For my last night in São Paulo, a friend told me about what seems to be the premier Jazz bar, called Teta. I went there for dinner with some other friends - more people I met through the Global Young Greens - and there was quiet and live jazz playing. We waited around for who we were there to see, which were a really good Brazilian trio, with a promising, and happy young drummer:
Sorry I don't know any names, but they were good, and fushion-ish.The next day I had a final lunch with a couple of friends - one Brazilian, one Sri Lankan. The place was a typical (but nicer than usual) self-serve weigh-and-pay Brazilian place. The downstairs area was very novel. You could watch the chefs make pasta and other pastries from scratch, and, if you so pleased, who take a nap on one of the lavish beds after your meal.
That night, after a very smooth bus trip, I arrived in Rio, at my hostel in Copacabana. The next morning, after sleeping in as usual, I discovered my cellphone had gone missing. I HATE loosing things, and that was number three, though easily the most expensive (number one being my Onslow leavers hoodie, and number two my plastic soap holder - very handy, and is being sorely missed). No luck with finding the phone yet, but the delay sorting it out allowed me to be around long enough to get a phone call (to the hostel) from yet another GYG who is still hanging around Brazil. The Green invasion is still not over.
Anyway, that ended me up in Santa Teresa, which is kinda like the Kelburn of Rio (for those of you that know Wellington). Very laid back, old houses (and very old tram), and really close to town. Fancy restaurants and nice shops dotted around too. It's a nice place.That night I joined with more Aussie Greens, plus some other travellers and a local, to party in Lapa, the night club live music area. The main party nights here are Thursday, Friday and Saturday - so I better start working out how to party tonight. There were parties spilling onto the streets from venues, and a place that sold R$1 (about NZ$0.70, US$0.50) beers in the street. It was a very free, and slightly disorganised feeling. We also got to witness a fight about cocaine near the end of the night. Not pleasant, but it seems violence about drugs here is common, but doesn't cross over to general violence so much, luckily.
'Tis all for now, but there's so much to do in Rio I have lots more to tell.
