13 is unlucky for some, but when you are in Rio enjoying the beautiful weather, catching a few waves and enjoying hanging out with cool people it is all good stuff.
The swell had dropped off a little bit, so Chad and I just surfed out front for a few hours, chatting and trading a few waves. We stopped into the little cafe round the corner from the camp and had some acai, a berry from Brazil that is frozen and then made into a sorbet/smootie and eaten/drunk with a little granola. The Fins joined us for a bite to eat and then Chad and I headed to our other little favourite feeding ground to tuck into our $R7 meal (rice, beans, chicken, salad). For the guys back home there are currently about $R3.7 – $R4 to the UK pound, so you can basically have a basic good quality meal and a large (600ml) beer for approximately £3.00, amazing.
After our food we washed up and the whole team took the bus into town to Copacobana to meet up with Chad’s girlfriend and check out the waterfront bars and restaurants.
The buses in Rio are on the whole, safe, you just have to be careful late at night if you are on your own, try not to stand out and look as though you have anything worth stealing. The bus ride was an experience in itself, as the drivers here seem to like the accelerator peddle quite a bit. We wove through good and not so good areas, touching the fringe of Rochinas, the biggest favela in Rio.
Once we got into town we took in a few beers and caparinhas and then had some pizza and walked along the beach front. Marco, one of the Fins was on fire, with some crazy Scandanavian humour, and had us all in stiches.
We took the last back to Recreio and got back to the surf camp for about 1am and hit the sack.