The Hippy Hippy market, and the shower of all showers.

Bring a brolly. A really sturdy one. Once upon a time a friend of mine told me about the time it started raining in London, and he nipped in to the nearest restaurant to let the staff know that he thought he had left his black umbrella there the night before. They found it, and he walked home.

Had he bollocks left it there. He just wanted to get home dry.

Oh how I wish my lamentable Portuguese could stretch to such daring and despicable acts. Heres why.

Sunday (Easter Sunday in this case) sees the hippy market right by the General Osorio Metro station. Its huge - and by all accounts a must for all those last minute trinkets you want to take home and stuff in a drawer somewhere. Anyhow - we did what we wanted to do and got a shift on, because the stormclouds were gathering apace.

And so to a nearby bar for hard-earned pasteis and beer - and it turns out the opening of the local Derby Flamengo vs Fluminense football match. Half way through the first half, the storm cut off the TV signal and the district turned into fanatical football crazed headless chickens running from bar to bar to see if anywhere was managing to show the match.

The rain got worse and worse - and the match in our bar returned just as the penalty shoot out was ending. 5-4 Flamengo if you're interested. Get the report here:

http://globoesporte.globo.com/jogo/campeonatocarioca2011/24-04-2011/fluminense-flamengo.html

Felipe (Flamengo) saves the day.

We ventured out and failed to hail a cab. Not before we were proper wet though. We ended up on one of the busiest busses ever known.



At least we weren't freezing.

And I must take more photos.