Sao Paulo, Brazil

We arrived in Sao Paulo after a six hour journey from Paraty. The place is absolutely huge! We stayed in an area called Vila Madalena, which was described to us as "the Camden of Sao Paulo". It's full of arty bars and shops and there´s mosaics and graffiti on every wall - even the trees have colourful knitted covers! The hostel that we stayed at was really cool too - the walls in the courtyard were covered in graffiti and murals painted by previous guests.

On our first day Sam got us lost trying to find the local supermarket, so Jo had to take control of the situation and got us there in a matter of minutes! Later on we went for a pizza as they reckon they're better in Sao Paulo than those you get in Italy... The food was amazing, and it seems that in Brazil it's customary for the waiter to serve the pizza slice by slice - maybe to keep it warm, or maybe to earn their tips - we're not too sure! Sam tried to find another local bar afterwards, but once again failed miserably. This time it was a local who saved us and took us to Bassa bar, which she reckoned was the best in the city. Even though it was late on a Sunday night people were drinking and partying in the street! Everyone was really friendly and sharing drinks with each other. When we asked what there was to do in Sao Paulo, no one was able to tell us anything other than the food and drink!

On Monday we headed into the Downtown area of Sao Paulo. It had been described by other people as a mini New York, although there's not much to back that up other than it's size and that everything is really expensive! There weren't many landmarks or tourist attractions to hold our attention, so we spent the day exploring..

That evening we found a jugglers' street party! A basketball court had been taken over by jugglers and performers, showing off their skills and competing with each other. The atmosphere was amazing and everyone was having a great time. There was even someone DJing and hosting a BBQ from the boot of his car! Afterwards we went to a local Japanese restuarant and had a huge plate of sushi between us - Sam's first time!

On Tuesday we went to a local fruit and veg market. It was like an exotic East End market with all the stallholders calling out for people to buy their food! We tried some local delicacies (cane juice and fried pasties) before heading to the Municipal Market, in the Downtown area. It was one of the few things that the guidebook could recommend we do. The variety of fruit was incredible, loads of which we´d  never seen before - we happily excepted the free samples and have no idea what we ate, but they tasted great!

We're now leaving Sao Paulo for the coastal town of Florianopolis. We're staying at a place called the Barra Beach Club Hostel - everyone we've met on our travels has raved about it, so hopefully it lives up to expectation...

Paraty, Brazil

Paraty is laaavly! We arrived on Thursday after a rather long and bumpy bus ride from Ilha Grande - we stood the whole way as the bus was completely packed and had to hold on for dear life. Another taste of how the Brazilians drive!

Despite the journey, our first impressions of Paraty were great. A picturesque colonial town complete with horse and carts and cobblestone streets. We walked through the historical center as the sun was setting and preparations were being made for the Festa do Divino, a Catholic festival celebrated 50 days after Easter - our timing was pretty perfect!

We spent the next day exploring the town and walked up to the old fort; built to protect  the town from pirates! The views were incredible, and we listened in on somebody else´s tour so caught a bit of Paraty´s history too. We made some new friends at our hostel and went into town to join in with the festivities. The town was buzzing and there was a huge stage with local bands playing.. so naturally we joined in with the locals dancing and drinking late into the night!

Today we got the local bus along the coast to Trinidade, which had been recommended by an Italian couple we met. The journey itself was eventful. When we got on to the crowded bus, everyone began noticing an awful smell, which seemed to get stronger with the heat. It didn't take long for us to realise the source of the problem was Sam... he'd left his damp swimming shorts in a plastic bag at the bottom of his rucksack to fester for a good few days! Consequently he stunk out the whole bus for an hour, as we got held up by roadworks and clung on as the bus flew over bumps and around hairpin corners. In addition to our woes, another passenger spilt motor oil which began snaking it's way across the floor on to everyone's feet!

When we finally got there, feeling a little worse for wear, the beaches were perfect! Well worth the journey. We ambled through rainforest to the Piscina Natural we'd been told about, which was a natural pool created by large volcanic rocks. A perfect way to relax before facing the bus ride back..

Emily, Jason, Kelly and Sam in the natural pools

Tomorrow we´re heading to Sao Paulo for a few days before moving on to Florianopolis for more beaches...

Ilha Grande continued...

We extended our stay in Ilha Grande by a couple of days because we're loving it so much and we thought we could do with soaking up the sunshine! Today is our last full day so we took a boat tour around the island, stopping at the Blue Lagoon (where the water is clear enough to see all of the tropical fish), Japariz beach for lunch and Freguesia de Santana, where we walked up to see an old church where they used to bury pirates!

  

Yesterday we went back to Lopes Mendes for another day of sunbathing. The beach so was quiet and the weather was incredible - not a cloud in sight! In the evening we went for a fish supper at a resturant on the beach. We had the catch of the day, which was apparently caught in the bay in front of us. Halfway through our dinner there was a huge thunderstorm and the island's power was completely cut - meaning we had to eat the rest by candlelight! Spent the rest of the evening playing cards until the power came back on...

Tomorrow we're getting the ferry back to the mainland and heading off to a coastal town called Paraty. If it's half as good as Ilha Grande we're sure it will be amazing!

Ilha Grande, Brazil

We´re now on an island off the coast of Rio called Ilha Grande - it´s paradise! Our pousada (hostel) is right on the beach, and we awoke to the sound of waves lapping and a buffet breakfast overlooking the sea. We took a boat trip round the island to visit one of the world´s best beaches, Lopez Mendes. The boat took us as far as it could and then we had to trek through the jungle to get there, but it was well worth the effort... saw some monkeys on the way and the sand was pure white and powder soft! Sam went belly-surfing, while the professionals showed us how you really do it on the bigger waves behind him.

We´re just about to get ourselves some paella for dinner and maybe a couple of cheeky caipirinhas!

Tomorrow we´re planning to go to Lagoa Azul which is apparently very good for snorkelling, and work on our tans some more... Jo's still standing out from the locals!

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Arrived in Rio safely on Tuesday night after a very long flight, almost missing our connecting flight in Madrid, but we made it!

Took an eye-opening taxi ride from the airport - they drive like absolute maniacs here, we passed a burning car on the other side of the road and took a very windy road to the very top of Santa Teresa. Both left feeling slightly apprehensive, but we were greeted by the friendly face of Guido and his lovely dogs at Guesthouse Bianca - the house was beautiful and our room was perfect.

Spent Wednesday exploring Santa Teresa and Lapa. Went to see the amazing Escadaria Selaron tiled steps, but Jo was more interested in photographing stray cats with massive balls! Unfortunately the Bonde has been closed until 2014, so we had to walk around Santa Teresa and see the Arcos da Lapa by foot - but we got a better feel for the place that way. In the evening it rained "crocodiles and elephants" so we legged it round the corner to the local Pizzeria. Sam lost his sandal in the rain on the way due to his retarded feet. Both arrived looking like drowned rats...

On Thursday we went up Corcovado to see Cristo Redentor. Took the train all the way to the top of the hill only to be greeted by clouds and mist... Couldn´t even make out Jesus´ face! Just as we were about to get the train back down, the clouds parted and baby Jesus was there to be seen in all his glory! On our way back home we took a detour to Flamengo beach and enjoyed the white sands til the sun came down.

Today we visited the other two main beaches, Copacabana and Ipanema, for a spot of people watching/perving on the Brazilian beauties!

Heading back to Santa Teresa now to try out Feijoada, the local speciality & some more Caipirinhas.
 

Tchau for now...