In Rio, still...

This post has been modified if only to save myself the incessant worry that this may generate. This isn't to sensationalise my trip nor am I after sympathy. So without any motive other than to describe the 8th of May here are the details of my last day in Rio. This day, like most other days began in typical fashion, the alarm on my phone went off waking me from the patchy sleep that I had become so used to whilst in Brazil. I should have know from the onset that today was not to be my day. Arriving before 8 am at Ipanema Beach I was once again notified that school had been cancelled and that my last day of volunteer work would continue the already consistent trend. I bid farewell to the School Professor and left the beach immediately as not to waste my final day. Having come to expect minor setbacks I had already devised a contingency plan. It would play out as follows, spend the morning exploring Lagóa the main lake of Rio before spending half the day at Copacabana Beach, followed by a Brazilian BBQ for lunch and then finally watch sunset at Sugar Loaf (Pão de Açúcar).

At around 11:30 am I emerged from the Copacabana waters a little disorientated, the sea was definitely too rough today and I had been bullied about by the waves like a rubber duck. The weather conditions by the sea weren't so good so I made my way back to the paved promenade of Copa. I sat on a stone bench with my belongings scattered about on the seat and the floor. It was then I noticed that there was one particular person idling around, I paid no attention to him. This would be my first and crucial mistake in Brazil, complacency had been absent from my entire trip and it would get me on my last day. Casually he approached me and asked me for the time (in Portuguese), I showed him my watch. Actually this is the watch I had bought second hand from an ex-employee just so I could tell the time and use it under water, I think I picked it up for 20 bucks. Ignoring this I went about drying myself off and readying myself to put my clothes back on. Within minutes the same time-querying character was in my face yelling "Money! Give me your money!". Now, in any ordinary situation I would not pay attention to him, it was in the middle of the day and I was caught off guard! Initially I ignored him and told him "Sorry I got nothing", but he was persistent "Money!" yelling and screaming but not loud enough to attract attention from others. At this point in time I figured I would just get my stuff together and leave this crazed bastard, what I didn't realise was that there were two of them, as I stood up the other guy blocked my escape and screamed "Money!".

What actually happened is that since I did not want any confrontation I decided just to give them what they wanted as not to provoke them. Fortunately for me I usually split my money up into two lots, so in my pocket I usually keep a couple of bucks. Which was advised to me by the Volunteer coordinator, "Keep a little bit of money in your pocket in case you get robbed, just give them the small change". Unfortunately for me, I had just gone for a swim so my small change was actually tucked away with my camera! Nuts, not wanting to draw attention to my camera I had to sacrifice 50 Reals (approximately $30 AUD). Apparently 50 Reals wasn't enough so they began and after I told them that was all I had they started gesturing for my watch. Knowing it had no value other than being waterproof I gave that up as well. Within seconds they were off and soon nowhere to be seen, looking around I noticed that there were people within 10-20 metres of the scene each oblivious to what had just happened. Now the monetary value of my loss isn't high, it was just the hassle of the situation.

Again as I write this, I replay the hypothetical situations out many times and each time the ending is different. People ask me "Did they have any weapons?", no. "Were there other people around?", yes. "Why didn't you make a scene or start screaming?", to be honest I'm not too sure. I guess I was a perfect target and got caught up in the situation. So that being said, I emerged unscathed bar being a little shocked. After that, I caught a bus back home gathered more money and continued on with my initial plan of Sugar Load at sunset.

Theoretically if all had gone to schedule I should have already been in the London by now and things may well have been different. As you can see, things haven't quite gone to plan, but I still hold no regrets. The reason for my extension of the trip is a mixture of procrastination and reluctance. I guess I wasn't completely ready for settling back down into the regular churn of life and that was the main reason for postponing my arrival. So, here I am still in sunny Rio with an adjusted plane ticket extending my South American adventure by a couple of weeks. I'm now due to fly out from Buenos Aires and arrive at Heathrow on the 17th of May. So all I have to do is get to the Buenos Aires International Airport for my flight on the 16th.

How I get there is up to me, so long as I'm in Argentina or more specifically Buenos Aires on the 16th of May for my flight out. With this extra buffer I have decided to make my way down through Iguazu Falls before making my way through to Argentina. Mode of transport is a 22 hour bus ride from Rio de Janeiro to Foz do Iguaçu (the Brazilian side of the falls). I've been told that despite being long (duh), the scenery and landscape along the road trip is worth every one of the 200 Reals (approximately $130 AUD). So at 11:15 today I will embark upon the longest bus ride of my life. I have mentally prepared myself for the trip and have packed my bag full of snacks and fluids. To go with the condiments I will be bringing aboard with enough entertainment to last a game of Test Match cricket. Hopefully the next you hear from me I should be at the intersection of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Até Logo!