Hello again, Well this will hopefully be my last communication from foreign soil on this trip. I fly back home today and arrive back in Glasgow Tuesday 4th July at 1100 hours all being well after 40,00 miles of air travel. Am still to calculate the land miles but hope to in due course. Wanted to update you first of all on my activities since my last email a couple of weeks ago. After leaving Rio I spent 3 or 4 days in Salvador. This city has a population of about 2 million and has a distinctive African feel. It is quite the noisiest place I have ever been in. Apart from the guy in the youth hostel dorm who snored like a trouper every night, the sound of music was constant. A band passed your window regularly at all hours of the day and night and other live music was played in all sorts of public corners and squares. Music varied from African-tinged rock music to accordion based folk sounds. The tourist area was safe enough and I did wander off the beaten track to see more of the places where the locals congregate with no great problems. Vibrant is probably the best word to describe the city. I moved further north up the coast to a small town called Olinda, which was quieter than Salvador but with a similar concentration of attractive churches and pretty colonial buildings. To be honest by this stage in the trip I have probably seen enough of these sort of buildings to last a lifetime but did my duty and went around a few taking photos which hopefully I will be able to share in the future. My best experience during the last fortnight however has been a visit to Fernando de Norohna. This is a small archipelago of islands off the north east coast of Pernambuco and contains the best diving in Brazil. It is a protected area and there is a restriction on numbers with only 400 people allowed there per day. The main island is small and a bus run from end to end takes 15 minutes maximum. The locals, as you would expect with a small island, are very friendly and sometimes standing at the bus stop I would get a free lift from a local. The island is littered with beautiful beaches and tropical landscapes with hardly anyone around. The bird life is varied but the diving was the main attraction for me. The sheer quality of life under the water was amazing. I saw three types of shark on one dive, including two I had not seen before, Lemon and Nursery shark. We saw eagle rays on all of the dives and on nine out of the ten dives I saw giant turtles. In addition to this one morning between dives around 20 dolphins came and swam around the boat. These are spinner dolphins and I understand they are unique to the area. They are so called as they spin when they jump out of the water, which they did right in front of us that morning. Another great experience was on the last morning before flying out. I hired a mask and snorkel and went to look at a wreck in the port harbour which is just below the surface. The wreck was interesting enough, with compartments full of shoals of fish, but on the way back to the beach in around 4 feet of water two turtles passed just in front of me. Even if you don't do diving this place is well worth a visit as the snorkeling is just as good. Had a great afternoon on one of the beaches with body surfing on the waves which were the best since I was first taught to do it in Opotama in New Zealand. I could go on and on about this place but hopefully you can see my photos. For a brief sample go to my website: www.statraveljournals.com/travelsfromkintail There was a professional photographer on some of the dives so I purchased a few shots which I hope will whet your appetite for more when I get back. They are under the photo album section under 'Diving in Brazil'. Before I finish this part I want to thank my Brazilian buddy Eduardo for recommending the place which I think few people outside Brazil know about. It is a hidden treasure and I felt privileged to sample it. Brazil is a massive country a big as the USA and will require more exploring. The Amazon is an obvious omission on this trip but I feel I got a pretty good taster. Anyway, my next communication will hopefully be from Scotland to confirm I got back home safely. In the words of the song: And now The end is near And I must face... The Maryhill Job centre. Or words to that effect. I want to thank you all for the 700 or so emails I received when I was away, which boosted morale many times and made me conscious that people's thoughts and prayers accompanied me on my way. I am truly thankful for your kindness to me in this regard. Thanks for staying with me along the way. Hope to see many of you in the not too distant future. All the best Murdo