So ended up just chilling on the beach and getting some chores sorted before the 15 hour coach ride to Sao Paulo. The coach was really nice, with loads of leg room and blankets. We spoke to a girl from Sao Paulo who told us there was a war going on in the city and that it is dangerous - especially at night. So we arrived just before midnight and then had to figure out the tube system to get to our hostel, all carrying our huge bags. When we got out of the tube station the other end i asked a passer by for help with directions, our hostel was just around the corner but he told us it wasnt safe to walk down this road, so we have to go around the whole block the other way - a little off putting at 1am in a new city, carrying bags looking the like the biggest tourists ever all after being told there was a war going on. Nonetheless we arrived without trouble.

Our first day in Sao Paulo was spent trying to find the eficio de Banespa, a tall tower with a free viewpoint of the city at the top. The view was great and the city is huge, like huge!! After, we walked through the most surreal christmas street with fruit stalls and christmas decorations everywhere before finding the food market. We stopped for lunch and had a local sandwich stuffed full of ham. I then spent the afternoon trying to get my card to work in a number of different banks - all with no luck. Instead we took a stroll down Avcenue De Paulista and Augusta (the main streets) but it was basically just bank after bank after bank.

When i returned to the hostel i set up skype calling and spent 2 hours on the phone to the bank asking them to unblock my card. That evening we had a few beers at the hostel with Richard (Aussie) and 2 of the girls working on reception. After a couple of litres of beer and a caprinhia it was decided we would head out to Villa Madalena for the night. The rest is a bit of blur, but good fun nonetheless. However, the next day was spent hungover rather than sightseeing (including a little vom). We got up around 2.30 pm, i forcefed myself some chips and then slept again until 5.30pm. In the morning i spent 1 hour on the phone to the bank asking them to sort out my bank card, and another 2 hours in the evening - but i was told it was all sorted. That evening we had takeaway pizza at the hostel and a drink at the bar with Richard, 2 Israeli lads and Andersa from reception.

Next day we wemt across Sao Paulo to the bus station to book a ticket to Campo Grande but we had the wrong station, the wrong end of town which with lack of english speaking bus operators took a good couple of hours to work out. Our coach was evenutally booked for 7.30pm so we had some time to kill back at the hostel - just as well, as i tried my bank card and still it didnt work. The next 2 hours was spent on the phone to the bank when i established they had cancelled my card due to suspected fraud - my card was being used by someone in Brazil of all places. A few heated words later and i was told i could expect a call from customer services to cover my phone bill and inconvenience, still i head nothing, was down to 6pd and had a 4 day trip to the pantanal starting the next day where there is no internet, yet alone cash points.

On the coach we met the Polish lad again from Paraty who was going to hitchike his way from Campo Grande to La Paz - then to Machu Pichu for the end of the world on the 21st! The journey was comfortable and we slept the night through.