I've got my backpack almost packed, still have to take a few copies of my passport etc, mut then I'll be all set to go. My plane will be leaving in 4 hours, which gives me plenty of time to start my blog. I always thought that it was a lot harder to start a blog, so that's why I couldn't bother with it, but then I was talking to my friend and since I have a bit of spare time I thought I'd see how this thing works. So I will be writing here every now and then to tell you what I've been up to and what country I'm in.. (I already apologize for all the spelling and grammar mistakes.)

So some people think I'm crazy, leaving my friends and family behind and all the comforts of home, to go travel around and stay in hostels for almost 4 months (well that's not entirely true, I should have a room in some shared flat in Buenos Aires for 2 months :)). Ofcourse I'll miss everyone at home lots and I'm feeling a bit blue leaving, but at the same time I'm so excited!!!! Once you start travelling, you can never get enough of it. There's always new places to see, people to meet and the whole experience is amazing. And this time I'm not going by myself. I've got my darling friend Nicola waiting for me in Rio de Janeiro and I'm sure we'll have a wicked time there. I'll better be off taking those copies, but I'll write here next from Brazil!

They call Rio de Janeiro Cidade Maravilhosa which means marvelous city and I think Rio certainly deserves the name. I've spent the last week in Rio and it's been amazing. People keep constantly surprising me with their friendliness and they all seem to be happy all the time. I was also surprised that Rio is not at all as dangerous as I thought before I came over. Ofcourse there are some streets where I walked a bit faster and held my purse a bit tighter, but other than that the city felt perfectly safe (if you don't go wondering in the favelas..)

We were staying the firts few nights in Copacabana but as we thought that's it's seen it's best days (I'd compare it to Koh Samui), we decided to move to Ipanema. In Ipanema we were staying in this great hostel right by the beach, so no matter what plans we had made for the day, we always had time to go for a morning swim (and ended up spending half a day there).
One of the best things we did in Rio was the football game in Maracaná. That's the world's biggest stadium and holds up to 80 000 people. Even though it wasn't full, the atmosphere was excellent, everyone was singing and dancing and had massive flags and fireworks.. We saw some eager fans in St.Peterburg with Suvi&co. but the were nothing compared to the brazilian fans. (Althought we were quite impressed with their routine, weren't we..?)

One thing me and Nicola loved about Rio, was the kilograma restaurants. They have a wide selection of delicious food and then you just pay depending on how much the food weights. And the best part is the desserts section (or it has been a bit dangerous and sometimes we've been tempted to go there just for the cakes) They have all sorts of cakes, pies, fruit, ice-cream.. :)
So far I've loved Brazil. People are great and it has a good vibe. But I do find it hard to get my head around the fact that there are 188 million people in Brazil and 1% own half the land. It just doesn't seem right to me..

Yesterday we arrived tyo Ilha grande. It's an island (without cars!) south of Rio. Today I've spent the day reading and sleeping in a hammock and listening to the waves hit shore. We needed a little break and some time to relax after the late nights in Rio. It feels like I left home a long time ago. Travelling has been great and we have met a lot of interesting people, like this one guy who's bringing Rio together with music. My time's almost up, so take care everyone and you know my email..