Arrived in Foz Do IguaÇu for our originally planned 3 day stop over. Were greeted by a really pleasant couple who were new owners of the hostel we were to stay in. The place was without a shadow of a doubt the nicest place we have stayed so far - to boot it had Sky ready for the big Utd - Chelsea game on the Sunday. So the following day we set off for the falls, everything they say about them in the book is true - that you can hear them from miles away and the...

Picked up by our tour guide, at 8am after a stomach churning breakfast which we barely touched, expecting a local indigenous person to be best suited to the job of Pantanal tour guide. We were greeted by Munir our guide of Lebonese decent which made us begin to wonder what we´d signed up for, especially when led to our `4x4´ aka - combivan!! After some crazy driving - 112mph in a 60 zone Rita was green and Ben was not far off bringing back his breakfast so Mun...

Arrived in Cuiaba - The gateway to the Pantanal.... and finally an airport pick up that actually arrived... YAY, we´re off to a good start!! A pleasant town divided in to 2 parts, the old and the new separated by the river Cuiaba Staying in what initially looked like a rather Bohemian hostel... hammocks, central garden courtyard, lots of memorabilia around the place and a eccentric but friendly owner. Spent the first night being taken out by the owner for fo...

Arrived safe and well in Belo Horizonte after a short 3 hour bus journey from Ouro Preto, with amazing scenery along the way. Bus Terminal - crazy.... Around the bus terminal - Crazy!!!! Hostel owner - French and arrogant !!! Just one night here - a short stop over before our flight to Cuiaba.

After a very plush overnight journey (okay, so we went first class!) from Rio we arrived safely in Ouro Preto! However...... the crazy driver drove so fast that we arrived an hour and a half ahead of schedule in a dark bus depot which the guide book states to avoid after dark...yippe!! A very nice hostel in a great location and only a short walk to the main square where we spent most of the morning just sitting and people watching. Ouro Preto is an old colonia...