Jan 28

And then there were TWO!!! Tripod left the party today and headed on his not so merry way back to South Africa. We awoke toooo late to get in our last açai as a team , sore and stiff. I could hardly get off the bed without some ante-natal breathing techniques. We nibbled on some breakfast until P`s TWO taxis arrived and contemplate what came before and what comes next without our third and most fabulous team member. Having saved on us innumerable occasions from inappropriate shower takers, tough crowds, males in general and always with an honest opinion his presence will be missed but I think more importantly the laughs and the statements (he WAS talking to me, he JUST looked away!)and lest we forget the re-enactments(`seals` - good with balls) will be the things we miss the most. There is a very good reason beakers go on top of the tri-pod!!! Pieter took one for the team in everyway protecting us and supporting us. We will miss him alot. It also dawned on us the good fortune of the situation as things could have been quite different but we had such a LEGAL time in everyway. No shame!!!! Hah so now we must continue matching get-ups and fending for ourselves one less !!! So, decided to say 'phooey' to our hostel by taking advantage of the free internet and parked up for a good few hours until the owner curtly reminded us that check-out time was 12 and NO LATER( time being 11.30) so we gladly took the hint packed our stuff , paid our bill and left. Back-pack front and back and Spu in hand I could hardly move as was- so waddling down the cobblestones , only to have to waddle up (silly undulating topography) we arrived at our new hostel which is a pure delight in relation and I tell you what, it's not even in the same ballpark as the previous. Well lit, uninterfering yet friendly and helpful staff, clean, and delightful wafts from the creperie, open spaces and ventilation. We settled into our room only to find we had the second top and third top bunks. After pleading with Beanie to take the the highest one as the prospect of actually getting up nevermind down for me seemed damn near impossible, we went and had an açai and juice. Showers followed in well enough lit bathrooms to tweeze eyebrows( you may scoff but this was a huge luxury after 'la nega maluca'- more like 'la negra')!! Indoor hammocks and chill out time was high on the wanted list and we slept away the afternoon. I awoke with the intention of phoning home but coincidently found Paul at the bottom of the stairs. Nearly got in a slice in had it not been for the lack of subtlety my current physical state has left me with, he caught sight of someone looking like a retard waddle-hopping down the stairs. Cake and juice helped ease the excruciating pain and dozyness. We then decided on a game plan. Meet Jo and Juan and go to Boi Preto - an all-you-can-eat meat buffet which we were told at the Nega Maluca was 20Reais. So off we go in a taxi (Paul, R and N) to the restaurant. Upon arrival we were seated at a table, and headed over to the buffet - tummies rumbling. We began to load our plates up with all sorts of goodies until we realised we had better confirm the price. So Riki asks. And we receive the answer of 52Reais. Each. So we all slowly put our half filled plates down, reached for our bags, and backed out of the restaurant as NONE of us had that sort of money to spend on one meal no matter how good it was. So red faced and tails between our legs we boosted back to the Pelorinho and scurried into our favourite Açai restaurant (I think it has a name- Restaurant Bahia maybe??) and ordered steak for 20Reais each. A little more in our budget. A guava juice later and a coconut ice concoction from the street, we met up with J & J and decided to utilise Spu again. So out comes the bottle of Cachaça, passionfruit and a bag of ice purchased from across the road. A bucket of caipirinha later, and teaching and refining The Slice with them, we amused many passersbys. We wandered the cobblestone streets in seach of a party, but could only find a bar playing 'Kung Fu Fighting' (think 1999 people) with a transvestite dancing outside. So we passed and decided since we had a 9am catamaran over to Morro de Sao Paulo (an island with beach vibes) bed was the thing to do, so off we trotted to our hostel, climbed up our respective ladders- Nadine glad she wasn't afraid of heights - and slept.