Wednesday was moving day for me, as it was for the majority of the hostel.. the Varandas do Vidigal gradually emptied throughout the day.

The end of Carnival in Rio also brought an abrupt end to some blooming relationships.. for the time being anyway. It was sad to say goodbye to some great people I'd formed genuine bonds with over the past 6 days.. but the show must go on as they say.

Before I left I thanked the owner Armando for his hospitality and generosity as he was absolutely fantastic with me during my stay. He is easily the nicest and friendliest owner of a hostel I've ever come across.

Around mid afternoon Erica and I managed to wave down a taxi at the top of Vidigal.. there was no way we were walking down the favela slalom with our heavy backpacks in what was 39 degree heat!

The taxi took me to Hotel Argentina in the Flamengo district where I'd be staying for the night and meeting the group of people I'd be with for the 18 day Dragoman tour from Rio to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

I said goodbye to Erica as she was carrying on a little further to a place called Lapa, then I checked into the hotel which was very upmarket in comparison to my previous accommodations.

I had a bit of time to shower and get myself straight before making my way down to the hotel lobby for a scheduled welcome tour meeting at 6.00pm.

The group was pretty large so it was split into two groups.. 18 in mine and 21 in the other. The group of people couldn't have been more diverse.. ages ranging from 18-78 and nationalities from all over the world. Certainly wasn't expecting the difference in age range!

Sat around a long rectangular table we all had to take it in turns to introduce ourselves as if it was our first day of college, which was a little odd but I suppose necessary. Our team leader was a guy from Wellington in New Zealand named Duncan and he gave us a rundown of the whole trip. A girl called Emma from Wales would be our driver and mechanic.

Over a duration of 18 days a large bus/truck kind of vehicle named Amber will be transporting us day by day throughout the south of Brazil over the border with Argentina via Foz do Iguacu (Iguazu Falls) and onto Buenos Aires. Amber is kitted out with everything we could possibly need for our journey which will include a combination of overnight camping sites and hostels in various locations along the way.

We are all part of a team and each individual was designated a specific role to help out with chores and the general running of the bus.. unloading the vehicle at each destination was to be my role.

As an ice breaker the majority of the team on both sides met at a 'por kilo' restaurant in the Flamengo district where the cost of your meal depends on how much your food weighs from a buffet style selection.

I met some great people straight away.. a lad called Ollie from Wrexham, a cool girl from Wellington, New Zealand called Ria and a Manchester born and bred girl named Catherine. We had a couple of drinks nearby and then tucked into a bottle of rum in the hotel lobby before heading to bed around midnight.

Breakfast was at 7 in the hotel restaurant.. we fuelled up, then gathered our belongings and boarded Amber for the first time of the trip. It was more like an A-Team style custom truck than anything which was pretty cool.. not luxurious by any stretch of the imagination, more rugged in build to take on what ever terrain is thrown at us.

Our first stop was Paraty, a colonial town on the Emerald Coast of the Atlantic, around a 4-5 hour drive. We arrived at Leo's Clan Beach Hostel mid-afternoon, had a quick check-in and then had another 'por kilo' dinner in the centre of town.

Quaint, pretty and annoyingly hard to walk around were my first impressions of Paraty. A picture perfect river winds it's way down from the backdrop of the lush green hills were small boats are docked and a humpback bridge takes you over into the centre of the town. Restaurants, street cafes, bars and shops line the streets off a main square but everywhere is cobbled, big old cobbles.. an absolute nightmare for the ankles! Over the other side of the bridge lies a stretch of beach bars, hostels and hotels parallel to a calm sandy beach.

A nearby hostel was hosting a pool party that evening with a live band and BBQ so the majority of the group made the short 15 minute walk over. It turned out to be a great night and it was good to see the group begin to gel as the alcohol loosened everybody up. The Brazilian live band were pretty good, playing old popular rock classics but completely messing some of the lyrics up in places which was amusing. And the evening was capped off with birthday celebrations and cake for Ria who had a wicked night. Happy Birthday Ria!!

After breakfast the following morning we all took a walk down to the small harbour where we boarded a large fishing style boat with a capacity of around 100 people. For 5 hours we took a cruise out of Paraty to explore the countless stunning islands and their idyllic beaches, then getting the opportunity to swim in the sparkling blue warm waters surrounding them. Even though it was overcast, the sun broke through every now and again and it was pretty much heaven right there.

I had another great laugh with everyone and met a few more cool people in Hannah from Australia and Saskia from the Wirral.

Dinner was made for us and an endless supply of free Caiprinha's were on offer aswell.. strong potent ones as they always seem to be in Brazil so it became more a boat party in the afternoon! So much for looking forward to something different on this trip, things are just carrying on from where they left off in Rio.. the complete opposite from what I was expecting but hey, I wasn't complaining!

The boat trip had been moved forward earlier that morning as a storm was due to hit in the afternoon. But as the boat was docking and thinking we had judged our timings perfectly, dark clouds descended on us.. then the storm hit! And boy did it hit!

We had no choice but to disembark and brave the 20 minute walk back to the hostel. Wearing just a vest, swim shorts, flip flops and a Liverpool towel I got the biggest soaking of my life.. I was drenched within 10 seconds of getting off the boat. The skies unleashed a truly insane amount of rain.. it can only be likened to being stood directly under a waterfall. It was also powerful but I remained warm throughout so it was by no means a bad experience.

The deluge had swamped Paraty.. the cobbled streets had become rivers, there was no shelter and it was impossible to get any wetter.
With the group broken up and everyone fending for themselves the flip flops had to come off so I could wade through the almost knee deep streets quicker. I finally arrived back at the hostel.. what a crazy experience!

Once we had dried ourselves off that evening we had a BBQ at the hostel courtesy of Leo, the owner. We had planned to find a bar with some of the other group and have a few drinks but not many people were about after feeling the effects of the free Caiprinha's.

Ollie, Ria, Tom from Sweden and an old fella called Ralph from Australia, had a few drinks in town and then called it a night as there isn't much of a nightlife scene in Paraty.. more somewhere for a romantic break away with your partner.

We had a free day to ourselves on Saturday so the morning/afternoon Ria, Ollie and myself chilled out on the beach and had a few drinks. After a few hours we came back in the afternoon to watch the Liverpool v Arsenal game at the hostel (3-1 win!!).

Dave, who I'd met in Rio was in town for the day so I met him at his hostel for a catch up. It was great to see him and hear about his adventures since leaving Rio and hopefully we can catch up again further down the line.

The evening was spent at a pizzeria/bar situated at the other groups hostel by the beach where a good few of us met to celebrate Catherine's birthday. However, we didn't go crazy as we have an early start in the morning when we'll be leaving at 6.00am to endure a 9-10 hour journey to Brotas.

Caio Caio xx