Esther's Adventure

Finally I´ve got it together to write this silly blog. Well start it at least. It´s now become a daily joke with Marianne (known from now on a ´M´), who will be amazed that I´m actually doing it. In fact I´m only doing it to show her...it feels like doing homework?! Also due to adverse weather, the Internet has been very iffy and desperately slow.

So I´ll try to start from where I left off. I arrive in London via Eurostar to the new St Pancras terminal. An easy journey. I´m in a panic though and in a rush to get home to clean the flat and get my head in order. The cleaning of my flat and and the sorting out of my head are inexplicably linked . I spend 3 hours cleaning and feel much better. Right I have 6 days in which to get myself sorted. The shortest 6 days of my life, the most hectic, and it seems the most disorganised. Where is my head??! Certainly not geared up to sorting shit out. I spend the next days in a mix of running round, emailing, photocopying, doctors, dentists, outdoor shops, boots, cash and carry, Fulham, Hackney, Knightsbridge...it´s all a blurrrr. I find some Aussie tenants for my room who seem very sweet on the face of it. Karisia is supervising them, so we´ll see...The goodbye party which I have to say goes down in history as on on the best parties evah takes place in Alex´s basement. M and I spend about 4 hours on Friday 11th cleaning the place up so that the party can happen that evening. Such good fun. Although I didn´t really get chance to speak with everyone as much as I wanted to. It was so good that everyone made the effort and I´m eternally grateful!! Thank you! The party obviously wasn´t conducive to my ´sorting shit out`state of mind, I was supposed to be in. The weekend is lost! Then its Monday the day before, how did that happen?? Too much to do and no time. Two days of utter panic and brain freeze with a break in the middle of seeing all my girls at Ed´s (he does a lovely dinner at his for me on Monday eve). Drunk dressing up , my favorite; and i think Ed has bought me the website www.thankfuckesthersgonetravelling.com Must check. I also have my book of things Esther has to do whilst she´s away. Written by people whilst at my party, some were obviously rather worse for wear.

M finally manages to get me out of the flat at 18.20 on Tuesday eve. I literally have to be dragged out the flat in a complete state of shock and fear. Going away travelling is supposed to be amazing, why am I crapping myself? I feel sick, i feel out of breath, i´m shaking???! oh that might be the hangover really kicking in...

So we´re off. I finally relax once we´ve checked the bags in and i´ve downed a white wine. Great flight thanks to M who insists on checking in 24 hours before (to the dot) to get us emergency exit seats with extra leg room. We sleep all the way to Brazil! Oh my god we fly into Rio and I can´t quite believe it. It´s massive and beautiful and tropical and the views are stupendous. We go through immigration no probs and make our way to the air con bus stop to take us downtown. OK i can´t speak Portuguese. Its sounds weird. I keep trying Spanish everywhere. M and I decided it sounds like double dutch. We get the bus to Ipanema and our hostel Ipanema Beach House. Fuck! we luv it!! We´re sharing the room with 4 other girls. Shelley, Tola, Emma and Angie. Two bunks in three teers. I´m on the top. Not looking forward to the caiparina (can´t spell it sorry) assault on getting to bed in the dead of night. Its bloody high! and the fan is right by my head, and there´s no side to the bed. Wheres my crash helmet Roma??!

We spend the next days on the beach just observing. It´s incredible. Its like gourmet people watching. So much to see so many different things. Boys and men from favelas selling different food drink stuffs. carrying small portable barbq´s in tin cans on the beach for grilling cheese on sticks. Globo biscuits. Mate lao (iced tea). Its all go and about as chilled as oxford street. All in 40 degree heat. M and I sit under our sombrero don´t really speak and just watch. Fascinating. Oh and did I mention the men???! Fuck they´re beautiful. M and I quite like Rio! M decides she has to get a Brazilian bikini, where you can´t tell the front from the back. Everyone is in them, big, small, everyone loving themselves and not giving a shit what anyone thinks. Very refreshing. Oh don´t get me started on the shopping. Apart from the joke about me starting my blog, our other joke so far is ´oh no we´ve blown the budget again´. Shopping in Rio is too good. We have to restrain ourselves.

M and I attempt to get the bus to the Christ the redeemer. Who stands high above Rio (much higher than I thought). Our plan is foiled when a mini typhoon hits and washes away one of each of our flip flops. We are left with one flip and one flop, but the sizes don't match. This happens in the street which turns into a river within about 30 mins of the downpour. It´s complete chaos and we desperately try to get back on a bus to take us back to the safe haven of Ipanema. M and I are fascinated by favelas and point and go quiet every time we see one through the condensation bus windows. I can´t stop thinking about City of God. The disparity of wealth in Rio is ridiculous. Confirmed when on Sunday we decided to visit a hippie market up the road in Ipanema towards Copacabana. On route home we hear a 10 minute gun battle (A to the motherfucking K home boy) from the favela two blocks away...we both go quite white and have to nip into a coffee shop to hide. This place is crazy and very very far from home.

Angie who has a friend in Rio, takes up to the arches of Lapa to a funk party where there are dj´s, live MC´s and graffiti artists all doing their thing on stage. Its very cool and M and I dance our arses off. We love Brasil!! ANd Caiperina´s (not the hangovers). It esablished that a whole bottle is used to make just 6 glasses. I have 4 that night.

Things of note:

Reformed ham - (ham which no longer follows the route of evil)
Acaraje - Deep fried white bean paste sort of donut, split in two then each half is piled with gloopy lentils, chopped veg and shrimps and chili. Yum!

21st Jan leave on air con bus with tons of Israelis to Porto Seguro in Bahia. The Viagra hangover and other stories to be continued...

over and pout xxxxx