We're both really struggling with overnight bus journeys at the moment! Our latest adventure on the buses took us from Porto Seguro (near Arraial d'Ajuda) to Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais state. It took 18 hours! We both had an awful night's sleep again...By 9 on Tuesday morning we were winding our way over to Ouro Preto on another bus, which took two hours. Ouro Preto has definitely been worth the hassle of getting here though. It's incredibly picturesque, with great views around every corner thanks to its steep cobbled streets, churches built on every hill and prettily-painted houses clinging to the hillsides. We took loads of photos on our way to a 'por-kilo' restaurant (where you pay an incredibly cheap amount of money for food that is weighed to assess the cost). We left here feeling stuffed, but it was just what we needed to recharge after the journey!

The Tuesday took us through various sights in the city, including the Museu da Incofidência, housed in an old jail/council building on the main square. Inside were interesting exhibits on the history of Ouro Preto, particularly about the 'gold rush' which saw the town expand rapidly and permitted the displays of wealth and splendour found in the churches. There were mining tools, weapons for punishing errant slaves, and a room or two dedicated to the first uprising against Portuguese rule, the Inconfidência Mineira. Unfortunately, most of the other exhibits were fairly mundane, meaning the rest of the museum dragged a bit...From here we walked the short distance to one of Aleijadinho's masterpieces, the Igreja de São Francisco de Assis. Aleijadinho (meaning 'Little Cripple') was a baroque master who, despite suffering from a disease which meant he lost his fingers, toes, and the use of his legs, carved the entire exterior of the church. He invented a new style in the process, using Brazilian soapstone and strapping hammers and chisels to his arms. It was crazy to think how much effort must have gone into it! We also visited two other churches, one with an extremely opulent interior containing 434 kilograms of gold and silver.

On Wednesday we went on a little day trip to the nearby city of Mariana. It had two pretty squares: Praça Minas Gerais, which was lined on three of four sides with impressive buildings; and the nearby Praça Gomes Freire, with loads of trees, surrounded by lovely buildings, a gazebo and a fountain. We have definitely also become addicted to paying for everything by weight. Before visiting a 'por-kilo' in Mariana, we also stumbled across a pay-by-weight 'sorveteria' (ice cream parlour), and chose a few flavours to lick on over a couple of games of backgammon. Back at the hostel that afternoon, I was lying on the bed writing my diary when it literally collapsed beneath me, sending me crashing to the ground with an almighty thud! Luckily I wasn't hurt, but try as we might we couldn't fix it, so we eventually got the staff involved. They were all apologies and moved us to another room.

Today was another opportunity to wander lazily about Ouro Preto. You definitely needed to take your time tackling the various hills that crowned the labyrinth of lanes. We spent a lot of the day having mini breaks in cafes, sampling coffees, cold liquid chocolates with scoops of ice-cream, juices and various other drinks. We stopped by the Matriz NS da Conceição de Antônio Dias, and then came across the Oratório Vira-Saia. This was apparently the most famous oratory (little shrines positioned on street-corners) in the city, bestowing good luck on passers-by and used by banditss during the gold rush as a form of communication (they would adjust the position of the saint inside) to plan heists. Unfortunately it looked rather forlorn and neglected now. At the culmination of a really steep hill we came to the Igreja de Santa Efigênia dos Pretos, a church founded by Chico Rei (an African king turned slave, who bought his own freedom, and that of his tribe, then purchased a mine all of his own) and Ouro Preto's African community with the gold flakes that washed out of the slaves' hair!

Tonight is our final overnight bus journey (hooray!), as we continue southwards to Rio de Janeiro. We've got the day tomorrow, after we arrive ridiculously early, and then on Saturday we are meeting up with Jo's Mum and Dad, Carly and Nick!