Waking late I spent most of the day listening to music and reading my book.

Got stuck into a poker game and my smuggled vodka late in the afternoon. Things are very relaxing and laid back here. Im really enjoying it and it feels like a holiday should. No stress to do anything, just relax and enjoy the day.

 

A horde of Argentinian girls showed up in the morning and we were kicked out of our room and moved upstairs. A bit of an inconvenience but oh well!

 

Later that night the entire hostel grouped together and we all went for a walk to the beach. Bumping into Amalie at the intersection of the main coastal road, we stopped briefly and enjoyed the atmosphere and all that is Copacabana before moving onto the sandy beach.

 

We all sat around in a huge circle as Gal filled the air with the sounds of his acoustic guitar. A few kids who should of been in bed hours ago, decided to join in with the fun. One kid who looked to be in training to be a sumo, was busting out crazy dance moves and singing Michael Jackson songs, such a laugh! 

 

A fantastic night under the stars on Copacabana beach...

 

Day4 - Thursday

 

This day was always going to be sad, Amalie and Mette's last day!

After a super tasty breakfast at a corner restaurant on the coastal road we headed to the beach to catch some sunshine. The two Danes were on a mission to get completely burnt for no reason other than to be burnt. Totally crazy but I still offered my support. We roasted in the sunlight for a good 4 hours!

 

We went for a swim and caught a few waves and I even took some photos with my flashy camera which ended up getting covered in sand.. Before long Amalie was a fair distance from me and I realised I was being taken out by the current. Swimming casually at first I thought I could catch a wave in, little did I know. I was stuck! After a slight struggle and fearing I was doomed to drown in one of the most famous beaches that has little to no life guards, I finally made it to shore. Amalie had experienced the same terror but thankfully a local was there to pull her out. Where was my saviour?
 
After feeling like I was about to melt I headed back to the hostel to drop off my camera and to collect my washing, which at first seemed lost to the laundry gods but which the old lady eventually found hidden behind one of the machines. Returning to the beach I drank my first Coconut and was pleasantly surprised by the tastiness =)
 
After a quick shower at the hostel I chilled enjoying Amalies company while we waited on Mette to get ready. We headed off to the market and burnt the pics of the favela to a CD as I hadn't taken my camera on that tour. I helped Mette grab their backpacks and we headed off by taxi to Ipanema for dinner.
 
Ipanema is another beachfront that is next to Copacabana and just as nice too.
The restaurant we arrived at was closed, and so after a quick walk down the road we decided on a different place. The pasta and beef dish I ordered was pretty terrible!
 
After dinner I said my goodbyes to Amalie and Mette as they left for their flight home to Denmark. I'm gonna miss those two buggers!
 
Returning to the hostel I joined in on another poker game, this time with a $5 buy in. I was the chip leader early on in the game but Soraya was a bit of a champ and a few silly bluffs later she took the lead. Everyone was heading out to Lapa so the game started to wind down. We eventually split the pot, I earned $10!
 
Feeling a little dodgy from the pasta and already missing the company of the English speaking Danes, I went to bed, and awoke the next day feeling a million times better.