Day 103 - Tuesday 14th April – Rio de Janeiro

Day 103 Tuesday 14^th April – Rio de Janeiro

Checked flight to check in and it left YESTERDAY at 22:20pm. AARRGGHHH. So go in touch with George again at flight centre and he spoke to BA and eventually got me on another flight but at 19:10 tonight. Luckily it was raining all day so I didn’t exactly miss out on a beach day with all the messing out or I would not of been happy.

Once I had my new itinerary through I caught up with Brosi who hadn’t had lunch so we went to a restaurant that he knew about down the street.  It’s where the local eat and you just grab a plate and then there is a hot and cold buffet that you help yourself to.  Once you have got what you want you take it to the counter and the plate is put on a set of scales.  You then pay for the weight you have and they give you a bill to take to your table.  If you want drinks the waitress brings them you and adds it to the bill. I tried various different things, including the local rice with balck beans, that seems to be popular over here.  The waitress also comes around with a small pot of jelly for free for after you meal.  Mine came to 10 dib bads which is about 3 quid and I had a plate with chicken breast and loads of stuff.

By the time we had eaten it was time for me to head back and get a shower and get ready to be picked up.  My flight was with Iberia which I wasn’t too happy about when I had booked BA.  Anyway the taxi came for me at 4pm and I got to the airport about an hour later.  On the way we travelled on a double decker motorway.  Obviously they had wanted to increase the number of lanes at some point but there was no room so instead they just built another on top and made the bottom have all its lanes in one direction and the top on in the other.  All along the motorways on the side of the road and weaving in and out of traffic are guys selling anything from bags of peanuts to cans of coke.  They just move to the lanes that are going slow and flog their wears. People do buy them though cos my taxi driver bought stuff off a couple of them and kept handing me one of whatever he’d bought.  I’d had a three course meal by the time we got to the airport lol. 

I bought a bottle of duty free at Rio airport to pass the time.  I can’t remember the name of it  but I’ve had it at the hostel with squashed limes, crushed ice and powder sugar…vile ! hahahaha. It’s okay but just a bit sickly.  The flight departed on time to MADRID and then I would have to get a flight to Heathrow and then another to Manchester, talk about faff about.  I purposely asked for an aisle seat as I hate being ona long flight near the window and then having to get people to move when you need the loo. At least this way I can just get up when I need to go and not have to disturb anyone.  Not that Ive got the bladder of a twelve year old or owt but you never know when you might wanna go.

Go to my seat and I was in the middle 4 on the isle, with 3 brazilian woman at the side of me who I quickly found out spoke no English at all.  Part way through the flight I noticed that the French kid on one of the two seats next to me had a really annoying sniffle. He obviously had a runny nose and kept sniffling that sounded like a pigs grunt. But  it was every few minutes and soon started to irritate. I tried headphones on load and then resorted to huffing and puffing and looking over shaking my head e very time he did it lol (you know the way British people complain, rather than say something). If that wasn’t bad enough there was a bratty toddler on the row in front who seemed quite cute at the start of the flight when he was playing hide n seek over the chair. Not so cute when he cried constantly through the flight later on while everyone was trying to sleep. But not real crying just that constant wailing without tears. His parents seemed to be oblivious to the fact that he was making a sound. I wondered if they would be oblivious if I rammed in in-flight magazine in his gob sideways to shut him up? But instead resorted to more huffing and puffing and turning up the volume on the headphones trying to drown out Damien the Omen 1 & 2 around me.

The seats on Iberia were okay I guess but there was no personal TV screen of choice of films etc it was like being back in time with the big flip down screens and one film fits all, spoilt? Me? No ! LOL. At least it goes fast when you are watching stuff and entertained. I think I caught half of one film and then tried to sleep but with no luck as I can never get comfy in airline seats.  Maybe one day I will get to travel first or business class and have one of them horizontal bed things…watch this space lol.

Go to Madrid feeling decidedly groggy and knackered and when to go through to the gates for my next flight.  I didn’t need to go to the baggage claim area as I’d already asked at Rio and my bags would go to Manchester without me collecting them each time.  Had to get on a transit shuttle train thing and then up loads of escalator following the signs for Gates H. When I went through the security bit  the one asked if I had a bottle in the bag. I said “yes duty free”, I got the jist she was saying it has to  be checked in your hold baggage. I said “and how do I do that when I won’t see it now until Manchester”? She waffled on in Spanish too fast for my to understand but then I heard something about go upstairs and check in your bag. Well after the Hoo haa with my bags not making it to Moscow after going via somewhere I didn’t quite fancy the chances of seeing my clothes again with the changes of flight.  So there was no way I was gonna check my rucksack in too with my laptop and everything  need in it as it doesn’t lock. In the end I though I’d rather give up the bottle of cheap booze than do that so I went to the bit metal bin marked glass and made sure I gave it a extra push through the hole so it would hopefully shatter (I thought they aint havin it). I don’t think it smashed though – gutted.

Called at McDonald for some food just as a group in front started their order for about 30 French kids on a trip.  Eventually got served and after having my food sat around for a while typing up this while I waited for my flight at 13:15.

Flight was on time and soon as I got myself a seat I was out for the count. Which is good since the only food or drink you were gonna be offered anyway you had to bloody pay for, so I was happy to skip that.  Landed at Heathrow just under three hours later and then jumped on the shuttle bus over to Terminal 5.  It seems like a really nice airport now that all the teething problems have been sorted out.  When I was having my eyes scanned or photo taken not sure which, she knew already that I’d come from Brazil and said thank you in Portuguese and smiled, which I thought was a nice touch.  Text my mother to let her know the penultimate flight had been completed successfully and there was just one more to go.

Flight from Heathrow left on time but I couldn’t get my text to send to tell my mum I was boarding so she could sort out the taxi so I just text her the minute I landed so she could get them sent while I waited for my bag.  Surprisingly not only did it turn up but it was also there as soon as I got through to the baggage arrivals place. I was just relieved it had arrived after 3 flights I wasn’t very hopeful.

As we came in to land I suddenly realised that I usually get flights into T3 when I am working but that’s not the case now and it kinda dawned on me that I really am unemployed and haven’t just been on a long holiday.

I’m sure thing will work out though I have a good feeling, I tend to land on my feet.

Well this is the end of my journey, I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed trying to think of something to write lol.

I will probably do one last entry for tomorrow which will be a kind of “lessons learnt” with hint and tips I’ve picked up along the way.  You may/may not find them of use but its mainly so I can have a read of it before I plan my next trip so I don’t make the same mistakes (always the project manager lol).

So that was my trip and now I’m back home in Manchester waiting for the taxi to Oldham and my old reality, all be it a little changed.  Hope you have enjoyed the ride, until next time.

Be good and don’t wish your life saying “I really wanna……” get yourself a book and in all the things you “really wanna” every time you think of one. Then the next time the opportunity arises to do one of those things one way or another DO IT !!!

Don’t be a spectator, life’s for living and passes by so quickly.  Enjoy !

X

Neil

Day 102 - Monday 13^th April – Rio de Janeiro

Got up nice and early and had breakfast and it was a bit overcast but by the time I showered and changed it had cleared up a bit and was a little bit blue so I headed off to the beach.

Walked down to the part in front of the Copacobanna Palace hotel and all the way down it looked pretty dead.  It was bank holiday though so maybe people had been out the night before and were sleeping it off.  I found myself a spot and settled down for a day in the sun.  The waves seemed to be huge, bigger than other days. They would go up in the air about 6 feet in the air and come crashing down. You couldn’t even walk along the water never mind swim as it dragged you in when the waves went back.  People were sunbathing quite far from the sea but when the waves came in now and then they would just rush right up the beach.  People would just get drenched and all their stuff would get washed away.  Whole families stuff would just disappear in the water and people would be scrabbling around trying to find there stuff as it all got dragged into the sea. Lol. I had a close call once but someone warned me the water was coming in so I managed to grab everything and move up the beach just in time.  By the end of the day you are sunbathing near the road.  Its not like the tide is coming in or owt as its far away its just that sometimes the big waves just keep on coming up the beach.

Even if the sea wasn’t rough you can’t swim in it as the beach just drops away like a big ledge so you go to put your feet down and there is just nothing.

I chanced a few of the things people were selling on the beach since I had brought a bit of money with me and no food. So I ended up having a skewer of tiger prawns with lemon juice on. Later I had a few oysters with all the bits and bobs as well as various drinks as they passed by.

Some bloody guy tried to sting me for a henna tattoo on my arm. He just started drawing on my arm while I was asleep and talking to me about my tattoos. I thought he was just tapping my arm near my other tattoo and it was only when I opened my eyes I saw he had already started. When he finished he said it was 40 Dib dabs (about £15, I told him to take a running jump and that I didn’t even want it in the first place. I said I had 4 dib dabs and he could take it or leave or just wipe it off. Needless to say we reached a compromise i.e. I got what I wanted and he didn’t LOL. So 4 dib dabs it was lol. It’s a souvenir I guess and it comes off in 20 days.

When the sun started to feel too hot at about 2:30pm I went to a café and got a light snack and drink then headed back to the hostel for a shower.  After I showered and changed I nipped to the shop over the road for some supplies for later.  The girl from the kitchen was going too so we went together. She can’t speak a work of English and prattles on to me in Portuguese as thought I know what she’s saying but I have no idea. I keep saying to her “you know I can’t understand anything you say don’t you?” and she just smiles and laughs at me LOL.

Had some drinks in the hostel with loads of people as there are quite a few English speaking people so it’s a bit easier at the mo. Took loads of photos and got people to stick their email addresses in my book so they can view em on facebook.  There is this Brazilian he/she staying at the hostel who has everyone confused whether it’s a him of a her but I think its obvious,  he dresses like a woman but has a flat chest, Adam’s apple and a 12 o’clock shadow that could put Clint Eastwood to shame.  Apparently he/she plays the Violin and has an audition tomorrow for something. He was actually really nice when I got chatting to him, I think people just didn’t know what to make of him.

There is also a Brazilian lad called Brosi who plays the guitar but is classically trained and can play it fantastically. He plays some really complicated stuff but makes it look easy.  He makes other peoples guitar playing just look like strumming for dummies. He also has an audition tomorrow at the same place as Diego (the girl/boy).  I’m sure he should nail it as he is really good, he has given me he details as he has some uploads on youtube of him playing.

The hostel ended up turning into one big jamming session as there were about 3 people playing guitars, people playing tambourines and the two stoners playing shakey things (not sure what they were).  Brosi played a few popular music songs so that people could sing along even though he said they weren’t complicated enough to play.  It’s always the way that you get to know loads of people when you only have 1 day left or something lol.

I think if I did a trip again I wouldn’t book all my flights before hand and would play it by ear more, so you are free to change your plans and go to places with people you meet who might be going somewhere better or different.

Got to bed at about 3am.

Day 101 - Sunday 12th April – Rio de Janeiro

Day 101 Sunday 12^th April – Rio de Janeiro

Spent most of the day in bed as the weather was shit and I was knackered.  Woke up at about 2pm and went to the shop for some lunch/breakfast, then lay in bed relaxing as the weather was really over cast so the beach wasn’t really an option.

Got up at about 9pm and tried getting online to upload the photos from last night but the net was down all night so just caught up on couple of days journal. I finally gave up on the whole internet thing as when its down it tends not to work all day so I will try again tomorrow.  Hopefully the weather will be better as I really want to go the beach again so I can try and get some bloody colour before I go home. My mates will be saying “Jesus you’ve been gone 4 months and your not even brown” (they don’t always call me Jesus) LOL.  Oh well I might not be brown but I got a whole heap of memories and experiences to draw on.

At about 10pm I decided to crack open the red wine and coke as it’s alwas a conversation starter and you can make mates easily with the offer of a drink ;-) method in my madness see.

Go chatting to a guy from San Francisco and we stayed up chatting until about 2:30am then I decided to go to bed as I wanted to be up early for the beach.

XOXO

Day 100 - Saturday 11th April – Rio de Janeiro

Day 100 Saturday 11^th April – Rio de Janeiro

After breakfast I said goodbye to Moses as he was heading off home and we swapped email addresses so that I could send him the pictures. Marissa was also changing hostels as her room wasn’t so hot and she wasn’t over keen on the hostel. I had gone the shop when she left so didn’t get chance to say goodbye but when I got back she had left a note with the reception guy with her email, bless. I thought that was really nice of her as we had only just met.  It’s so much easier to keep in touch too now with facebook.

When I got back from the shop I headed over to Copacobanna beach to an area of the beach in front of the copcacobanna beach, which was recommended as a place where all the hot people go, so of course I qualified lol.  Spent the day on the beach and managed to sun bath for quite a while without getting restless which is not like me. Maybe it was the good views that kept me amused.  I got chatting to a Brazilian guy who was REALLY brown and has that kind of body I’d love, dead slim and lean. He told me about a party later called BITCH that I should go to.  Only thing cos of his accent I thought he had said BEACH party so kept looking on the net for it to se where it was and couldn’t bloody find anything lol.

About an hour before I left a young Brazilian lad came and sat with me and chatted for a while and then we arranged to meet up later to go to a club as he said Le boy was a better club to go to.  He didn’t speak much English but luckily he had his little laptop with him and could connect to the wi-fi from the hotels along the beach.  So we used a translator site to have a conversation lol. The wonders of technology eh?  I gave him my email and phone number and said I would go on msn later to make proper arrangements of where to go etc.

Went back to the hostel and had a siesta before having something to eat.  By the time I managed to connect to msn it was after the time we had agreed to go online and he wasn’t on, so I sacked the idea of meeting up and just arranged to go to the club anyway.  I had a few drinks at the hostel and then jumped in a taxi to the club.  When I got there it was a bit early (11:30pm) so I went for a few beers at the café thing next door as there were a few people outside.

When I got in the club it was still pretty quiet but it picked up after a while.  I got chatting to a Brazilian guy who kinda tagged along all night. Which was cool as he could chat to people for me and speak the lingo lol.  The music wasn’t the best but at least the drinks weren’t ridiculously expensive.  The club finished at about 3am but the guy I was with (a Brazilian version of the name Vinnie) knew a kind of underground club thing that the locals go to that was open till about 9am.  We jumped in a taxi and went over to the club. It was a real dodgy dive looking place but the music was greta and everyone was really friendly.

Left the club at about 8am and shared a taxi to my hostel then he carried on to his house.

Day 99 - Friday 10th April – Rio de Janeiro

Day 99 Friday 10^th April – Rio de Janeiro

Woke up and had breakfast on the outside terrace.  The was a cereal and cake and a selection of ham and cheese that you could stuff into a piece of French stick. As well as tea and coffee or juice.  I just had some bread ham and cheese to put something solid into my stomach for the morning.

Soon after I had eaten breakfast I saw Moses wandering around.  Apparently he couldn’t sleep in the night so had gone to the beach at aout 5:15am this morning.  Ha said that he was going to the large Christ statue up on the hill top.  You can see it for miles, so I grabbed my camera and we headed off.

Luckily for me he could speak Portuguese and wasn’t backwards in coming forwards so he managed to find out what buses we needed to get to the statue.  WE jumped on two buses at a cost of just 2.20 Brazilian Dib dabs (whatever they are called) each which is about 70p, we then ended up at the foot of the big hill in the scorching heat. There were loads of tour buses at the bottom of the hill that took you to the top but Moses had a better idea and said he could get in cheaper so we wandered around the corner to ask someone.  Apparently there were motor-taxis that you could get a lot cheaper.  What I didn’t understand was that these motor-taxi’s were actually a dodgy looking guy on a motorbike and you just hopped on the back.  Anyway they wasn’t 15 dib dabs each but Moses managed to get it for 10 each and off we went. The hill was a bout a 10 minute ride round hair pin bends and up a really steep gradient.   I’ve never rode on the back of a bike before and was a bit daunted at first cos you have to just hold on to a handle behind you which at first didn’t feel very safe but I soon got the grip of it (pardon the pun) then it was okay.

Once we reached about 3/4s of the way up I noticed a massive queue that I presumed was to buy tickets for the statue thingy…WRONG!!  That was people who had already queued to buy tickets and were waiting to get in one of the small vans to the statue.  Just was I started to walk into the queue one of my flip flops snapped…GREAT ! I can’t moan I guess I’ve had em about 4 years, but It just meant I had to walk around bare footed all day, unless I could find a shop that sold em.

Anyway we hatched a plan that I would get in the massive queue while Moses went to queue to buy tickets.  He was only gone about 10 minutes so I’m guessing either the queue wasn’t very big or he befriended some old lady so he could push in lol.

We eventually got to the front of the long queue and jumped in a van to the statue.  The statue was huge and people were lying on the floor to in order to try and get it in the photo properly, whilst their friend would stand in front of the statue in the arms out like a cross pose. Needless to say Moses was the one doing the daft pose and not me lol.

Took some pics and then bought souvenirs on the way back down (well it saves carrying them around all day).  I bought Moses a little wrist band thing with the name of the place on and then he went and bought me a bloody little cup that said “ I love Rio”, bless him.

After getting a van back down to the ticket sales place we set off walking back down the massive hill as they wanted 150 Dib Dabs for the trip down in a taxi. Moses said we could probably just bum a lift off one of the cars going back down.  I’m sure he would do that even if he was on his own, but there is no way I would.  In the end he flagged a taxi headed down hill and managed to pursued them to take 10 dib dabs as they were going that way empty anyway so it was better than nothing (good plan)..

We got to the bottom and then got a bus back to our hostel.  Moses suggested we get some food from the supermarket and cook something.  He said “lets get some brea and stuff” to which I replied “that’s not cooking lol” so I managed to talk him into getting a few different bits from the deli.  We got some really nice pieces of steak in a mushroom sauce, some pancake things filled with veg and some roast potatoes.

After dinner I just chilled out in the hostel for a bit and got chatting to a girl from Australia called Marissa.  We decided to head out to meet her friend in a bar and then maybe to a club in the next resort over so asked one of the stoners who was staying at out hostel, if they knew where to go.  We got ready for about 8:30pm and headed out in a taxi to the street where the bar was meant to be (she’d just picked one out of her lonely planet guide).  When we got there we went up and down the street but it was nowhere to be seen so I suspect her book is out of date.  In the end we gave up finding it and then went into a local place for some food.  I just ordered a few things that looked like nibbly bits (as they said 12 pieces) but no idea what they were. She ordered tagliatelli.  When mine came it was one plate of what tasted like sausage/burger long things like sausage but crispy and another plate of what looked like espanadas (I’d had them before) which were assorted little pasty type things.  Some had meat in, some cheese and others shrimp paste, but all were nice. We decided to just share everything as Marissa’s Broccoli pasta looked a bit boring lol.

After food we headed over to a bar that I had spotted early that looked was busy with very good looking people so I suspected it might be a happy bar lol. We ordered a glass of “draught wine”, and couldn’t understand why it was cheaper than the wine by the glass.  We soon found out when we tasted it and it was like really sweet blackcurrant or something and was rancid.  It didn’t even taste like alcohol BBBRRR.

The stoner suggested somewhere (I cant remember the name now) that was meant to be popular.  POPULAR !!! I should bloody cocoa, when we got there 30 dib dabs later there was a queue half way down the street.  It didn’t even seem like it was a club.  It looked more like a bar and was in a street of restaurants so we only had the alternative of a restaurant type place to go to.  The “club” was on 3 levels and had balcony’s overlooking the street.  Neither of us fancied queuing for about 2 hours in the rain (as it wasn’t moving cos it looked like they were already doing “one out one in”), so we just decided to have a drink in one of the restaurants.

We had a couple of drinks and then decided to call it a night as we had almost spent up with the cost of the bloody taxis.

Day 98 - Thursday 9th April – Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro

Day 98 Thursday 9^th April – Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro

Woke up at the crack of dawn (well about 7:30am truth be told), bursting for the loo but didn’t fancy climbing down the ladders of the bunk bed as it rocks about like mad and would wake up Fabian underneath me.  I held out as long as I could but then once my bladder was the size of a boxing glove I thought it was time to make a dash for it.  It was about 9:30am when I finally got to the loo and I seemed pee for about a week lol.  Got washed n changed in the dark trying not to wake everyone else up, then the minute Fabian woke up he banged the light on so he could see what he was doing. I thought, I wish I had just done that in the first place instead of tiptoeing about.

The breakfast was mad busy and it seemed like a lot more people had arrived, so I skipped breakfast as I couldn’t be arsed with the whole pushing and shoving to get a bowl of cereal or sommat.  Sophie called in the hostel so we said another goodbye and I also said farewell to Fabian.  At about 11;30am I went into the baggage room to get my hold-all and rucksack and the roomed was rammed full with no clear path to get to my bags which were right at the back of the room (that’ll teach me to be up early and first in with my bags).  Had to mountain climb over the pile of bags and then literally launch my bags towards the door.

Krypton factor assault course over and I headed around the corner to the pickup point ready to be collected at just after 12pm.  There was another couple waiting at the same place so at least I knew I had gone to the right spot to wait.

Got the transfer to the airport and went to check the screen for my flight to see where I needed to go……TRAUMA !!  I couldn’t see the flight info for my flight! “Not again” I thought, thinking back to Uruguay. But panic I did not, I went over to the information desk but on my way saw another bigger screen showing my fight info and also listing it as being from Zone B.  I was in zone A so the other screen was probably just flights from that zone. Phew! Checked in fine and waited for the flight.

The flight was only 3 hours so we just had a quick bite to eat, some cold chicken salad and a cake that was SOOOOO sweet you got toothache just looking at it never mind eating any of it.

Once I got to Rio there was a guy to meet me with a sign wit my name on it – phew! We made a quick stop off at the bank for some cash and then he took me to the El Misti hostel in the resort of Copacabana.  Checked in and I was in a 9 bed dorm on the top book of a THREE TIER bunk bed. Jesus it was like mountain climbing to get up there. Talk about packin em in for the carnival and stuff.

Had a shower and got changed and then went to the communal area for a beer.  I can’t believe they speak bloody Portuguese though cos its stuff me up now for trying to have a conversation as I can’t understand a word people are saying.  Luckily I got talking to an 18 year old Brazilian lad who was in my dorm.  He has told his parents he was going to stay at his cousins and just hopped on the next bus to Rio for a few days.  He was really confident for someone so young and just talked to anyone and wasn’t intimidated at all.  I told him that I would probably book a day tour to see some of the sites but he said to just do it myself instead.  So he offered to take me to the statue of Christ thing in the morning as he was going to go.

Got to bed at about 1:30am and climbed up the triple bunk without ladders as there was none.

Day 97 - Wednesday 8th April – Buenos Aires

Day 97 Wednesday 8^th April – Buenos Aires

Got up at about 1:30pm after a few hours sleep and went downstairs to the communal area to use the internet.  Sophie turned up at mine at about 2:45pm as neither of us could remember what time we had arranged to meet so  I just hung about for a bit as I had it in  my head that we had said about 2:30pm or sommat like that.  We went for a wander up the main street but neither of us could sum up the enthusiasm to do any shopping, so we say outside a nice bistro place and had a red wine and coke each to try and liven us up a bit.  Kill or cure was the thinking behind it lol.

It was nice just to sit outside in the sun with a cold drink but it did feel very busy and hectic as it was the main part of town so we jumped into a taxi and headed over to the older party of town where it had a bit more of a relaxed atmosphere.  Also Sophie used to stay there so she knew the area.  It’s cool when I am with her as she is pretty fluent in Spanish so I just let her do all the talking when we need to go anywhere or do anything.

We found ourselves a small bar with seating outside as there was a reggae band playing across the street in the small square.  Obviously they played “red, red wine” which subliminally must have made us order another red wine and coke.  Shopping is fun lol.  After a while though it got a bit chilly so we did go and try to spend some money but nothing was rally grabbing me.  Found a really cool shop where all the clothes were really different and stuff you wouldn’t see at home but I liked almost everything in the shop but it was always sods law that the stuff I wanted they didn’t have in  my size.  The one top I nearly  bought had a small tear near the seam and they didn’t have another one GGGRRRR.

We got a taxi back to our hostels and made plans to get changed and meet back at my hostel at 9pm s there is a better atmosphere at mine cos everything is in the one big room so people all congregate there.

Got showered and changed, then met Sophie in the bar.  I was just gonna have a soft drink but Danny one of the guys who took us to the drum and base club brought me over a glass of red wine as they had been having a wine tasting earlier so he had some left.  After my wine I went up to the bar to get a rum and coke for Sophie and a red wine and coke for me but he wouldn’t let me pay and said the drinks were on him as it was my last night…Result !

Had a few drinks then we decided we should probably eat something as neither of us had eaten all day (she’s a bad influence that Sophie lol).  We found a busy place round the corner that looked more traditional like a canteena that was full of locals rather than some posh place designed for tourists.

We ordered a bottle of red wine, and bottle of coke and a steak each.  I had mine with steamed veg and a side order of mash (as I hadn’t had mash in 4 months).  The meal was lovely but I think the chef had slipped with the salt when he was doing the mash as it was really salty and ruined the whole mash experience for me.

After dinner we headed back to my hostel. It was about midnight and there was nobody behind the bar serving so the guy at reception told us to help our self and just tell them what we’d had.  We took out drinks to the bar to show him and he said “just give me 4 pesos as I don’t know the prices”.  So we gave him 8 which was a quid each, seems like everyone is on our side tonight lol.

Got chatting to the guy on reception downstairs and a guy from San Pablo in Brazil who was waiting in reception to go to a club. I think Sophie was tempted to join him but there was no way I wanted to as I needed to check out for 11am in the morning. It feels really funny that every other country speaks at least two languages fluently yet people in England rarely speak more than just English.  I really want to make the effort to learn Spanish when I get home.   

Said my goodbye to Sophie at about 2am and hit the sack.