Rio de Janeiro

Our hostel was almost too horrible to explain. If I had to describe it, it was like an old apartment building that was originally 300-feet apartments that had been converted into rooms with 4-6 beds in them. We actually booked a 6 bed room with an ensuite but apparently in Rio you have to email them to clarify that you want all 6 beds to be in the same room . . . and the first room that 4 out of 6 were given, the AC wasnt working, there was no window and already 2 people sleeping in there! After much negotiation we were given a 4 person room with AC that worked and a 2 person room with AC for the night and the next night we were to get a 6 person room, ensuite with working AC. Since we were there over New Years, the hostel was already extremely expensive and we really didnt have any other options so after coming to terms with our new *home* for the next few days we set out to see the city. When we woke up on the 30th it was raining . . . but we hadnt come this far to be scared of room AND our hostel was so bad AND there was no common area we could hang out so we headed out to Corcovado. We jumped into 2 cabs, 3 in one and 3 obviously in the other. The first cab, which had myself in it, went to the base of Corcovado, where you catch the train to go up the mountain, and jumped out to wait for the others . . . and we waited . . . and we waited . . . 40 minutes later and with every possible scenario of them being dead or robbed somewhere, one of the vendors told us that you could actually take a cab halfway up the mountain where you catch a the bus and elevator the rest of the way to the top, so hoping the other 3 were there we headed up. Rio use to be a rainforest and the only rainforest that is really left are on these crazy mountain-like-rocks they have all over the city, which actually makes Rio even more beautiful! So going to the top was like taking a jungle tour through the rainforest. They took you first to a mountain that was attached to Corcovado where you could take pictures of the city and of course, Christo standing uptop of Corcovado! We got out and took a bunch of pictures, hoping we would find the other 3 but they were no where, so we got back in and headed for the top. When you get near the top, there is a parking lot with cabs and cars where people have brought their own cars up and from there you have to jump in these vans that take you up pin-hair sharp turns to almost the top where you take another elevator up a few more stories and then when you get out and think you must be there, you take 2 escalators the rest of the way. It wasnt raining at the top but it was very wet and Christo was covered almost completely by the clouds. The clouds would clear for a few seconds though and you could see around you! We looked for the others there and when it started to rain got some shelter and waited a bit but they werent there . . . so we did the whole process in reverse . . . got to the bottom and jumped in a cab back for our hostel. So even though there could be 6 people sleeping in a room, they only give ou one key and since the person with our key was in the other taxi, we were locked out. We knocked on both room doors though but they werent there. We asked the guys working at the front desk whether they had seen them, but it wasnt the same guy from the night before so he had no idea who we were talking about. It was raining pretty hard by then and we were starving so looking like wet poodles we started to roam the streets looking for food. After lunch we felt a bit better and we had to grab our laundry so we headed back to the hostel . . . hoping the others would be there, all in one piece with no holes in them! When we got back they were there! Apparently, although they had the guide book with the book, they had been confused and got dropped at Sugar Loaf, they waited for us there, then realized they werent in the wrong spot, had rushed over to Corcovado but by that time we were up the mountain! Everyone was okay though. We spent the rest of the afternoon staying dry in the hostel and by the evening we found all of us together in one room in our hostel!