São Paulo, Brazil

September 15, 2016

We arrived in São Paulo after a six hour coach ride through spectacular Brazilian landscape; mountains, forests and small towns. We took the metro to our district and checked in to our new hostel Mama Brasil. After leaving our bags in our *tiny* six bed dorm room we went out for dinner. We had delicious tacos, tortilla chips with guacamole and chocolate and dulce de leche churros from a street vendor.

Our stay in the city was going to be very short so we woke early to see as much as we could. We took the metro to the central district to go up to the observation deck of one of the tallest skyscrapers in the city, unfortunately it was closed, apparently opening at 12pm. Undeterred we rode the metro back to our district and walked to the Museum of Art São Paulo, luckily and without realising it the museum was free entry for today and so we saved ourselves R$25 (approx £6) - much appreciated as our daily budget for everything is R$130. The museum wasn't huge but featured lots of big names, Valazquez, Goya, Degas, Van Gogh, Picasso and my favourite; Monet. The installation of the paintings was unique, each was presented on a wooden base with a glass sheet so you could see the backs of the canvas and eliminate internal gallery walls.

After the museum we went back to the skyscraper and after some confusion made it to the top. Once there we were told that they no longer allowed viewing from the terrace but after a little plea we were allowed a few minutes to see the views. Buildings as far as the eye could see were laid out before us, I've seen some cities in my time but none like this. The scale was breathtaking.

After, we made our way to the arty quarter Vila Madelena, we got lost as we usually do but eventually found an authentic looking place for lunch. Film and music posters adorned the walls and the place was filled with locals enjoying the fare. We ordered a type of cheese filled pasta which looked more like a pancake covered in tomato sauce and filled our plates with the vegetarian buffet, it was delicious. For dessert we found Bacio di Latte, an award winning gelateria. The gelato was pure heaven and we enjoyed the atmosphere of the place as they had park benches dotted around inside with huge plants so it felt like sitting in a park.

After a stop to photograph some street art we made our way back to the centre and walked along Paulista Avenue before heading back to the hostel to organise onward travel and the next accomodation.

The next day we walked to the huge park and spent a few hours wandering around the lakes and trees trying to forget that we had a 12 hour coach ride ahead.

🎥 Brazil and Iguazu Falls video:

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Paraty, Brazil

September 12, 2016

We arrived in Paraty in the afternoon and made our way to the hostel where we had booked two beds in an eight bed dorm. It suddenly hit home how luxurious an apartment to ourselves had been when I clapped eyes on the bunk beds. We made ourselves some pasta in the shared kitchen and played some cards until bedtime.

The next day we explored Paraty on foot. The historic centre is beautiful with whitewashed walls, colourful doors and authentic cobblestone streets. We walked along the pier admiring the pretty boats and across the bridge to the undercover market. We'd been told about a fort so we made our way there, walking under long arching bamboo. The views from the fort were lovely, stretching across Paraty and the coastline. When we got back to the hostel we booked a couple of extra nights to hopefully see some nice weather as it was predicted to rain for the next couple of days.

The following day we did some essential things, organised our laundry and booked a tour. In a local gallery, we got talking to a lovely artist who told us about the urban sketchers movement; while we admired her husbands watercolour landscapes she drew us, rucksacks and all. It was so nice chatting about all things art and travel.

After a quiet couple of days we decided to rent mountain bikes and see a little more of the surrounding area. We rode out of town with a waterfall as our planned destination, little did we realise that the route was uphill and very steep. We eventually made it to Pedra Blanca and then had a lovely Italian lunch while watching colourful birds. Toboga Falls was next on our itinerary, again another uphill ride. Once there we watched people sliding down the slippery rock into the pool below. Afterwards we rode down, it was downhill the whole way and it was the most fun, definitely worth the challenging ride to begin with.

On our last full day in Paraty we boarded a boat for some sea air, snorkelling and secluded beaches. The small beaches we were taken to were paradise and luckily the beautiful sun made an appearance for the first time in a week.

Our next destination is São Paulo, the biggest city in the Southern Hemisphere.

🎥 Brazil and Iguazu Falls video:

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

September 7, 2016

After a twelve hour delay we finally landed in Rio de Janeiro, the first stop on our journey. From the taxi window we could see the sun shining light over the favelas, graffiti scrawled on walls and the beautiful distant mountains. With the help of Lola who we met on our connection in Frankfurt we made it to our apartment in Copacabana with no problem.

The next morning we went for an early walk, we walked the entire length of Ipanema beach. As we passed cyclists and joggers the heat became more intense, we stopped for a drink with a view over the whole beach while a guy on a guitar played 'Girl from Ipanema' singing the lyrics in Portugese. We walked all the way back to Copacabana getting lunch at a popular 'pay by weight' restaurant before a walk along the sands and surf of Copacabana beach.

The next day we found ourselves struggling with the public transport system on our way to Sugarloaf mountain but a long walk, taxi ride and a cable car later and the whole of Rio was spread out before us. After enjoying the views and making friends with a little marmoset we made our way to Lapa and visited Escadaria Selaròn, the most famous steps in Rio.

Cristo Redentor was next on our list, we took the bus to the foot of Corcovado mountain the next day then the funicular train up. Corcovado was shrouded with cloud meaning that our views of Rio were obscured, we enjoyed seeing Cristo and people watching. After, we made our way to peaceful Jardim Botânico, full of beautiful cactus, orchids and gardens of all sorts.

After a busy few days we spent the next morning in our apartment booking the coach to our next destination as well as hostel beds. We then walked to the Lagoa where we hired bikes and cycled around the whole lake; R$24 well spent! After, we ate a delicious vegan/vegetarian meal at Teva in Ipanema with Lola and Felipe.

Paraty is our next destination, I'm finishing my writing while waiting for our coach. Rio has been a wonderful start to our trip, although those days I dreamed I'd spend on the beach didn't quite happen, there was just too much to see and do!

🎥 Brazil and Iguazu Falls video:

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