This is Mine. This has now turned into my travel blog. sometime i may not make sense and you will just have to bare with me.. staring at a computer screen is a buzz kill. the photos will be mostly mine.

and in conclusion

 Alright, so the last couple of days.
*Saw the Christ Redeemer and wasn't he epic. Placed on the highest mountain in Rio to celebrate the Independence Of the Brazilian People in 1922.
*went to the place where they do the hang gliding and the mountain they do it off is the tallest mountain that close to the coast in the world AND it looks like a boob- nipple and all!
* took photos at some look out, which was pretty spectacular, you could see everything including the Sugar loaf and Redeemer together which is the only place you can do that.
* Lapa and Santa Teresa. Lapa is the nightlife district, its where the people come to dance and Santa Teresa is the oldest town in Rio filled with artists and the like who are restoring the gorgeous old houses and making it a lovely place to live.
*beach 
* blah blah blah

I would say that my highlight of Rio would be Santa Teresa and the Redeemer.
Santa Teresa because i wasnt expecting it and i would imagine if i were to live in Brazil then that is where i would go. The vibe and look of the place would be enough, the streets are filled with art, parties and good bars, the streets are made from coblestone and combined with the huge 3-4 story houses that are built in the cliffs and it makes it feel sacred or something, it also is home to  the only tram in Brazil (might have to check that, it could be Rio but all of Brazil sounds better) and it only costs like 40 cents to ride it.
The Redeemer because to me that is what i think of when i think of Rio, just like Sydney is the the Bridge or Paris to the tower and not only that, how the got it up the fucking mountain is beyond me, I imagine it would have taken a very long time.

Random things i learnt/notices about Rio De Janeiro.

Bad, Bad drivers. I will never complain about a Sydney driver again. Speeding, coasting between lanes and a general disregard for any other car/bus/ person are the rules apparently.

The people of Brazil, not matter what size or shape they are do not care and will squeeze into the smallest bikini/ speedos  they can get there hands on and good on them, when you come from Australia where its all about how skinny you are or buff or if you can see that chicks cellulite in the shorts she is wearing it is nice and refreshing to go to a place where nobody cares and they can do and dress however they feel.

Hardly anyone speaks english

Rio only has a few days of cold a year

The toilets flush anti-clockwise

It is not so dangerous after all. I went walking at nights by myself and i felt fine.
I guess it would depend on where you are staying however, i stayed in Leblon which is the richest part of Rio so you would imagine not a lot of crime is happening         but if you went around the favelas it would be a different story. 
A Favela is a town which is poor and has housing commission, they say not to go in those areas during the day so it would be best not to go at night either.

The landscape is so strange, there is all these un-inhabitable mountains everywhere and so close to the coast and some of the mountains look like you wouldn't be able to get anywhere near the base but they have somehow managed a road to the top.

I really enjoyed Rio but i would only come back with friends and stay in a room with less people, oh and also when i learn some Portuguese 

*** side note.
Just saw a metal head at the airport with hair 15cm longer than mine brushing his hair, this maybe a weird side not but i have never seen that before.
He actually has really lovely hair and he knows it ... he is swishing it all over the place. ha he totally just lost all his cred.

****see what happens when you are left to your own devices, you write crap like the above paragraph 



















Rio- Day 2

I stress and stress but what for...?
Today was a great day.
didnt really get much sleep again but i moved to a bunk of the floor so it  was much easier to get around, so i am still pretty tired- all these stupid time zones are not doing me any good.
i found on a map last night a shopping mall near by so i headed there first.. my aim was money and i was successful!
did a bit of browsing but thought that the money would be better in my pocket and left but did take note of a store where i saw a very fetching skirt.
Down to the lagoon i go! 
Walked a fair way of the walk around, spotted the Redeemer once again, took my first photo of it and then headed back into the city to get to Copacabana, went down some side streets and even braved to take out the camera.
Arrived at Copacabana beach and nestled in there for a few hours for catch up on my tan and then made my slow way home, taking paths that i am unsure of but leading me to other spots i would not have seen and more than likely to return as my camera was low and i still didnt have a connector to charge it.
When i eventually got back after a good day of walking (4 hours or so) I asked reception if they could help me with this powerpoint predicament and they sent me back to the same shops i visited earlier and half an hour later i had my universal powerpoint in hand.

Refection.
The people- could be nice, i am not sure as i cant understand a thing they say and vise versa but are willing to help even though they have no idea what i need.
The weather- hot but not too hot, the heat is different here- no humidity.
The Vibe- varies, in the main streets pretty standard, in the off beaten track streets , ok but some are a bit scary.
There are usually people roaming about trying to sell things but are not in your face about it and if you decline then dont hassle which is nice.
The views-












Rio- day 1

Alright, Official 1st day in Rio- Fairly shit.
got hardly any sleep and felt completely disoriented, being the 3rd stack on a triple bunk bed can do that to you, the room was hot and when there is 9 other people in the room its not that easy. it is a skill that i need to master

My 1st mission - FIND MONEY
I failed miserably, i found heaps of ATMS but because i failed to inform my bank that i was in South America, when i put in the wrong pin I set myself up for failure the entire day.
After a good 4 hours of this i FINALLY found a supermarket that would let me use my credit card! excellent, i can now eat for the first time in 24 hours.

My day was focused mostly on this however i did walk around Leblon, down to Ipanema Beach - i have no idea how Australia is know for Speedos because that is all they wear here, that and those shorts that Daniel Craig sports in Bond.
I took a few Photos but i am a bit weary to do so in some streets and even in populated areas because there seems like there is no tourists anywhere and i dont want to stand out.

had a slight breakdown in the Hostel before i found the supermarket.
No money, No sleep, No food, No company and no laptop as i forgot my powerpoint connector made me feel really alone and you know, as you do i started to think about NZ and Aus and just as i was about to crack i decided nothing was going to change while i was feeling sorry for myself in a hostel, so i sucked it up and pushed through and low and behold it all came good.

things have a way of working out.

Rio

ok so this may be posted after Rio- who fucking knows, at the moment i cannot connect to my hostels internet and usually i wouldn't care so much but when you have been traveling for 24 hours and your have been awake for 31 hours and the hostel isnt sure which beds is yours so you have to wait in your 'winter clothes' in 30 degree heat  for the bitch to get back from her run so they can find out, its kind of very annoying.
All i want to do is get out of my gross plane clothes and sleep for a very long time.

Got in about 6pm and it was already dark so i couldnt see much landscape but i could make out The Christ Redeemer, which made me very happy, I have had a poster of that Statue on my wall for 4 years and now i get to take the photo.

ok so i am starting to feel a bit dizzy, i may go to sleep for the first since monday morning!
Chile!
in 4 hours i will have been up for 22 hours straight! looks like my first night in rio will be an early one, i am sure my mother will be pleased.

It is surprising how much you can get done in a 10  hour 40 minute plane ride though.
SuperBad.
Juno
The Fighter
Friends x2
The Big Bang Theroy x2
Couger town
and a 14 minute video on Rio.

Chilie's landscape is very strange, it looks scorching outside but it is only 18 degrees, the land is very dry and mountain -y and there is snow on the very tops of the peaks, i guess it is just weird how you assume what a country is like without having been there.

To Rio we ride.

who knew i would be so stupid to assume that my flight to Santiago would only be 8 hours.. go to check my bags in and its a 11 hour flight, not too mention the next 4 hours to Rio.
that is very gay but silver lining is that it isn't a 24 hour flight.

Wanaka gave me a very chilly departure this morning, snowing over night but if it didn't then i wouldn't of had the amazing snow capped mountains on my way to Christchurch and the really cool turbulence- god i love turbulence, it's like being on a tiny Roller coaster especially when the plane has only 10 seats!

Didn't do much after our little tour around the South Island, I washed all  3 cars for mum and dad as a thank you and then got to take the Porshe for a drive, me being in the driver seat, Dad taught my unwilling self to fly fish just in case Jaymee and I want to try it out in Alaska, had a photo shoot with Mum so she could complete a task set by her Camera club and watched a few movies.

The summary of New Zealand-
As always it doesn't fail me, the closest thing to a home i will have in house form.

Now i start my trip, I have no idea what to expect and it is so scary but refreshing to have no responsibilties other than following an itinerary, left to my own devices and try to path a road for myself.


Days 7-11

Just got back from a few days driving around the south Island.
Did many tourist things.. Milford Sound, Invercargill, Dunedin and went to  a whole bunch of towns that are too small and too hard to pronounce but it was such a good time. 
Milford was not so good, we had terrible weather and it was just a bunch of waterfalls and cliffs, I was more interested in the reason the Sound is there than the sound itself which isnt that interesting unless you have been there but i did get to sit in the Captains Chair on the boat so that was fun.
The following day we made it to Invercargill, which is a city at the very end of NZ, We got amazing weather and i had such a lovely day with my parents, going to places i have never been before all along the coast, it was beautiful.
On Wednesday we traveled to Dunedin to see my Uncle and his new (very young but very nice) wife, i was a bit weary going into dinner as my uncle is 58 and she has just turned 30- 2 years younger than his daughter BUT Kerry is lovely and they seem very happy so that is all I could want for them.
Then i returned late yesterday to realize that i have a few days left before the next part of my trip begins and I have a feeling that Monday is not going to be much fun, not only do i fly to Christchurch from Wanaka, Christchurch to Auckland to Santiago to Rio ALL in one day but i have to say goodbye to Mum and Dad and all the emotions i should have felt in Aus will be coming out then i imagine.
It is going to be really good for me but I may be a bit scared, which is normal but doesn't help me much.
I think i will do what i do best and not think about it.

Yes, that is what i will do

a gold sign in a tiny town


A cave at the very end of Milford, just before the sea.

The Chasm- hard to picture but a river that flows under this rock thing and makes a waterfall into this huge pit.. can't really describe it.

Mirror Lakes

The Coast of NZ


Monkey Island

Small Surfer town

My very time consuming and painful Daisy chain crown.

Riverton Horses

Invercargill Roses- Queens Park

Surat Bay- Sea Lion



Driving the Milford Sound Ship


making sure the coast is clear before my Nude run through a tunnel


The road to Milford


Invercargill Accomodation- Best name ever

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