It’s crazy, because every day I meet someone like this. People that are just out here doing whatever they want, making the most of life. Here are a couple more:

Brandon: I met him while at lunch in Rocinha, the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro. He’s been living in Rio for the past 4 months. I asked if he spoke Portuguese. He said no. He’d actually never even been to Brazil before he moved to Rio 4 months prior. He was in London for all of his life and figured, why not move. Why not move to Rio.

David: Another guy I met through the Rocinha trip. I asked David what he was doing in Rio. He said he found a cheap flight from…I can’t remember where the flight was from now. But I do know that he was just trying to make his way to Ecuador because he had a flight out of there in 2 months. He had NO plan on where he would go next or how he was getting there or even how long he was staying in Rio. His only “plan” was to get to Ecuador in 2 months.

Random girl at hostel: I just don’t remember her name. Actually, I don’t think I ever got. Fact. I never got it. Anyway, she was born in the jungle in Zimbabwe, went to visit Dubai and liked it, so she stayed. Now she’s traveling through South America.

Nico: He’s the bartender at the hostel. He was born in Italy, but grew up in London. He’s been in Salvador for one month because he wants to learn Portuguese.

I’m sure there are a few people that I’m forgetting. There are also some people that I simply haven’t asked. And I’m certain I’ll meet even more people during the next two weeks.

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1. I’m Not A Backpacker
2. You Can’t Expect People to Act the Way that You Do
3. 10 Things All Single People Must Do

1. The view – This is by far the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen and I won’t believe anyone that tells me that there is a better looking place. I’m not sure what mofosky decided to build a city in and around mountains, but they are a winner…they’re crazy, but winning nonetheless.

2. Santa Teresa – This is actually going to be my new home (tons of pictures coming soon). Santa Teresa is home to a huge artist community in Rio. Today we had a chance to stroll through for their “portas abiertos” which translates to open house. Please don’t trust my spelling of those Portuguese words because I could be completely wrong about them. Anyway, in a year or 2, I could really see myself packing up and staying awhile. The area used to be home to the wealthiest Brasilians. They fled and left behind their outrageously beautiful mansions. Some smart artists moved in and revitalized the place into what it is today. Wandering through the cobble-stoned roads feels like stepping back into time.

3. Favelas – That little thing called slavery really sucked for a whole lotta people throughout the world. On Friday, we had a chance to go and have lunch in Rocinha, one of the largest favelas in Brasil. If I’m not mistaken it’s the largest and home to about 300,000 people. They have everything from barbershops to sushi restaurants to shops to pastry places.

The favelas all started when the former slaves that were fighting for Brasil came home with low paying jobs and nowhere to live. The government basically told them to build their homes on the side of the hills. They’re now scattered throughout Brasil and I quickly realized that no matter where you were in Rio, you weren’t far from a favela. So yeah, there’s the matter of the drug thing. (We actually walked past a bloco (another Portuguese word not to be trusted) for the drug dealers and had someone whizz by us on a bike with two huge pistols and an ammunition belt [L'rai thought this ammunition belt was part of a t-shirt...SMH] ).

However, the favela is more than drug dealers and from what I could gather, it is home to very hard-working on honest people. Many of the famous samba schools started there and I’ve also heard that this is how Carnaval started. I could go on and on about the favelas, and maybe I’ll do something in depth about it one day. Just know that they really captured my heart. And further proved that slavery was some really bullshit and the effects are real everywhere.

That’s it for missing in Rio. We definitely did some partying, but you can party anywhere in the world right? I’ve fallen in love with the Portuguese language all over again…and caipirinhas…and fresh juices…and gorgeous Brazilian men…and samba…but, this will all be continued in Salvador!

Until then…tudo bem? Tudo bem. (That phrase absolutely does not work here, but it’s my favorite and I’ll interject it wherever I please.)

Pictures coming soon!!!

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2. People Are Living
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