Day 13: Salto Uruguay. Failed at our attempt to get breakfast after 18 hour bus ride. So more ham cheese and bread. For a change. Salto is known for its thermal baths and the healing powers of its waters. So I was prepared for a day in the spa with semi naked hot Uruguayan men. The reality was slightly different. The town was swarmed with pensioners walking the streets in bathrobes. And not much else. We were the youngest visitors to the baths by about 50 yea...

Day 7. I feel very ropey. Up at 7.30 for boat and bus to Paraty, a town which describes itself as "a treasure between the sea and the mountains. We arrive about lunch time into a cobbled street maze of prettiness. Our hotel is lovely with old wooden features and overhanging flowers dotted throughout. We go for lunch to a local restaurant after which we head down to the beach. Cloudy day but perfect for kayaking. Crabs were everywhere - vivid red crabs on the roc...

Met my tour group and there are 15 of us. 9 girls and 6 guys ranging from 18 to 32 comprising English(Tom, Dove), Welsh (Sally), Scottish (Tina, Frazer and Mhairi), German(Julia), Australian (Julia), American (Stacey), New Zealand (Damian, Jonathan and Mark) Kenyan (Kunal) and Malaysian (Hooi). All lovely and we have clicked really well. Christian is our tour leader. He is Chilean, a bit of a hippy and loves to party!! We went to a buffet style restaurant on ...

Arrived in Rio after a 12 hour flight. Hotel nice and friendly staff. Day 1: Woke up at 5am as still on Irish time! Had most of my sightseeing done by 11am! Rio is a very catholic city and its tourist attractions include numerous churches, statutes and religious monasteries. The newest monastery is a cone shaped structure with ornate stained glass windows which can hold up to 22,000 people I'm not so sure a football game could be played here though!)Next stop ...