Left Saquarema this morning around 9:50. In light of the rain for the first time I converted my luggage to a backpack. Thankfully I have wheels normally as he experience reminded me of Duke of Edinburgh. Fortunately it was only a short walk to the bus station. I arrived in Rio before lunch and right next to my bus was one to Barra da Tijuica bus station which I figured was most the way to where I was going.
When I got to the bus station it was not that simple to hail a taxi. In fact I had to stand on the edge of a freeway to hail one down. The first did not want to know (typical Rio). The one I eventually got ended up screwing me over. I got the luggage in the car expecting the meter, but he insited it was 80 reals. In light of the difficulty of getting a taxi I bit the bullet although was pissed off. The receptionist at the hostel confirmed the guy had screwed me over saying it should have been 50 reals. However I was not alone- my room mate from Miami informed me that he too had been screwed over on the way. Rio taxi drivers can be such jerks.
I am now in Recreio dos Bandeirantes which is right the otherside of Rio staying opposite the beach. Clearly this is the surfing part of Rio- this time the hostel is also a proper surf place, most of the staff surf. I grabbed another staple of chicken, rice, beans and chips (become my Brazilian diet- high in nutrtion) for 19 reals. There was a lot of food and it was decent.
Wandered back and had a chat with the Miami guy, before heading surf close by. The waves were fun, in fact the water was much warmer than Saquarema which was cold ( I was warned, even though it is further North). There was not much of a paddle out either which was nice- the only problem was the crowd. I had to shout people out of waves, but got a few fun little rides. The best wave that came through I had to leave otherwise I would have ran someone over- frustrations of surfing in crowds. Surfing is certainly popular on this stretch The banks seem better than where I surfed in Barra central, although still plenty of close outs.
Despite being on the edge of the national park the area is a biot more dodgy than expected. In fact I am avoiding going out at night- it just has a wierd feel. My flip flops also got nicked (not the 'Neymars', but the old Portuguese ones). Ended up getting some salami and bakery in for dinner as notmany places in walking distance around here
When I got to the bus station it was not that simple to hail a taxi. In fact I had to stand on the edge of a freeway to hail one down. The first did not want to know (typical Rio). The one I eventually got ended up screwing me over. I got the luggage in the car expecting the meter, but he insited it was 80 reals. In light of the difficulty of getting a taxi I bit the bullet although was pissed off. The receptionist at the hostel confirmed the guy had screwed me over saying it should have been 50 reals. However I was not alone- my room mate from Miami informed me that he too had been screwed over on the way. Rio taxi drivers can be such jerks.
I am now in Recreio dos Bandeirantes which is right the otherside of Rio staying opposite the beach. Clearly this is the surfing part of Rio- this time the hostel is also a proper surf place, most of the staff surf. I grabbed another staple of chicken, rice, beans and chips (become my Brazilian diet- high in nutrtion) for 19 reals. There was a lot of food and it was decent.
Wandered back and had a chat with the Miami guy, before heading surf close by. The waves were fun, in fact the water was much warmer than Saquarema which was cold ( I was warned, even though it is further North). There was not much of a paddle out either which was nice- the only problem was the crowd. I had to shout people out of waves, but got a few fun little rides. The best wave that came through I had to leave otherwise I would have ran someone over- frustrations of surfing in crowds. Surfing is certainly popular on this stretch The banks seem better than where I surfed in Barra central, although still plenty of close outs.
Despite being on the edge of the national park the area is a biot more dodgy than expected. In fact I am avoiding going out at night- it just has a wierd feel. My flip flops also got nicked (not the 'Neymars', but the old Portuguese ones). Ended up getting some salami and bakery in for dinner as notmany places in walking distance around here
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