blisters on my feet and sometimes I hate transit in Rio!

Ugh!  So.  Busses in Rio.  They are hella complicated.  First of all, there does not exist any kind of schedule to be found online nor any phone number that can help direct you to the right bus.  How do you know which bus to take, you ask?  You just have to ask people!  Seriously.  Ask the guy on the street, ask people on the bus, ask the driver.  Just ask.  And how do you know what time the bus comes? You don't. You just wait.  Wait at a stop and hope that a bus that you need comes by.  Yeah, seems a little prehistoric to me too.

So, today after my class I had to exchange something at the mall.  Well, I should have worn flip flops because walking around in pointy heels makes your feet feel like they're on fire.  I actually think I saw sparks.
Also, side note, Barra Shopping is, like, the biggest mall in the entire world and I don't know my way around.  My feet were HURTING.

Anyway, when it was finally time to take the bus I couldn't stand any longer.  So, in comes the other confusing part of Rio transit.  At a major bus terminal there is absolutely no order.  Busses come and go without any direction as to where your bus is going to stop.  Also, amongst this madness, enter buses with the same line number but heading in opposite directions.  Tonight I learned this the hard way.

I waited for quite a while for a bus heading toward Recreio.  Seems that many people were waiting a long time because when the 179 bus came in, about a hundred people ran toward it.  Actually, the line was so long that I went to sit down again because my feet were hurting worse than ever.  When I had my chance, I jumped on.  Another lady jumped on behind me and asked the driver if we were going to Recreio and I heard him answer yes.  So, I paid my R$2.35 and got the last seat.  Then, I saw the same lady get off the bus one stop later.  It was then that I realized that this bus wasn't going to Recreio, it was the same 179 going the opposite way!  PUXA!!!!!  So I ran to the woman who takes the money and confirmed what I already knew.  But she spoke to me so quickly I could barely understand and then she continued watching the road, clearly not interested in the fact that I was on the wrong bus!  All I could ask her was "ok, so what can I do now??"  She told me I had to get off the bus and cross to the other side of the highway street.  No, actually it's a highway.  A major one.  With like 12 lanes.  And nowhere to cross.  Yet, I'm still expected to cross.  This is Rio.

The thing that really pissed me off is that I asked her for my money back but she said that because I had already gone through the turnstile, I couldn't have it!  AND they don't have transfers here.  PUXAAAA!!!!  MY FEET HURT!!!!

So, I got off the bus because what other choice did I have?  By that point, I'm serious, my feet had swollen up and I had crazy blisters happening.  The distance across the highway looked about 10 miles long.  The traffic didn't seem to be be stopping in either direction.  I was literally (figuratively) (haha anyone watch How I Met Your Mother?) dragging my feet behind me.  One. At. A. Time.
But still, I walked.

I walked to a corner.

And I caught a cab.

My feet hurt.  :(