Still in Rio but Leaving for Bahia Tomorrow

Wow, I don’t even know where to begin. So much has happened since I last wrote. When I first got to Rio, I was a little scared and lonely- but so much has changed in the last few days! I met lots of people at the hostel and we spent an awesome New Year’s Eve together!  After visiting the main touristic places at the beginning of the week, I spent the remainder of it exploring it my way! On my third day in Rio, I rented a bike and biked along Leme, Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon beaches as well as around the lake. The funny part of the day was when a tv host approched us and asked us to be on live tv. I didn’t want to because I cannot speak Portuguese for the life of me but ended up doing it anyway. I made such a fool of myself. Thank god I don’t know many people in Rio!  On Thursday Dec 30th, I was scheduled to go hang-gliding but it rained all day. Blah!  The hostel planned a boat party so most of us backpackers ended up there. I guess it was one of the best ways  to pass time on a rainy day!

Anyhow, all this to say that finally, Dec 31st came along. It was still raining in the morning so most of us were disapointed. But luckily, it cleared up  by the end of the day. We all wore white clothing and headed to the beach. It will be an unforgetable night! I’ll post the video once I get back home.  We were easily 2.5 million people on the beach. I’m so fortunate to have been surrounded by great people!  The fireworks at midnight and the synergy on the beach were beyond spectacular. I cannot even write what I felt! To my surprise, I was woken up at 10am this morning to go hang-gliding.  Considering that I am leaving tomorrow, I couldn’t pass the opportunity. So tired as I was, I spent the day with a few other people and the guide waiting my turn to go hang-gliding. WOW is all I have to say. The view was unbelievable. I’d really like to post some pics but the Internet here is way to slow. I’ll do so when I have high-speed Internet  at my next hostel. Happy New Year to all!