Road Tripping to Rio

Well.. where to start?! Has been a while since the last post - I have joined a tour group to head from Buenos Aires to Rio and its crazy that it has already been almost two weeks! The trip has been amazing so far, such diversity of places in such a short time. Ill try summarise without boring everyone :-) Doesnt leave much time for writing and catching up though..

First stop was Uruguay - a small but pleasant and well organised country. Not too much to say other than being in Montevideo on the day of the national election had its ups and downs. On the up side we somehow were swallowed into the celebrations and parties.. on the down side, pretty much everything was closed (including the famous world cup football stadium) and they stopped selling beer at 6pm on Saturday!!

Its a good group of people on the tour. Mainly English people (some from the same part of north England!), one German girl and an Irish couple. The tour leader, Paul, is somewhat, er... different from what anyone may expect.. (wait for the pics!) Great guy though and always worth a good laugh (!) and a beer or two. He is American, but speaks fluent spanish and little portugese. Its a good thing that the people are fun and friendly... spending over 40 hours on busses together with annoying people could send you over the edge!

Speaking of going over the edge... Along with the football in Buenos Aires and the Glaciers, the Iguazu falls were a highlight of the trip. Since I used up all the superlatives I know on the glacier post, Ill spare everyone the dreamy rhetoric about the place. Just two things you should know - watch the video and book a flight!!

From the 35° heat of the sub tropical jungle and worlds most impressive waterfalls, it was a short 24 hour bus ride to Paraty on the Brazilian coast. Not sure if it was the impact of the bus ride, or just because of the startling beauty of the coastline, but the final part of the journey was the moment I decided I wont go back to London to live. Why live in London when there are such incredibly beautiful places in the world?? After only a few days in Brazil, it is easy to see why the people have the reputation they do. The country, the scenery, the smells, the ocean, the food all just make you want to smile and party. I absolutely loved Argentina, and now I am certain that I will love Brazil as much, or maybe even more.

Today we spent some time lounging on the beach at Trindade beach, soaking up the rays Brazil style (and burning English style!!!). Paraty is a great little town, feels just like it should in a sleepy coastal retreat. We are surrounded by soaring green peaks that end somewhere in the clouds, lying on a beach bathed in sun and bronzed bodies (not ours... obviously!!) looking out onto a crisp blue ocean. Not sure you could ask for any more.

Tomorrow, we will be taking a slow boat over to Ilha Grande for a 3 day stay. Already heard from Steve and Gem how great the place is and everyone is excited about it. We will visit one of Brazils top 10 beaches, which considering the sheer volume of competition, must be breathtaking! Yeah yeah, there I go again with the superlatives :-)

Just to top it off, we will have a bbq on the boat and wash it all down with some fresh Caiprinhas... Some part of me wonders when/why I was ever sitting at that dark and dreary desk in London...

Oh, and thanks for all the messages - great to hear from y'all. James, that statement could be made by any person who sits in that office :-)