Paraty 26th to 29th July 2006 We arrive in Paraty at about 2pm and daring (for Gemma and Joe at least) we don't have a hotel booked. Luckily for us our preferred option has two rooms available and it's a great little place with swimming pool, pool table, small footy pitch and Sauna. We head out immediately for a great burger (Stu and Joe mark it down as THE place to return to for all burgers ever after). We wander around town for a bit, trying not to break our ankles on the large cobbles and return to the hotel. Stu has a quick sauna before we are off out for dinner to an Argentinian restaurant. Stu and Gemma get diddled on the menu del dia, ordering the trout which literally is all they get (no veggies - surprise, surprise and no mash either). Stu is not impressed. After a huge breakfast (5 course buffet) the following day, it's really rather hot so we decide to walk up a big hill along a former gold mining road. It's sweaty work but we make it to the top after an hour and a half and enter a small little conservation park. The lowlight of the day is the pitiful excuse for some ruins which supposedly were a hut or something back in the goldmining days. We get some good photos from the top of the hill and walk back down to catch our taxi back to the center of town. This time the girls enjoy the burger for lunch and Stu has a chees and ham sandwich with about 500 layers of ham. We then spend a bit of time by the pool before a group Sauna (nothing dodgy ok!) followed by a few beers and cards. The following day we change hotels to the establishment across the road and sort out our onward transport. We have a bit of a walk around the town once more and the girls are allowed to do the tiniest bit of shopping before we haed back to our hotel for cards and a bit of a swim. In the evening (our last with Gemma and Joe) we head out to a nice bar/restaurant and try the cuba libres. Dinner is pretty good with Stu and Joe sharing a huge steak with the girls enjoying squid. The following day we are up at the crack of dawn and the breakfast is nothing like as good as the previous days. We are sad to say goodbye to Gemma and Joe but all good things must come to an end sometime. Thankfully though, some of us are STILL on holiday so really we are not sad at all!! (ha ha). Gemma and Joe board their exclusive, private transport to Sao Paulo airport whilst Stu and Amy head off to the bus station for a long a windy journey back to Rio. We have had a great time with G & J and it's really felt like a holiday within a holiday with budget constraints to a certain extent out of the window. Our enthusiasm for the journey which lies ahead (flight back to Santiago then a long road trip up North to Lima!) has been renewed. Lots of love and keep the messages coming!! Stu & Amy