It was a grey and drizzly day and the whole of downtown Rio seemed to be asleep after the first official night of Carnaval. So we took a tram from 'Centro'  to Santa Teresa, a bohemian district, high on a hill, which is apparently 'not to be  missed,' according to our guide book.

The ride cost 60 Brazilian cents and I can honestly say it´s the most fun I´ve had with less than a dollar. We lined up with a huge crowd of other tourists and when it was finally our turn, crammed onto the tram with gusto. Some keen travellers chose to hang like monkeys off the side, I´m not sure if they realised at that point they´d be literally hanging on for dear life in a few moments.

As the tram spluttered to life, everyone on it roared with delight. After such a long wait, even this precarious beginning was exciting. But within minutes we were chugging high up the hill and the hangers on were clutching to the sides to avoid falling to their death on a Rio de Janeiro highway below. It was truly terrifying, even to the lucky ones with seats.

The tram broke down every 10 minutes and each time we´d cheer and clap when it burst into life again, giving an extra loud scream when we finally reached our destination.

Santa Teresa is a haven of artists and hippies with trendy restaurants and a laid-back atmosphere. But as we disembarked from our joy ride, we realised it was far from relaxed during Carnaval. The hilltop suburb was teeming with people, the tram and the taxis struggled to make their way through the crowds of people dressed up and drinking.

As we stood taking in the madness, Tim said he could hear a faraway throbbing beat. Before long a street party of samba dancers and revellers came bumping up the cobbled path, getting their groove on. The atmosphere was infectious and I started to dance along.  There we were in the middle of some more Carnaval craziness. I had to laugh as I realised that in Rio de Janiero in February, you don´t have to search very hard for a party - one will surely find you.

Which is just what happened when we visited the incredibly famous Rio de Janeiro beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, but I´ll save the details for my next post. Adios!

Check out more photos from my trip in my Flickr album.