Day 4 - To Surf or not to Surf, the BUS is the question

Don't leave home without it

The Plan: get on a bus (instructions provided on the surf school website), go an hour down the road, get off the bus, walk to surf school, SURF.


The Truth: FUCKING RIO BUSES! Are you shitting me?! Awful. Picture this: stand on the Gardiner, post rush hour, and try to read the number on the side of one of 15 buses turning a corner at 60km/hr. THEN step into traffic, and hope to god you catch the drivers attention as you flag him down, then jump out of the way of the cars and him as he come careening to a stop in front of you. That is step 1. Steps Awful to Miserable are too painful to remember.

Top 5 things to know about getting on a bus in Rio

1) Don't. Don't take a bus. Take a cab. Save all your money for cabs.

2) Don't open your eyes. If you didn't listen to #1, then do yourself a favour and don't look out the window. Not only does no one signal, but they change lanes two inches in front of you, while you are all going 80 km/hr down some residential street.

3) Know it to see it – don’t have an address, or a map, or a name, or hope the bus will stop, or announce your stop or anything that seems normal-bus-like. You have to know where your stop is exactly or else you will miss it and end up in a favela or on a highway or on a dirt road. #truth

4) Don’t wait at a bus stop – there aren’t any bus stops (mostly). There are areas where people meander, about a block long, in hopes of flagging down their bus, which of course does not stop unless you step out in front of them.

5) In the front, out the back – sounds simple enough. Go in the front door, which people are already hanging out of, push past them a few feet to get to the gate so you can pay, push through the tiny turnstile and try to shuffle your way to the back of the bus in hopes of being close to the only exit when you see your stop. #nevergoingtohappen

Quiet time at Macumba Beach, Recreio

Now that you have some background, try getting from Rio to a beach an hour away with a hand drawn map, with an address of “6w”.  Not going to happen, UNLESS you are rescued by an angel. My angel was Chico, an English speaking graphic designer plucked me from the bus and took me to safety. I will spare you the long story, but as he was walking me to my cab (to take me to surf school), he turns to me and says:

"Natalie, don't trust strangers here, they see you as a gringa and will take advantage of you. Except me."

After this tear inducing experience (on minimal sleep and an empty stomach), I made it to Rio Surf n Stay, only to find out the surf is too rough and the lesson was canceled. 

 I was actually relieved. This was my first chance to breathe, walk, be quiet and nap. Not to mention enjoy a nice long walk along the beach, watching the breaks, the fishermen and wondering why there was fresh fruit all over Macumba beach.


Ah.. voodoo. But of course.


Tchau...
N