Yesterday we had a fair bit of time to kill in Rio as our bus wasn't due out until 22.15. We had brekkie and then went to Ipanema for the morning. It was much quieter than the previous visit and quite pleasant.

Around lunch time we returned to the hotel to finish packing and check out.With the cases stored in the luggage room we headed out to visit the Santa Teresa district. There are lots of ways to get around Rio. You can walk, taxi, take a bus, take a mini bus or use an unlicensed mini bus. We plumped for the licensed mini bus. A little more than the standard bus but no stops. Anyway Santa Teresa turned out to be quite a pretty area so we spent a couple of hours mooching around it. It is on a hill and we were killing time so we decided to walk back down into to Lapa.

In the heat we were parched so it was back to the hotel roof terrace for a glass of vino.Next stop into the restaurant for dinner before calling a taxi to the bus station.

It all went a lot more smoothly this time. There were still hordes of people there even at 10pm but the system was quite simple. We got settled on the bus, eye shades on, ear plugs in, seat reclined and zzzzzzzz.

The 7 hour drive went very quickly and we both slept through most of it. We arrived at our destination Ouro Preto about 5.30 am. It's in a mountain area so it was a bit chilly. We sat around the bus station for half an hour to let the sun come up. Then it was rucksacks on and walk down to the town to find our hostel. The directions were rubbish but with a bit of nose following and some help from an old boy we arrived.

Clearly we were too early for them and I think we were dealing with the cleaner. They couldn't find our reservation. Then they wanted to charge us for 3 nights which we had originally booked instead of the two night amended booking. After some arm waving and angry faces we were shown to our room. We still haven't paid !!!

The rooms are very basic. A bed and a bathroom with shower. No towels, no curtains.But it is cheap.

By 8am we were out exploring. The town is a Baroque style with cobbled streets. The buildings are beautiful with large churches everywhere. The mountain back drop is stunning. It is a major tourist destination but at this time is not too busy. We've enjoyed meandering through the back streets although it is very hilly and hard on the legs.

We've got another day here tomorrow before we bus off to Belo Horizonte. Thats just a one night stop before moving to another mountain town.