My first impressions of the city are exactly as I had expected: overwhelmingly positive. The taxi ride from the airport to the apartment was crazy; I knew I'd end up having a few princess diana moments but I didn't expect these to come so soon. This guy had a death wish, the mental bitch. Still, it was fun to race around the streets and see the imposing lights from the surrounding favelas look down on us. And Jeebas too, of course.
Our apartment is excellent. Hugo chose well, as I knew he would. The rooms are a little noisy, but this is something I think I'll get used to quite quickly. I haven't had any trouble sleeping so far.
The place is pretty empty at the minute; the only real furniture we have is a bed. We'll go soon to hugo's uncle's farm and choose our bits and pieces from what Hugo has stored there. I'm looking forward to the road trip, if only for the promise of buffalos.
The outdoor communal area for our apartment is utterly fantastic. I expect I'll spend a lot of time out there, at least at the beginning. The swimming pool is clean, there's plenty of places to sit and eat, drink and read, and there's even a football pitch with a mountainous jungle backdrop behind one of the nets. Goals McGuigan smells blood.
The view from our bedroom is also pretty spectacular. We're on the seventh floor, looking down on to the Rua das Laranjeiras. The traffic is constant, and every third vehicle is a yellow taxi. The centerpiece is the huge mountain towering over the apartments. I'm not sure which one it is, but we can also see Corcovado (jeebas' hill) from the street just outside the front gate, and from what i've seen of the neighbourhood so far, we've chosen a great spot to begin our adventure here.
Yesterday we went to the botanic gardens. Hugo was excited to bring me here and he had mentioned it many times before. I can see why; the place is beautiful. I can see myself going back there a lot, to read, look at the cactus village, and hunt for lizards and monkeys.
After the gardens, we went our for our first churrascaria, at porcao rios in flamengo. The flow of meat was relentless. Just the way I like it.
Today we're going to do some Internet shopping for various appliances we need for the apartment. I've never bought an oven before. Does this mean I'm now officially an adult?
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