The Clark Family's Amazing Adventures

Three days in Rio and we’re starting to feel almost settled in! Partly thanks to Alvaro, our host who kindly took us around yesterday visiting the lagoon and the botanical gardens, taught us some very basic essential Portuguese and gave us some good tips for visiting around Rio and beyond. Today was cloudy but we made a lovely trip via the two cable cars that take you to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain which sits amidst beautiful sandy bays and offers the most astounding views of the city!

It was a crazy few weeks packing up, moving out and saying good byes ……..

Visiting Great Grandma

About to board a taxi to the airport!

… Quite emotional and easy to think momentarily why are we leaving so many lovely friends and family? But we know we’ll be back eventually and there is a big adventure to be had!

Tonight I read a blog I’ve been following about a family who are currently headed from Peru to Ecuador on their family gap year. They have done some volunteering and made great strides learning Spanish. Their posts contain tales of interactions with indigenous people, graceful and profound experiences of which I am slightly in awe and hope we be as successful in our endeavours….  but it IS only day 3.

So far, we’re enjoying some more basic experiences such as playing card games together, kicking a ball around in the park with a 2 year old from a neighbouring apartment and feeling like regular tourists in a foreign city, armed with map and still in clean and ironed clothes!

And missing a decent latte – although this craving has been lessened by the luxury item given me by my friend Johanna who thought to give me some Starbucks microgranuals in a small travel tin which I have been enjoying even with the local UHT milk from the supermarket across the road!  (thanks Hanna!)

We hear that the weather back home is dire, well its winter in Brazil which is quite welcome!! That means pleasant, mild days, a little like a British summertime – so far, three fairly cloudy days, with one night of  thunderstorms & high winds so feeling quite a lot like home!

We’re now figuring out our next steps within this huge country – staying near Rio for a week or two on the beach, inland to Iguazu falls or north to warmer climes but also forecasting storms and rain! Watch this space:)