I see you baby, shakin' that ass

After such a late night, we had a much needed lie-in then sought food. We headed for Ipanema and found a boteco which served authentic Brazilian food and ordered a meat platter (we'll start to moo soon) with manioc flour which the boy referred to as eating the contents of a Hoover bag. It was nearing Carnaval time so we made our way home...an absolute nightmare at the manic Subway station, we feared missing our Carnaval transfer but it was all good. We even had time to get beer for the coach.

At the Sambodromo, we found space in Stand 7, dropped our hotel pillows on the concrete bleacher and plonked our bums, these would be our seats for the next seven hours. The Carnaval started at 9pm with fireworks, before masses upon masses of performers descended their way down the half mile long street. We were up dancing in seconds and loved every minute. The night was split into six Samba schools, each with 4,500 performers and up to eight floats costing in the region of £200K. The colours, costumes, music, dancing and atmosphere were magical, an experience never to forget. The picture shows just a mere fraction of dancers but gives you an idea of the colours and movement of the parade.

We left at 4:15am, missing the last school as there would be chaos due to the remainder of the 90,000 spectators trying to leave. Arriving back at the hotel at 5:45, it only seemed right to go for breakfast.