A Night Out in Lapa

We started the day by heading down to Copacabana beach because one of the other guests at the hostel was competing in a surf competition. The sun was shining from a nearly cloudless sky, making it a perfect day to spend at the beach. The waves were huge—several meters high, crashing far up the shore, so it definitely wasn’t a good day for swimming. However, we couldn’t quite figure out where the competition was taking place since the beach is incredibly long. Instead, we stumbled upon the spot where a beach party was set to happen later that evening. There are always tons of vendors wandering around the beach, and today was no exception. They might not sell the highest quality stuff, but it’s cheap! I picked up a plastic beach bag for 10 reais, and Honny bought a necklace for 5 reais. Since we’re heading further south to smaller towns and islands where it’s not possible to withdraw cash, we had to take out a good amount of money to make sure we have enough until we reach a big city again. In the afternoon, we visited the Jockey Club, which is quite popular in Rio. It only cost 1 real to get into the cheap seats. We couldn’t get into the pricier area because we were wearing sandals. We ended up betting a total of 60 reais and lost it all. We somehow managed to place our bets on the horses that came in last both times! :) In the evening, we headed out to Lapa, which is supposed to be a great party area. It’s also a part of Rio where you need to be a bit more careful since many people are poor. We found a restaurant where the menu was only in Portuguese, but luckily, someone came to our rescue. While we were eating, a guy at the neighboring table suddenly turned around and asked in Danish if we were from Denmark. We were totally shocked because he was Brazilian and spoke Danish! It turned out he had studied in Denmark for a year. His Danish was surprisingly good, and we were really impressed. Not wanting to wander around the neighborhood, we took a taxi to a samba bar that Adriana from our hostel had recommended. The bar was fantastic—no tourists, just locals. We learned how to dance samba and drink tequila! :) Once again, we were completely surprised when a guy who looked very much like a Brazilian suddenly spoke Danish to us. He was half Danish and half Spanish but lived in Denmark. It’s strange to go for several days without meeting a single Dane, and then suddenly meet two in one night. Besides meeting Danish speakers, we also encountered the Brazilian version of Chuck Norris! :)