First looks can be deceiving - Day 413
Ah! Day 413 - unlucky for some? I'm not superstitious. We have been really lucky in the places we have stayed in, but sometimes first looks can be deceiving.
Our youngest son John and his girlfriend were flying back home today, and the rest of us were leaving Rio for a few days of chilling by a beach. Not something that we usually do, but after a manic six months of working long hours as well as totally reconstructing their flat, George and Laura definitely deserved a break.
Before we said au revoir, we decided to walk to the Botanical Gardens, with a stop off for brunch. It was a long, hot, yet interesting walk amongst residential roads and along the Lagoon. We finally reached the Botanical Gardens, all perspiring rather heavily, to find a long queue for tickets. No Gardens for us, we’d had enough of queuing and didn’t have much time anyhow. It was a café instead with a cool and refreshing drink. Aahhh.
Two Ubers’ back to our apartment, which arrived quickly and efficiently, Tim and George went off to collect our hire car, while the rest of us made sure that bags were packed and ready to leave. Luckily our Airbnb check-out time was a very generous 23:00 which was perfect for John and Georgia as their flight was at midnight. This gave them time to top up their tans before saying goodbye to Brazil. A warm hug goodbye to John and Georgia, they really are two rays of sunshine in our lives.
We headed north, through rolling hills and passing a massive Lagoon, finally reaching our next Airbnb. It was in a small Condominium across a fairly busy road to the Rasa Beach, not the best in the region, yet pretty good compared to many around the world. On first impressions, the accommodation looked ok –but we discovered that first looks can be deceiving.
After a stroll along the beach, a nice dinner that George and Laura concocted together and a few games of cards, it was time for bed. Hang on a minute, the description for this place was two double beds. There was one with a child’s duvet on the top, but in the other room was an unmade sofa bed which collapsed when we tried to make it. Luckily, there were a couple of thin mattresses against the wall, so George and Laura used one of them and had a rather uncomfortable night.
We entered the bathroom. Yuk. The floor was filthy with long black hair matted on it. And we were expected to pay over £30 cleaning fees? It’s funny that once you start to notice things, more seem to ping out at you. Everywhere we looked we saw how dirty the place was. How can anyone have the audacity to hire out their home in this condition? All it would take is a good mop, bucket and cleaning fluids to get it in reasonable shape. I cancelled our stay here. We’ll find an alternative tomorrow.
I must say that in 413 days, we have been delighted with an overwhelming majority of places we have lived in and we’re talking about over 80 homes (excluding staying with friends and campervans). 1 out of 85 ain’t bad.
