Day 8: Botafogo V Vasco & Favela Funk!

Sunday began slowly after Saturday night but the first thing we had to do was move hostel. (Next door!!) Our plan for today was catch a match in the Maracana stadium and head to the Favela funk. We met our friend Jorge who was being charged R$110 (E45) to go to the match but we decided to go it alone.

We got out to the stadium on the metro and the atmosphere was electric. All-Irelands and Rugby World Cup Final matches could not compare to the atmosphere outside the arena, never mind inside. We got a few beers and soaked up the craic before heading into the stadium and taking our seats in the Botafogo end! Even before the match started the fans were singing, lighting flares, and releasing flags attached to helium balloons!! The match ended 1-1 with Vasco scoring in the last few minutes much to the disappointment of our new Fogo friends. Here is a sample of the craic they were having in the stand above us:


http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=TjMJpjSqulU


The match finished and we headed back to the hostel after spending just R$25 (E10) on the match. Somewhere Jorge was pissed off at us! We had a great dinner in a local grill and got ready for the favela funk.

We got a local taxi to a place called Favela Rio Das Pedras. It was a small town about 40mins outside of the city with a huge nightclub, called Castelo Das Pedras, which was holding the Funk. Like Lapa there was street vendors selling beer and crowds of people on the street. Unlike Lapa, most of these people were actually Brazilians and not tourists. Our taxi decided he wanted to go to the Funk too and parked up for the night. He brought us to the club and showed us where we had to go.

Inside the club was absolutely crazy! There was really loud hard favela music, the air was heavy with sweat, all the Brazilian guys were topless, and the place was filled way over capacity. After a while walking around, trying to figure out how to order drinks at the bar, (you have to buy a ticket to buy a drink??), we got into the VIP section where all the tourists were. We were above the dance floor watching the craziness below. There was a dancing competition to see who could shake their ass and tits the most to the beat. We finally had enough dutch courage to hit the dance floor and we pretty much danced and "watched" until we had to go.

Our taxi had organised for us to meet him at four so he could bring us back to Rio and he had met a girl at the funk. We felt we were cramping his style as the two of them got into the front and three big, drunk Irish lads cramped into the back! "Gringos" the taxi man said to her. He brought her home but she said, in the international language of love!, that he could drop us off first!!!

We got home about 6 congratulating our taxi man on his very sucessful night! A good night had by all!!!

Charlie