.....Back in the sunshine

Eek, has it really been a week since I last updated? Time sure flies when you`re humping a massive rucksack half way across South America....

Well the perceptive blog readers among you will notice that in the last week Jen and I have completed our mission to do just that. The 17-hour bus ride which took us from BA to Puerto Iguazu was just a warm up. And the 20-hour journey from there to Rio was the grand finale. Poor Jen, has been a bit of a mission since she tagged along. But it was worth it, firstly to see the simply stunning Iguazu Falls, and now to have reached beaches and sunshine and remember how lovely travelling in the warm is compared to trudging round in the cold and rain...

But I promised her beautiful beach action when we got here and we have certainly found that. There are three popular resorts north of Rio which we had our eye on for a few days of down-time, and when we reached Rio bus station (which is just lovely by the way - joke) we just decided to just head to the nearest one. And so here we are two hours north of the party capital of Rio in a quiet resort town which due to it being the off-season is very quiet and peaceful - a few locals dotted about, a handful of surfer dudes out catching the ample waves and Jen and I, just about the only Western tourists here, and I think attracting a few curious stares.....

The taxi driver took us to a hotel on the beach front as we requested (well as much as we could in our non-existent Portugese; no one here speaks English, not a word...) And we ended up at a super little spot which is still finishing being built in time for peak season and most of the time we were the only guests. But our room was fab and the breakfast too - a most ridiculous spread. We suffed ourselves every morning because we felt we had to, such was the effort that had gone into providing for us!

And on that theme, am glad to report that Brazilian food is soooo much nicer than Argentinian. Lots of chicken and fish and the staples are rice, beans and salad so much more healthy that what has gone before too. Only problem is the portion sizes which are humongous. They would put US portions to shame. We now order a meal for one and a couple of sides and share it between us because we were always sending mountains back. So yes, before you ask, the jeans are now not just tight but at bursting point.

Jen saw something on the internet about a Brazilian Body Bootcamp on a really nice tourist island called Ilha Grande, where I`m thinking about heading after she`s gone. Could be time to enrol I think....