January 01, 2007 – Why is Everyone Talking so Loudly?

Well, apparently you can get hangovers in Brazil. They are not the immediate, take-no-prisoners, American hangovers either. They are more like stealth hangovers. You feel pretty good at first, but then you walk out into the balmy, humid, Rio morning (around noon), and it pretty much feels like your GI track has been invaded by Conga dancers and the band is playing up near your temples. Needless to say, I was cranky that day.

It rained again. If Rio is Portuguese for “line,” then De Janeiro is probably Portuguese for “of wet tourists.” Jill, Patty and I had lunch. I needed hangover food. I ordered fried cheese. They brought 3 pounds of it. I ate 2. My hangover thanked me.

We walked to Ipenema. I wanted to whistle “The Girl from Ipenema.” I also wanted to curl up in the fetal position and moan. I split the difference and just walked. The beach smelled like something vile from the night before. We turned around and quickly walked back to the hotel. We were informed we were getting on a bus to go to a park and see a big Christmas Tree. Christmas was over. My hangover was not.

The park was actually pretty nice. It was a local hangout. We found a bar and decided to partake in a little hair of the dog. Others with a similar malady joined us.

We went back to the hotel. We crashed.

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