Hello again,

Have just spent the best part of a week in Brazil, a vast country as big as the USA. Given that I am only here for three weeks I'm hoping to get a flavour of it and still leave some time for scuba and sun in the last week.

Am open to correction on some details of this country as I have a Brazilian friend Eduardo on my mailing list but here goes....

Arrived in Sao Paulo last Tuesday after a two hour flight from Buenos Aires. The plan was to get to Rio asap and at the baggage counter I met Jon, a Welsh guy who was trying to do the same. We teamed up and quickly got tickets for a flight for less then 30 quid, which left in four hours time. A big advantage over an eight hour bus ride which was plan B. The woman selling the tickets advised we should check in as soon as possible as the Brazil world cup game was just about to start and shortly there might not be anyone on the checkout counters. This gives an idea of the impact football has on this nation and possibly to avoid boring non football people with endless references to its imposition on life here, I will probably write a separate note just on that subject which non football people can delete.

The first thing that struck me about the country is that distinguishing between natives and foreigners is not simple. My understanding of the history is that Brazil is made up of the original Indians, remnants of the Portuguese settlers, the negro slaves they brought over from Africa and the constant European immigration which has taken place for hundreds of years. In effect, although there are black and honey coloured Brazilians, the blond, white blue eyed people you see are more likely to be Brazilian than from Germany, Sweden or wherever.

My plan for here is to follow up the coast taking in Rio, Salvador, Olinda before finishing for a week on an archipelago of islands which are supposed to be the best place in Brazil for diving. Starting with Rio.....

By now you are probably immunised against excited descriptions of cities and their exotic settings. Despite all I have seen Rio De Janeiro is unique in my experience. Set on a beautiful coastline, the stunning beaches are interspersed by huge hills which rise both on the coast and in the middle of the city. To give you an idea, on my first trip by taxi up into the mountains, we drove through the city, into a tunnel under one hill and then ascended up another hill through a jungle. The driver had brought bananas with him and stopped to feed the monkeys and let us take pictures. All in a city! The trip took us to one of the two mountains which dominate the skyline. On the top there is a massive statue called Christo Redentor which looks out over the city. You will probably have seen photos of this statue which was built in the early 20th century to commemorate 100 years of Brazilian independence. the views from the top were impressive although it was a bit hazy.

Following that half day trip, a group of us from the hostel went out to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain, the other huge hill, to see the sunset. This was truly spectacular. you see Rio laid out before you and we had a terrific sunset after which the city lights come blinking on in stages. the scene constantly changes in front on you for more than an hour and a half with beautiful colours and shades of light over the city, hills and beaches An experience I will remember for a very long time. Regarding Rio and its seedy reputation we did stop on the way back from out first trip to take some pictures of the slum areas (called favelas) from a distance considered safe by the driver.

I must admit I was apprehensive about Rio given its reputation for violence and crime. I ended up staying in Impanema, which is a fairly affluent area with major security in place and I must say i felt safe the whole time I was there, whilst taking the usual precautions. The hostel was in a small cul de sac and takes only 10 people and is run by a Kiwi guy and a Brazilian woman.It was a great place to stay, almost like being in someones house to visit. All the guests got on famously and we ended up going on joint trips and out for meals which was good for added security.

The hostel was three blocks from the beach. Funny going to the beach in a vast city but that is how it is situated and people walking along city street and in public transport in beach wear if a fact of life here. In between sightseeing I was at the beach most days and loved it. Best of all was the body surfing. The waves are fantastic here and I had forgotten how much fun it can be to ride them in if you time it right. It is also one of the best places ever for people watching. All shapes and sizes. City people and tourists alike. Speedos are still in here and thongs everywhere. Too many variations to describe. From the latest fashion to the sort of stuff I sport myself...Hmmm... Probably best to finish this part. You need to see for yourself! Although I don't know it I am sure there was a song called 'the girl from Impanema'. Would be interested to know what the lyrics are if anyone has it.

Food: All you can eat places are common here and in other they charge you by weight. Haven't been terribly adventurous so far but I expect that will change by the next email. Cheese and ham seem difficult to avoid for some reason. We did go to an all you can eat restaurant which is a glutton's paradise. You are issued a token with green on one side and red on the other. You get your starters and then waiters come to the table every other minute with meat on skewers which they cut over your plate. Beef, rare and on the bone, lamb, pork, chicken, bacon wrapped around sausage, the list goes on... Once you can eat no more you have to turn your token over from green to red and they will stop arriving at your table. The cost? Just over six pounds per head.

I left Rio on Saturday and flew 2 hours up the coast to Salvador. It has a population of two million and a very different feel from Rio. Immediately you can feel the greater African influence, much in the same way as the east coast of Cuba differs from the west. Music is everywhere, you cannot avoid it in the streets any more than you can avoid the topic of football. I am staying in the old city area which like many of the 'must see'destinations had a colonial feel with loads of churches and architecturally impressive buildings. Have just started wandering today so.will write more on this later.

The hostel in Salvador has a recreational area with hammocks for resting on. Have never been on one before but can recommend them as amazingly comfortable. My dad told me of his experiences of using them in his navy days and that he slept as well as at any time in his life. Given that there was a world war on at the time this was not a bad recommendation and very true as it turns out.

Anyway, time to close this chapter. I will move further north on Thursday and write more from there next week. I leave for home two weeks today and can feel the adventure drawing to an end. Please stay with me for the last two weeks!

Hope to see many of you in the near future.

Best regards

Murdo