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.