Last posted from Rio a few days ago on the last official day of my Encounter (truck/camping thing) trip...we went out for dinner and had a nice time etc but had a bit of a damp squib of a night out - having rocked up at what was supposed to be a big club area, we found that most of them were shut...ok, it was Monday, but this is Rio! Spent the next day exploring the city on foot, or rather, scoping out the nicest bits of the city: the Copacabana and its neighbouring beach, Ipanema, where we moved to on the 3rd day. Rio is so different to what I was expecting - it's absolutely beautiful, and in no way the congested. Heaving mass of concrete I had somehow developed an idea of. Ipanema is gorgeous and leafy, and our hostel was literally 2 blocks from the beach...and my, what a beach. Rather like a calmer version of the Copacabana (which is crazy and packed and full of volleyball and football and gay men in their own special section), it has white sand and sparkling aqua surf. And lots of women in teeny tiny bikinis just to make those of us who haven't seen the sun for a while feel bad. Did spend one day chilling out on the beach, and what should have been gloriously uneventful turned into a minor incident: snoozing away, iPod drowning out the sounds of screaming children and all, then Faith asks me to put some suncream on her back. Am about to oblige, and start to get up to do so when enormous wave comes crashing way up towards us, much further than any other wave all day. Have nanosecond to rescue my right arm (also known as my pod) and clutch my book, wrapping everything in my sarong as I dash up the sand. Was just congratulating myself on snappy getaway when realise have headphones but no more Huey Lewis and the News. Little blue pod nowhere to be seen on now-sodden sand either, then lots of people come up to Faith and I gabbling away in Portuguese and pointing further up the beach...transpired that they were trying to say they'd spotted someone nicking off with it....heart sank, thought this guy would be long gone; but this little boy takes Faith by the hand and marches her up to this man whilst pointing and saying "He's got her stuff, he's got her stuff!"...then (miraculously), after a pondering look from Faith, this guy just hands it over, with a sort of "oh, right, didn't know it was yours" sort of expression. Madness. But all's well that ends well; pod was a little damp and sandy, but still appears to work. Phew. So; still attempting to make good on the great party reputation Rio has, we signed up to go and see a football match at the national stadium. This was basically the equivalent of Chelsea v. Arsenal at Wembley in the FA Cup Final: the two biggest teams in Rio in the final of the Copa do Brasil at the Maracana stadium, one of the biggest in the world. Was quite simply one of the best experiences have had in the whole trip - the atmosphere (and chaos) was incredible: flares and firework in the stadium, rather large scuffles, crazy, mentalist fans...Flamengo beat Vasco 1-0 that night and it was an amazingly exhilarating spectacle - endless songs and chanting (these football fans have serious rhythm) and 6 cans of beer (they bring it to your seat! Bearing the Flamengo crest and everything) helped too. Since the match didn't start until 10pm, we weren't back at the hostel until 2am (the journey back featured getting stuck in traffic in a tunnel when all the Flamengo fans got out of their cars and just danced and sang in the road) then headed to a club to meet the rest of our mates. Club shut at 5am then for some reason 5 of us went to a random little place in the Copacabana and then after the sun came up (didn't even notice that one) decided it would be a great plan to go swimming on the beach. Rocked back to the hostel at 9am and had to drag my sorry ass out of bed again at 1pm to go on a tour of the city, taking in the huge statue of Christ the Redeemer that you can see from all over Rio, and then to Sugarloaf Mountain for sunset. Absolutely stunning, the lot of it, but was experiencing one of the Top 5 Most Awful Hangovers Of My Life at the time. Hopped on a plane this afternoon and here I now am in Buenos Aires, which I can tell I am going to love. Absolutely starving to must get some nosh now but thanks for the messages, Meals and Lex - oodles of luck for the interviews and am looking forward to frolicks in Laaaaaandon baby with the both of you. Big snogs, R xxx