Rio and counting???

So here we are in Rio (WOW... ) I have always had this romantic idea of Rio and five hours in, so far so good...

We spent an extra eve on “our little private island” Ile Grande, what an AWESOME place (anybody thinking of a honeymoon or little get away I don’t think it could be beat). We have spent the last six days chilling by the beach, snorkelling around the island, riding in speedboats, discovering waterfalls, checking out some cute monkeys, meandering among a plethora of beaches and catching “taxi boats” that look like they should be a toy floating in a kids bath... LIFE COULDNT BE BETTER!!!!!!

Anyway back to Rio, and today we truly understood the frustration with the Brazilian transport system, we were sold (on the island) a three hour high speed boat cruise into Rio harbour where we then would be privately shuttled to our residences (only 20 people per boat)... Yeah right... we were shuttled onto a very cool colourful old boat and spent over an hour chugging along to some random port, then shafted into a minivan, where they did fit 20 people and our luggage (my legs are at least 6 inches too long for the space provided), and we shunted along to Rio which eventually took us over five hours... evidently we were lucky and  got here safely so again we right  it off to a great experience and i will no longer be grumpy...

I am writing this blog in Clauds’s university friends (Gill and Manuel’s) apartment 16 storeys high with a view overlooking Leblon beach and on the other the statue of “Christ”, an absolutely beautiful spacious parquet floored spot having a Vodka lime and soda at around 27 degrees, we feel at home already and looking forward to a true Rio New Year!! (FYI we were informed of basic housing costs around here and Cape Town sounds like a bargain).

I better inform you that Clauds has been to the doctor this afternoon as she has picked up another crazy disease, you were not told about the first being Ringworm that she contracted somewhere in Bolivia, but we were not aloud to talk about as she was so freaked out. She now has something called Limphonites (or something like that) that she contracted from cutting her foot on the island on some rocks and it has now spread. She thought it was just a slightly infected cut this morning that was pretty painful but Gill managed to swindle a doc appointment this pm, and yes my wife is once agiain infected... so Mr Anal is once again freaking out about general disease (this however is just an infection and cannot be transmitted like Ringworm where I quarantined my wife... no touching for a week...)

Thats it for now, off to sort out the lasagne before the ladies have too much wine.

Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and are looking forward to a superb end to 2010......!!!!!!!