Brazil: Day One

Our first day in Brazil! We left Salvador this morning to catch our flight. We had some trouble with the language barrier and money. They dont accept credit cards here like they do in America. Duh.. We were only able to afford a one-way ticket to Rio because we couldnt withdrawl much money from our checking accounts. Thankfully we ran into three americans and one of them knew Portuguese. She assisted us at the ticket counter and departure gate. We also ran into a guy from San Francisco and we shared a taxi with him into Copacabana.

I sat next to a couple on the flight to Rio and they made out the entire time! People in Brazil are very affectionate. I cant go anywhere without seeing a couple kissing or cuddling. Ive also seen a lot of children running around without their clothes on.

Im really nervous about getting property stolen. Ive been wearing a travel purse inside of my pants. Before we left the ship this morning, the U.S. Consulate respresentive scared the crap out of us with a story about Rio. She said that many people wont stop for stoplights during the night because they are afraid of people jumping out of no where and highjacking the car. Just recently a mother was driving in Rio with her 13 year old and a 7 month old baby. She was forced to stop at a stoplight and some highjackers came out of the bushes and the car infront her of. The mom and daugher got away, but the child did not make it out. Its a story Ill never forget. So in other words, I will be extremely cautious of where I go and what I do in this city.

We are checked into a hostel called CopaHostel. Its near Copacabana beach and the markets. Thankfully the staff is bi-lingual and extremely friendly. When we were checking in I noticed one of the staff memebers was missing an earing. Concerned, I asked her is she was missing an earing. She explained to me that its a trend and youre only supposed to wear one. I got embarrassed and felt like a stupid American. This probably won~t be the last time it happens to me throughout my voyage though.

We are finally able to use the internet! In our hostel they are charing me R1,00 for 10 minutes (which is $6.00 for 1 hour). Im super happy! It feels like its been a decade since Ive been able to use the internet without fear of using too many minutes. Its crazy how addicted Americans are to the internet. When I get home, I am going to try to use it less often. There are so many things I can do instead of staring at a screen. LIKE EXERCISE! (lol Justin)

Today I didnt eat very well. I almost missed breakfast too. Actually, I pretty much did because I only had a small glass of skim milk and a nasty spoon full of plain yogurt. It was disgusting! The airline served us a sandwich for lunch -- surprise, surprise. Ash and I went to a Market near the hostel called Pao De Acucar. We got some small snack items. I grabbed a liter of water and pepsi-- because Ive been craving it like crazy! I got a few nutri-grain bars. It wasn~t a good day for food.

Tomorrow the rest of our group is coming. We plan on going to the markets and maybe to a safe beach. We also have tickets for the Samba Parade in the Sambadome. Our tickets were really expensive, so Im expecting a great show. Ill post more tomorrow.

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Puerto Rico: AIRMAIL no later than JAN 24th
Megan Monahan
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives February 7, 2007
Cruise Plus Service & Sales
1760 Fernandex Juncos Avenue
San Juan, PUERTO RICO, 00909

Brazil: AIRMAIL no later than FEB 3rd
Megan Monahan
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives February 17, 2007
Oceanus Agencia Maritima
Av. Estados Unidos, 397, Room 601-604
40018-900 Salvador, BAHIA-BRAZIL

South Africa: AIRMAIL no later than FEB 16th
Megan Monahan
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives March 2, 2007
John T. Rennie & Sons
PO Box 702, 1 Thibault House
8000 Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA

Mauritius: AIRMAIL no later than MAR 1st
Megan Monahan
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives March 15, 2007
Ireland Blyth Limited
1 Queen Street, PO Box 53
Port Louis, MAURITIUS

India: AIRMAIL no later than MAR 11th
Megan Monahan
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives March 25, 2007
J.M. Baxi & CO
52 Rajaji Salai
Chennai-600 001, INDIA

Malaysia: AIRMAIL no later than MAR 19th
Megan Monahan
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives April 2, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services SDN
4th Floor Unit 4B
Wisma Saw Chong Thuah
39-c, Pengkalan Weld
10300 Penang, MALAYSIA

Vietnam: AIRMAIL no later than MAR 26th
Megan Monahan

C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives April 9, 2007
General Forwarding & Agency
5th Floor Osic Building
8 Nguyen Hue Avenue
D. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM

Hong Kong: AIRMAIL no later than APR 3rd
Megan Monahan
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives April 17, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services (HK) Ltd.
Units 1802-1805, 18th Floor
No 3 Lockhart Road
Wanchai, HONG KONG- CHINA

China: AIRMAIL no later than APR 7th
Megan Monahan
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives April 21, 2007
Penavico Qingdao
21 Wuxia Road
Quingdao, 266002, P.R. CHINA

Japan: AIRMAIL no later than APR 11th
Megan Monahan
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives April 25, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services
Kenryu Bldg II, Room 303
6, Kaigan-dori, Chu-ku
Kobe-shi, Hyogo-Ken 650-0024, JAPAN

Hawaii: AIRMAIL no later than APR 23rd
Megan Monahan
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives May 7, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services
Gentry Pacific Center
260 North Numitz Hwy, Suite 103
HONOLULU, Hawaii 96817, USA