We are in Sao Paulo today. It is a comfortable 29 - 30 degrees (Celcius) so not too hot and definitely not cold. The rain of the last three days has finally broken. We had a lovely time in Paraty, which is three hours south of Rio on the coast. We caught local bus out to Trindade, which is a bit of a surfers mecca. Nice to go for a swim in the Atlantic and relax on the sandy beach, with Atlantic rain forrest running right down to the sandy beaches.

Of course the clue should have been in the rain forest, i.e. RAIN forest! After an hour the thunder and lightening arrived for a tropical downpuir and we were hurrying for shelter like a couple of drowned rats. Stilll...beats working I say!

The rain lasted the next three days, so not much in the way of sea, sand, surf and sun...or at least not the latter! Paraty is a very cute place. Abandoned sometime ago after the major ports moved north to Rio, the town of Paraty was not redeveloped and left in tact in its original colonial style. The nearest roads were a 4 hour boat trip away until sometimer in the 1970´s when a road finally reached Paraty. The style and colours of the building are beautiful and I think it has some UNESCO status these days to keep things under control.

We are in Sao Paulo just for today so checked out some of the centre and old area and Sao Paulo Cathedral, now waiting taxi to take us to bus station.

Next stop Iguazu Falls, on the borders of Argentina, Brasil and Paraguay...and a 16 hour bus ride for us through the night. These falls apparently dwarf Niagara and are the largest in the world for volume of water and length, so pretty impressive. We will stay on the Argentinian side for three days and then take another bus ride, this time 18 hours to Buenos Aires.