I thought I was having fun, but now I'm not so sure

I was all set to write a pretty positive entry. The tour was generally OK, it ticked off most of the 'must see' boxes and the views from (and trip up/down) the Sugar Loaf Mountain and the mountain with the statue of Christ the Redeemer at the top, whatever it's called, probably deserve to be called fantastic.

It wasn't quite such a rip off as I suspected either, what with lunch and the trips up/down the above two, it was more like BRL100 for the convenience of being taken around by bus and having the guide, which is not cheap but not too bad I guess. Plus it did mean I saw the cathedral (which from the outside looked pretty much how I'd always imagined the Ministry of Love in 1984, to be quite honest) and the outside of Maracana football stadium, the latter of which I would never normally have bothered with. But yes, it is very very big, as far as I'm any judge of stadiums.

I took a load of pictures but some obscure problem is preventing me from easily uploading stuff to flickr. I have painfully uploaded the last lot of Sao Paulo photos and you can see them here if you are particularly bored: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45804996@N03

I got back to the hotel after the tour about 6pm and had to go through all the usual rigmarole to get cash before I could do anything else, since the tour today just about wiped me out. It started to rain while I was out and just the last couple of minutes before I got back to the hotel it really started to piss down and I got soaked.

I checked my e-mail when I got back with the case. I had an e-mail from the hotel booking place re Easter Island - no rooms available. And I've now had a look on the web at places which have the wit to offer immediate confirmation and no hotel at all seems to have any rooms at the time that it suited me so conveniently to go. So I either start e-mailing the more dodgy looking options in my guide book on the off-chance, or I have to somehow fit it in some other time, or just decide I can't be bothered with the place. I was so chuffed that I thought I had it sorted and could just not worry about that bit of the trip any more.

I think that's what's really got on my nerves. The rain and the fact that it's Friday night (night 3 of 6 here, too) and I have no idea what to do is just an added irritation.  If the Easter Island crap hadn't come up I'd probably have shrugged off the Friday night stuff and the rain. I mean, if I hadn't done the tour I would have found somewhere to go tonight much earlier, but I decided to do the tour and it was probably the best option, even if it did mess me about for tonight.

The tour guide today suggested the Lapa area would be a good place to go tonight. I suppose he must know what he's talking about, but every reference I find to it on the web implies it's a bit dodgy. I had hoped to go during the last bit of daylight, but (although it would have been pushing it anyway) the rain stopped any chance of that. Even if I decide to trust what the guide told me today, I don't much fancy walking around the area in the rain not knowing where I'm going. I can see myself ending up at the same crappy local bar I've been to the last two nights. Party on, dude. :-)

You know, I wouldn't mind so much if I didn't feel that I was supposed to be having a much better time than this. I just don't seem to be very good at it.

I'm starting to think ignorance really is bliss. If everything I read didn't keep harping on about how bloody dangerous everything is here I'm sure I'd just go out and be absolutely fine.

None of it makes sense anyway. You're not supposed to go into the centre at the weekend as it's deserted because the locals aren't around. That is at least superficially plausible. But then, they say the same about Copacabana - so clearly the locals don't go there at the weekend. So when do they go? During their lunch breaks? If they never go at all, why is the weekend any different from during the week?

But Ipanema, literally just down the road from Copacabana, is apparently *the* place to be seen on Sunday if you're part of the smart set and no one says not to go there at the weekend.

I can't help but think a lot of these people are making it up as they go along.

So, yeah, anyway. Having a great time, weather's fantastic, much better than London! Wish you were here!