A Broken Van and Monsoon in Recife, and then on to Rio de Janiero
(Finding internet in Brazil was tough…it wasn’t available at any of our Airbnbs, and we didn’t spend much time looking for spots where we’d spend much time online.So here’s a brief run-down of our time once we left Manaus…)
The morning after the Amazon trip we all departed for Recife…on a bunch of different flights. Brett had arranged a large apartment in Olinda, which is a World Heritage site near Recife. Kieran and I arrived early, waited for another buddy - Matt Moran - who was flying in from the U.S. - then waited for Clint and Ashely on another flight from Manuas. We took a taxi to the place, which looked real cool from the outside - though it left much to be desired inside.
Brett, Curtis, Andy and Evan took later flights and met us in Olinda, as did another friend of Curtis’s. There were 10 of us staying in a three-room apartment without AC, TVs, couches, or a functional kitchen. And no towels. Only one room had a double bed, and a handful of cots and twin mattresses were spread out elsewhere. Needless to say, we spent our short time in bars and restaurants. Kieran ran down to a store and bought what he thought were towels, though we all got a nice laugh when he rolled them out and we realized he’d bought 10 pillow cases. Hey, it’s all we had so it had to work.
It was a neat city - consisting of hills made up of cobbled-stone streets with various older buildings, many turned into shops, restaurants and bars. The next day we rented a van and headed to a nearby beach resort called Porto de Galinhas. We’d met a couple other friends so there was 13 of us now.
On our way back, our van broke down - and it was a comical scene trying to push it out of traffic and with a couple guys acting like they knew how to fix it. Somehow, we got it started again. That night we had a group dinner atop a hill in Olinda in the dark after the lights went out. But it allowed me to capture a cool photo as the lights came back on while we walked back.
We’d heard there would be a huge storm the next day, so we had secured the same van to take us to the USA vs Germany game. It was a monsoon - the van somehow maneuvered through flooded streets and we made it to the game. We lost but still advanced to the next round.
The next morning, we all went different ways.
Andy and Evan flew to Rio de Janeiro. Kieran also went on a later flight. Brett was set to go back to England, Curtis and his friend were flying to Salvador, Clint and Ashley were heading to Chile to continue their round-the-world trip. I decided that morning to fly to Rio, coordinating with Kieran to meet at the airport.
We met up with Andy and Evan late that night, which we spent laughing and drinking beers while walking up and down Copacabana Beach. We crashed on their hotel room floor.
The next day we were among a million people at the Fanfest on the famous beach. The place went nuts when Brazil scored on Chile, and at the moment, two guys tried to rip my chain off my next. I had no idea what was happening - they left me with a torn shirt, scratched neck, and some dirty underwear. But I somehow was able to hold on to my chain while adding an ‘I got mugged in Brazil’ story.
A little frazzled, we left at halftime, met our buddy Steve and took a train to the famed Maracana stadium to watch Colombia play Uruguay - and witness James Rodriguez’s incredible goal.
That night we met other friends from the U.S. Andy and Evan left the next day and Kieran and I spent it at the Christ the Redeemer statue and visiting Ipanema Beach. The next day he also flew home, and I went to Salvador to go the USA versus Belgium game.
