HELLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOO!! This site is a GREAT idea! Tom just e-mailed about it...didn't know you could do stuff like this...it looks fun! Hope you're having a good time. I like the photo bit best. I have to work, cos i sit next to my boss now xxx

I have apparently received a postcard from you! I feel very honoured and can't wait to read it. In return I have a Brazil-related joke for you so enjoy:

Donald Rumsfeld is giving President Bush his daily briefing. He concludes by saying:

"Yesterday, 3 Brazilian soldiers were killed in the conflict in Iraq"

"OH NO!" the President exclaims, "That's terrible!"

His staff sits stunned at his display of emotion, nervously watching as the President sits, head in hands. Finally the President looks up and asks.

"How many is a Brazillion?"

Hello! No-one's said about the footie, so I thought I'd let you know if you missed it. Liverpool 0-0 Chelsea (another clear handball in the box by a Chelsea defender went unpunished), Rangers lost 1-0 at Inter, (crowd 0,000). Porto lost to the other team in your group, so a good chance of 2nd still.

I've handed in my thesis (well my supervisor is handing it in for me, seeing as I'm not in the country), so that great. Hope you're having lots of fun! Let us what you're up to. Are you off to Le Paz now?

Hello E&G/P&S, i love the fact that you can put photos on your website, its so exciting, i have put the one of you both on sugar-loaf mountain as my wallpaper this week, you have taken over from the england cricket team! Good t-shirt Gav, was that from the copocobana beach? Pud-how brown are you? Do you look like a native yet? Linny-cant believe you went to see pride and prejudice and pout-a-lot!! Loads of love Dannie xxxxxxxxxx

hey puddle and gav, i'm just waiting for my first lecture to start... its introductory so all the PhD newbies will be there... scary scary, have to make some friends! so you're having fun then.. i like all the pictures, very excitng! went to the medic frshers hop and dressed as a cave woman, one of my friends went as a ribena berry... brilliant! ooh saw pride and prejudice last night.. i completely disagree vicky turn, its no where near as good as the bbc version, they added in lines which were so modern it was embarrassing! have fun on your trek... xxxx

Hi Everyone, we have now left rio and are on Ilha Grande, an island off the coast of Brazil. We will write a longer message soon updating you on last few days in rio etc and also hopefully sneek a few more piccys on for you. Mum and Dad F, don´t worry about the phone. the guy is in nigeria and im sorting it (hopefully).

hearts for the league

Gav and Emily

Thanks for the photos. Particularly liked E & G on Sugar Loaf Mountain. Keep sending them. Gavin, mobile phone money hasn't come. Do I need to do anything?
Love Mum and Dad XX

Hello to both of you! Sounds like its all going wonderfully and you are having an amazing time! Please send some photos asap - cant wait to see the statue of Christ etc! Anyway, keep enjoying yourself and keep the stories coming. Love Vicky x

PS Emily - I havent managed to kill my Birthday plant yet you will be amazed to know... and I have named him Trevor. I thought you would approve! xxxx

Hello!! Sounds like you both are having lots and lots of fun while some of us are stuck in uni all day...it's a hard life! Well actually, I've been doing some skiving...went to Italy for 6 days for my cousin's wedding...naughty but noone noticed, think I might do it again, it will help get rid of my jealousy of you two travellers! Anyway, glad you are having so much fun...write lots more, it's a good distraction to read! Lots of love Lucinda xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tester picture got through - please send more!

In case you are interested Rangers won 3-0 against Kilmarnock at the weekend and had a whopping victory of 5-2 over the mighty Clyde after extra time in CIS cup on Tuesday (yawn, yawn after Brazilian football). Seems like you are having a fantastic, AMAZING (is that a plug for my business Gav) time - obviously got over the jet lag. We are really, really jealous. Hope it stops raining soon - it's lovely here. Keep writing, it's really entertaining.
Love and kisses mum and dad XXX

Back again! Sorry we had to go, the shop shut!

After sugar loaf mountain we hired bikes and cycled around a 7km lake in the middle of the city. We only had the bikes for an hour so we had to do some speed cycling to make it back in time as we kept stopping for photos. The views of the mountains with the sun setting were amazing.

We had a very starnge experience on Thursday night, we decided to go to ¨vanessas¨dinner, vanessa being a brazilian woman who works in the hostel. We turned up and realised we were in for a bit of a tough time since every besides us were french! Luckily they weren´t as ignorant as us and could actually speak another language over then there own! The evening started quite normally with everyone chatting and getting to know each other, partly though due to language barriers...then all of a sudden the meal was turned into a complete fancy dress freak show by stephane...the crazy french wannabe popstar host!He bought out a large cheat of feather boas and juggling balls from which we were to find something we related to...next thing the lights were dimmed, the microphone came out and stephane in his wig and posh spice sunglasses was mimming to some random samba tune! Soooo strange..then we had pudding! One good thing that came of the evening was meeting carine and adrian, two swiss people from the fondue region...yummy yummy. We went for a few (plenty) of caipirinha fruitas after the freak show....

Friday:
Got up early to go handgliding, running off a mountian 650m high with a mild caipirinha hangover is not recommended, although it did subdue any nerves standinf on the edge of a mountain with a pair of wings and someone shouting run! It was an amazing experience though and well worth it. In the evening we went to a samba club and looked quite clearly like british tourists, but that didn´t stop us joining in the the best of out abilities (Ruth- Gavin did some of his dancing moves!)

Saturday:
Pissing it down again so we went to the botanical gardens, we both ran round taking photos of monkeys, looking like monkeys, and saw a bird woth a colourful beak (extent of our knowledge)
and then....FOOTBALL!!! Stood in a crowd of red and black football finatics, with flares and flags on a large piece of scaffolding, that wobbled continually for 90mins.

Sunday:
lazy day where we just went to the local ipanema market and then in the evening went to an AMAZING restuarant for tea. the food was sooo nice and would cost like 50 pounds in england but got all for 20 (for two) including drinks

Monday:
Was a really clear suny day so went up corcovado to the statue of christ..the views just couldn~t be captured on camera..they were picture book. in the afternoon went to the beach and played volleyball (badly) with swisses and went in the sea..big waves. then sat by the edge of the beach as the sun came down behind the mountains watching beach volleyfootball sipping coconuts. WOW! There were more girls playing volleyfootball than men and they were AMAZING..so good at keepy-uppies..would beat any of us from PSV anyday..

speak soon..bye