19th Feb
The Lapa is going off again.
Going to Carnavale parade tonight.
All met at 10pm in foyer. Walked to subway and only had to go 4 stops. We did not get into the stadium until midnight. People everywhere. Finding a spot in our allocated sector was a challenge. The atmosphere was awesome. Each school took around 45 minutes to walk through. Each entry consisted of at least 2000 people. Fireworks, loud singing and lots of drums. The solo dancers were beautiful. Some really played up to the crowd. The crowd came alive when last years winners Beija Flor, came on at about 4am and it was worth the wait. We were handed flags to wave as they passed by. The whole performance was spectacular and certainly my highlight. Got a taxi home at around 5.30am.
20th Feb
Slept till 2pm. Off on a dinner cruise at 4pm. Walked through the streets to the waterfront. Still lots of street parties and revellers around. We boarded our boat and headed out to sea passing Sugar Loaf and Corcovada with Christ the Redeemer glistening in the sun in all his glory. We headed out to a small island called Ilha Cotunduba and watched the sun set over Corcovada drinking Caipirnha's. It was relaxing and the views were great. We partied on the boat for hours then headed back to shore and went out for a more substantial meal in the Lapa area. It was a night to remember.