Day 3: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Today we started our day with a rather unpleasant surprise. We learned that good old Administrator Sebastian had failed us yet again. 

We had initially booked our room for two nights, but decided to extend for one more night when Sebastian told us our room would still be available. However, he called us in the morning to inform us he had unknowingly (how I ask?) already given the room away to another guest who was due to arrive shortly. Dan and I were forced to rouse ourselves awake, pack our bags, and search for a new place to stay within a mere two-hour window. I chalked all of this up to being "part of the experience" so as to avoid fuming from the ears.

Dan and I departed to the sound of Sebastian's apologies and headed to our next destination. We ended up at a place called Mellow Yellow Villa, a true hostel where the staff was around our age and the rooms were shared quarters. Dan and I were put in a four-person room; only one bed was occupied, but the guy was still sleeping at 2pm and the room had a funky smell to it, so we were in and out as quickly as possible.

We decided to go to see a part of Rio that the Parisians had recommended to us the night before. We took a short ride on the metro, only to get off and realize that without internet and GPS, we had no means of locating our exact end point. We figured we would hunt for an Internet cafe, but first made our way through a nearby outdoor market. The market was filled with poultry, fish, and produce stands.  All of the fruits and vegetables looked incredibly vibrant and fresh. 

After leaving the market and accessing the internet, we found our intended destination: a cafe at the peak of a beautiful hilltop village called Santa Teresa. There, we had a delicious meal and then walked around the area. We had a great view of Rio and also caught sight of some cute telephone wire walkers. 

 

We then ventured back to Mellow Yellow Villa. At the hostel, Dan and I made fast friends with a few different hostel workers and some of their friends. One of the hostel workers, a pretty blonde named Vicky, invited us to a party where her friend was djing. Before long, we were dressed and hanging at the hostel bar where we were given complimentary caipirinhas, and then ordered second ones for 5 Reais each (the equivalent of $2.50 for a very strong cocktail). We hung out and talked for awhile before making our way to the party.

Our small crew was comprised of me, Dan, Vicky (an Argentinian), Vicky's boyfriend, Bruno (a Brazilian), Christian (a New Zealander), and Kish (a Fijian Indian from Tasmania). I spent most of the 15-minute walk with Vicky, who was educating me on the cultural differences between North and South America. More specifically, she explained how the South American mindset about sexuality is more "socially advanced." Whereas North Americans are "tied down by monogamy," in her culture, even if she is in a relationship, there is no fault in having as many partners--regardless of gender--as she pleases.

The talk was certainly enlightening, and I had expected to move on from there once we arrived at the party. However, not so. At this point, things took a turn for the weird. Vicky spent the better part of the night trying to convince me and Dan to swap partners with her and her boyfriend. Who with whom was unclear--girl & girl? girl & boy? They made several attempts to individually corner us and used various tactics of persuasion. Despite the fact that they were both beautiful people and made strong cases for infidelity (would it have even counted as infidelity? I was clearly far outside of familiar territory), Dan and I declined their offer. By 3am we retreated from the party and decided to call an end to our interesting night.