To Floripa

    Here we go, my first 20 hour bus ride. First, cram all my belongings back into my backpack. Then down to the beach for some sunshine and exercise before the long bus ride.
    The rush is on, we have an hour to get to the bus and with the traffic in Rio, this concerns me. We have too much stuff between Toby, Aaron, AJ and I for 1 cab, so we split up and get 2. AJ and I flag a cab down and head for the bus-station. On our way I mention to AJ about our tickets for the bus and he screams out in panic. He left his passport and bus ticket back at the hostel. AJ yells to the cabby in Portuguese his urgency to head back to the hostel and then to the bus-station. The cabby is game for the rush. He makes an illegal turn and hops up on the sidewalk to bypass some cars and we turn into dead traffic. I finally convince AJ to hop out and run ahead to grab his ticket. He runs back, hops in and we are off to the bus-station. The cabby does a couple more impressive moves hopping curbs and directing his car through traffic. We arrive with time to spare. I came to the conclusion that any time spent with AJ you are in for an interesting adventure.
    The bus seats are more comfortable than my bed in the hostel and they recline almost into a bed. I keep myself entertained with conversation, books, movies and sleep. I have read 4 books now, all perfect traveling books. 'The Life of Pi' which starts out very slow but turns out to be a very interesting tale of survival. 'The Alchemist' is a perfect read not only because it is about traveling and life goals, but because the author is from Brazil and it is a very popular book published in many languages . . . read it if you haven't. 'The Giver' is a book I read as a child and I remember it taking quite awhile to read, but I finished it on one long beach day in Brazil, thanks Monique! Then it was onto 'Adrift', another story of survival at sea, makes me glad to be safe on land. And I am currently reading 'The Art of Racing in the Rain'. Great book told through the perspective of a dog and the way he views his world and family.
   15 hours later and I am ready to be there. We are seated right next to the bathrooms, I thought oh convenient as we boarded the bus. The smell at the end of the trip made me hold my breathe and count the minutes until our arrival.
    20 hours and we pull into the bus station near Floranopolis. We grab a cab and pass through Floripa. We unload our packs at our new hostel, great place, and head out to grab some shrimp by the lagoon. Glad to be out of the madness of Rio and into the chill zone of Floripa.