Hi crew,

Tonight we're leaving the Vicks VaporRub and Kleenex behind to take on the mammoth 21 hour bus journey from Salvador to Fortaleza in the far North East corner of Brazil. Sorry there's not too much to report from Salvador - unless you enjoy graphic descriptions of snot and bowel movements. The area we stayed in, Praca de Se, would have been quite romantic if we were 100%; reggae and samba music drifts through the air every night and there are lots of little restaurants with tables wobbling around on the cobbled streets. Alongside this though are the beggars and street peddlers, far more than in Rio, who track you at every turn. It is almost unbearable humid at times - keep expecting to see some Swedish people walk past in little towels and reading Ikea catalogues (it's a Sauna joke if I'm being too subtle).

If you are at all interested, Victoria has been reading 'Getting Rid of Matthew', where at the moment Helen (who was having the affair with Matthew) and who Matthew left Sophie for, has fallen in love with Matthew's son (who's her own age) and become friends with the ex-wife Sophie - but Sophie thinks that Helen is actually Eleanor!''...gripping stuff I can tell you.

That's about all at the moment...unless you'd like to hear about my immense mental stuggle in deciding between buying Sinutabs or some generic Cold and Flu remedy in the pharmacy.

All this typing has made me thirsty.

Hopefully we'll be all fit and ready to take on Fortaleza and then the Amazon and be able to share some pictures and adventures with you. xxx

Love to you all...stay in touch xxx

VIC AND TOM

Ps: Decided against the Sinutabs in the end!