Day 5:
Our final day in Rio is coming to an end. Today felt less jammed packed full of tourism but was a fulfilling way to spend our day.
This mornings news would have made us happy regardless of where we were in the world. Jesse found out he passed his final exam of medical school and can officially call himself Dr. with confidence. I felt honored to be with him as he read the results and celebrated in the tiny internet cafe.
We then sent off on an adventure into the jungle with our hosts that Jesse and I were both looking forward. The National park of Tijuca is an enormous park. We only wandered through part of it and saw 2 species of butterflies, hummingbirds and other bird species. I kept hoping for a sloth but was not able to conjour one with the power of positive thought (I haven't given up on the possibility of one before the end of the trip yet though).
In the afternoon we spent some rushed time at the Natural history museum. It was an outstanding museum in one of the houses of the Rio family. I was shocked by their display. Having been to the national history museum in New York I was impressed with how it compared (especially since it was so cheap to enter) and was shocked by some of the exhibits, for instance, mummies from Egypt. Let me repeat that...legit mummified human beings not just in their tomb but openly on display. I do not remember seeing that in New York but maybe I have forgotten. Or it means more to me now having been in the gross anatomy lab. I have a feeling though that there is just a slightly different level of custom on what can or should be displayed.
Our (by which I mean picky Marley's) brave food adventures for the day included a custom Brazilian lunch with rice, brown beans, chicken, and an unknown vegetable powder substance. Jesse also finally found the Acai berry smoothie that he had read about in Lonely Planet. I know he really enjoyed the flavor and was blown away by how sweet it was considering he ordered the one with no added sugar. I'm just happy we survived another day well fed!
In the evening we spent the night making sure we had everything gathered, bought groceries for our 6 hour bus ride to Sao Paulo, and of course purchased some amazing Brazilian chocolate for Jesse to bring home. I may now be regretting not having purchased my own. Once we were all packed we sat down to read and unwind... it wasn't long until our previously shy cat friends joined us for some cuddles. Jesse and I both enjoyed there company.
Good night from Rio!
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