20:00 - Jeep Tour day! Today I was picked up at 9am to go and visit the Christ Reedemer on Corcovado, Sugar Loaf mountain, the botanical gardens and the Tijuca forest. Our guide Augustus was a carioca and the only brasilian NOT into football. There were only two other couples on the tour, a russian couple that lived in New Jersey and another from the UK (near Leeds). 4 really nice people. The UK couple were farmers that loved travelling. David, the bearded husban...

23:00 - I took it easy this morning. After a leasurerly breakfast I went walkabouts in Copacabana and Ipanema. On a Sunday, the road right next to these two beaches are closed to traffic and the cariocas take to the sand in numbers. There was a hippy market, street performers and street vendors all along the road. I bought a ticket for the military museum which happens to be on the peninsula that divides Copacabana and Ipanema. It's got great views and people go ...

11:20 - Rio! I arrived late last night. The guide and driver picked me at the airport and on the way told me that Prince Harry is here! :-). He's playing volleyball somewhere today and was at some VIP party last night. In about 20 minutes I am being picked up for a favela tour organised by a local group that do voluntary work in poor communities. I should have been on a jeep tour of the main sights but JLA messed up and I am doing it the day before i leave (does ...

11:30 - This is my last morning at the Pousada. After saying goodbye to the german couple who were leaving early, I went on a canoe ride with Raul. Even though it was 8am, the heat from the sun was frying my skin, so i lasted about an hour and then asked to turn back. On the way we saw an otter :-). I then spent an hour at the pool playing with little Erik. His mum kindly offered me a beer...I had to turn her down, but this is the proof I needed to know that they...

11:15 - A difficult night. I kept waking up every couple of hours, I was either too hot or too cold and the squaking birds started at 5.30 this morning! We had breakfast as usual at around 7am and then got ready to ride the horses :-). The horses in the pantanal are smaller than normal horses but they have more endurance I am told. My horse was called Maradona. We rode around the jungle and swamps for a couple of hours lead around by Douglas, the man in charge of...