South America - Boston, MA - Brazil and Afterthought

So I came to Rio not knowing what to expect. I heard stories of both robberies and wild orgies and I am not sure if I wanted to participate in either. To be cautions, in order to get to my hostel I took a car service , which cost $40, almost double if I was to catch a taxi outside. I came in very late and almost everyone were already out in the city. I decided to stay-in and explore Rio in the next few days.

The next morning as new roommates were coming into the hostel I met Cesar(Washington DC) and Marie (Paris). We were all traveling by ourselves and instantly became friends. The weather was cloudy so instead of going to the beach we decided to go out and epxlore the city. We spent sometime walking around and takng pictures but then it started to rain so we came back to the hostel. We ate, slept, and prepared for the night.

Our hostel was very small so everyone were very friendly so Cesar and I decided to buy beer and vodka and have a party before going out. That being said we set up the liquor at around 10pm and by the time it was gone we were leaving the hostel to party with another 19 people.

We went to Lapa, one of the party neighborhoods and partied into the night. Next day we did some more sightseeing and more partying. Sunday, was the first sunny day in Rio so we finally went to the beach but only to jog. We ran along Copacabana Beach for 2.5miles+ and walked back. Afterwards we watched a soccer match at Maracana, one of the largest stadiums in the world, which hosted 200,000 people last time they hosted FIFA's World Cup!!!....and then on to the airport.

As I reflect back on this trip I think about the people who I met along the way and about the cost of living in South America compared to Boston or NYC.

I recently read a book called "the 4hr work week" where the author, Tim Ferris, describes different ways to achieve a lifestyle of working one tenth of the normal time while earning ten times as much as you would if you worked a normal job. He talks about common excuses that people make on why they don't do it and how you should never put anything on hold.

On this trip I met many people who were traveling for over 6 months..some were students but there were also many adults. Some quit their jobs, some were there to volunteer, some were traveling during their gap year between school and work, and others simply came to place as tourists and liked it so much that they simply stayed there...this was especially true in Brazil. I met at least 4-5 people who came to Rio on vacation and just decided to live there. They are living in one of the best cities in the world with no worries and no money.

While on vacation, I was not very conservative and took taxis alsmost everywhere and always ate at restaurants as opposed to cooking. In most places I could not spend more then $30-$40 per day...if I lived in Argentina or Brazil I would probably spend less than $10 as I would cook and take public transportation. Hence, for those of you whore are dreaming about a long term vacation you can spend a month on the beach in Brazil or Argentina and spend less then $1000 for lodging, food, and entertainment.........live life!!!!!!!!

An interesting fact that I saw in South America are the family values...many young adults live at home until they get married. This created a bustling industry for sex hotels, the kind you rent out by the hour. I heard there is one almost every 10 blocks!!!

Thanks for traveling with me and I will talk to you soon!!!