So we arrived in Rio de Janeiro two weeks ago and have been partying ever since!!! First we stayed in the Copacabana only a few minutes from the incredible beach, where everybody wears rather little and struts around flexing their muscles! We discovered the pleasure of shopping on the beach as you can lie on your towel and people just bring over whatever you want- pineapple, prawns, sandwiches, bikinis, sunglasses, jewellery, sun cream, drinks- definitely the way to shop! We were admittedly a little worried when the first shop we went in told us not to got to the beach because we would get shot and when we jokingly asked a taxi driver if he thought we would get shot and he replied deadly serious "I hope not." We were staying in a crazy hostel in a dorm room and woke up one morning to find a random Brazilian guy asleep in one of the beds. For the people of Portswood who enjoy the Club of dreams (aka Jesters) as much as we do, we have found the brazilian equivalent and have obviously spent every night there since! Since the Brazilians tend to party hard all night we are finding it increasingly difficult to go home before the sun comes up!! We have had some crazy nights out, including going to a town called Lapa, where the streets are filled with people and samba music. It has a great vibe, quite scary but great at the same time! We spent three days on an island called Ilha Grande, which was literally amazing. Felt like paradise, with our hostel literally on the beach, our own canoes, boat, pontoon, hammocks!! We had two crazy guys who took us out on the boat to other beaches, snorkeling in lagoons. Annie had her first taste of surfing and nearly got battered to death as the waves apparently had a "bad rip?." On returning to Rio, we moved to a different beach in Ipanema (closer to the Brazilian Jesters) and on our final day tomorrow will be doing the touristy bit; Sugar Loaf mountain and Christ the Redeemer here we come! With only a day left, we will soon be back in the sunny UK! We literally have had the most incredible summer ! Love Annie, Jo and Carys xxxx