Well, Carnaval is over now and the crowds of partygoers & crossdressers have gone home. Everything's much calmer, quieter and cleaner. It's also enabled us to change rooms at the Mercure & life has improved as a result! Instead of a window looking onto a blank wall 6 feet away, we now have the 'rear window' type view in the photo with a favela (which has its own lift access) on the hill behind. And we don't need to have the light on in the room during the...

Day 2 of the Carnaval. We thought we'd go into central Rio and do some museums. When we exited Carioca Metro station we bumped into a band led parade down Av Rio Branca. This was the site of the previous day's partying in the street with 2.2m in attendance! It was a bit like the morning afterwards and folk struggled to raise a dance and a beer but soon found them doing both to the Samba rhythm! We wandered into the Banco de Brasilia - cool marbled halls where a...

We have moved north along Ipanema Beach to the Hotel Mercure for Carnival. This hotel is more in to the party goers. We spent most of yesterday on the beach under an umbrella in a chair - yes I (P) even managed to break one! I swam at 8am and 6pm - and with all the times in between - was v refreshing!! You can drink a lot of beer without thinking about it in the hot and well supplied beach environment! Quite a few colourful characters on the street last night -...