was having a good time and were dressed in costumes that were related to the Beatles. I believe that approximately 100,000 people were just at that Bloco. So finally, the next day we decided it was time to call it a Carnaval. Gotta say that I am not hating Brazil right now! Soon (March 5th) classes start and we will see how I feel about my stay here

This is just one of the streets out of two and what you see is not the end of the road

The Guy in the middle is Raphael, my roommate

Crowd

More Crowd

Place we went to close to Sugar Loaf

First of all, I would like to say that I am so thankful for everything my friend Regina did. She treated me like I was family while I stayed with her. Regina is a true example of Brazilian hospitality. I can not thank her enough for what she did.

I got to Juiz de Fora on Monday and met my new roommate. His name is Raphael and he is a pretty cool guy. I met some of his friends and they were also very nice. My new apartment is cozy clean and in a nice location. Downtown is just down a hill from where I live. Today is my second full day in Juiz de Fora and I can say that I am loving it. Just started my Portuguese classes and it seems that they will be fun but they will also be very long (four hours). There are four kids in the exchange program here but only Tanyu and I have made it so far. Can't wait to have the other two here as well. Since our roommates have jobs and a lot of  school work we switch of where we hang out. Today we are going to try to figure out the bus tickets to go to Rio for Carnaval from Friday until Wednesday. I am ready for a little bit of partying before classes start! Here you will find pictures of my two bedroom apartment.

My room

2/12/12

Yesterady was my last full day in Rio before going to Juiz de Fora! Regina put my on a tour jeep that took a small group of us to the top of the Favela Rocinha, the largest favela in Rio. After we reached the top of the Favela, we saw the breath taking views and then walked all the way too the bottom of the favela. After the jeep tour, Regina and I took a very nice bike ride around the lagoon in Rio! It was such a hot day but we still managed to make a lap around the lagoon in about half an hour. Once I thought all my walking and exercise was over, her brother stopped by the house and took me to Niteroi. In Niteroi, we went to the Contemporary Art Museum where we were able to view some interesting Brazilian artwork. Finally it was about time to eat and Regina's brother took me to a pizza place, rodizio style. Waiters came by with all sorts of pizza, even a banana split pizza that was actually pretty tasty! After about thirteen pieces of pizza I was done and we decided to call it a day. Carnival is in the air now and you can see that the people are getting ready. Every day since I have been here I have seen people dancing in the street and listening to music. I can honestly say that I am ready for Carnival too. 

 Rocinha

 Rocinha

 Rocinha

 Rocinha

 Leblon

 Niteroi

 Contemporary Art Museum

Banana split pizza

2/11/12

What another busy day I had yesterday. I also have to admit it was an impressive day as well. Started off the day with a train ride up to the statue of Christ the redeemer. My whole life I have always wanted to see this statue and now I finally got the opportunity. After seeing the statue we went to a restaurant that I found to be pretty interesting. It was similar to a buffet, but instead of there being a fee for all you can eat, you had to pay by the weight of your plate. I tried some more traditional Brazilian food, but I have figured out that I really miss spicy food. I am not saying that the food is bad, because it is delicious, I am just saying that I could really go for something spicy. Anyway, after our meal we went to the Botanical Gardens, which I believe were inaugurated in 1808. This place was enormous and had all the native plants of Brazil. It also had other plants from around the globe. We had a nice relaxing walk around the park and took in all that nature had to offer. One would think that was the end of my day, but after our visit to the Botanical Gardens we went to the famous Sugar Loaf. I had the chance to take the cable car to both of the mountains that make the Sugar Loaf. We also had a great view of Niteroi, a city that is separated from Rio de Janeiro by a huge bridge. We finished the day by walking a couple of miles next to Sugar Loaf on a trail called "Pista Claudio Coutinho." The trail was named after a Brazilian soccer coach who died while diving. It is 1350m long one way and is extremely beautiful. It does not seem like a lot of tourists really know about it. To wrap up the day I got to see a "monkey" that is called a mico in Brazil. Tomorrow I have one more big day in Rio before I head out to Juiz de Fora.

Christ Redeemer

 View from Christ redeemer

 Train up to the Christ Redeemer

 Botanical Gardens

 Palm trees that were planted in 1808

 Feeeesh

 Botanical Garden

 Giant lily pads, Botanical Garden

 View from the top of the Sugar Loaf

 Cable cars to Sugar Loaf

A Mico (cute)

Can't believe that I have already spent my first day in Brazil! Leaving home was very difficult for me but I can already tell that this will go by quickly. After a long and almost sleepless flight from Houston to Rio I met with our family friend Regina. Regina is a fantastic woman and we had a really busy and fun time today. Even the bus ride from the airport to her house was fascinating! We started of our day by going to grab a bite to eat and washed it all down with a glass of chopp, what Regina referred to as Brazilian draft beer. After that we took a bus downtown where I got to see some interesting buildings such as the National Public Library, the House of Representatives, a replica of the Opera House in Paris, and a colossal modern cathedral. 

After walking around for so long it was time to check out the beaches! I was able to take a look at Sugar Loaf and to gaze upon the famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema (which I am only half a block away from). Finally, we concluded the night with another glass of chopp and some traditional Brazilian food as the sun set on the beach.

I am pretty exhausted after such a long day and will be going to bed soon since we are five hours ahead of CO. Tomorrow I get to do some more sight seeing with Regina and I also get to eat more Brazilian food!