Brazil...last stop

Hard to believe we are nearing the end of our South America trip...where did 2 months go? We had seen so many wonderful countries, each one different to the next and had high expectations that we would go out in style in Brazil. This was all true apart from the weather...who could have predicted we would encounter rain, thunder and lightening and chilly days? This was not going to damper our sprits (sorry couldnt resist the pun) and we were keen to spend the last 5 days of our trip seeing and doing as much as we could.

After 2 flights we arrived in Sao Paulo tired and determined not to spend anytime in Brazil's largest city so we headed immediately to the coast to look for the beach. We decided on a place called Paraty and what a gorgeous coastal town it was...shame about the tropical downpour on our first night, ah well we needed a shower anyway! To help cure any colds we decided to warm up with the local drink Caparini which our hotel host kindly offered to make us and another English couple staying in the same place from the ingredients we bought from the local market. Well it warmed up Chris and our new English friend who decided it was a great idea to have midnight swims! Well, this leisurely swim turned into back flip competitions and rowdy splashing...no surprises we got told off by the owner as some of the guests complained about the noise - OOPS!

The next morning the sun peeked through enough for us to jump on yet another bus to one of the surfing beaches about 40 mins away called Trinidade. What a place, as soon as we arrived we wished we had a week up our sleeves to set up camp. Gorgeous sand, sufficient surf, rustic restaurants along the beachfront...perfection. We had to settle for just a day trip, it was very hard to get back on that bus but Rio de Janeiro was waiting!

We drove into Rio with the expectation of glorious hot sunshine and barely clothed posers lining the beach. We couldnt believe that it was overcast, a bit rainy and not exactly tropical - gutted! However we missioned down to Ipanema beach despite the weather and even though there werent any bikini bums on show there was some hard out posers working out on the beach front so we got a little laugh out of that.

Much to our horror Brazil (especially Rio) was quite expensive so we had to be choosy about what sightseeing we chose. Of course the only real option was to visit the statue of Christ on the Hill as it is the most famous landmark in Rio. You catch a cable car up the hill and fight through the crowds to get a photo of the famous man, arms stretched mimicking the statue. After a bit of tourist rage we got a suitable photo and got out of there asap!

Chris managed to get a couple of hours surfing in at Ipanema beach, however I suspect he just wanted to make definitely sure he wasnt missing out on any bikini clad women and used surfing as an excuse to get back down there!

Part of Rio's culture is the nightlife and we had been told about a street party that happens in an area of Rio every Friday night. Fortunately for us we were there on that night so we hooked up with about 5 others from the hostel and caught a VERY bumpy bus into the night. We had no idea where to get off or where this place was, but on approach the location became apparent! Hundreds of people lined the streets where it is NOT illegal to sell drinks on the street so people would be wandering around with chilly bins from home selling everything from beer to tequila shots (well what they claimed were tequila shots). It was a very interesting place just to wander around and listen to many car boot parties (ie people pulling up in their cars, opening the boot and cranking out their choice of loud music!). Most places smelt like a big urinal and it was a little sad to see young kids out late trying to see lollies to make money (or distract you and nick off with your wallet) but it was a fantastic night and well worth the visit.

It was a good way to finish our South American adventures and it was quite sad to be on-route to the airport getting ready to fly to London. Partly because there was just so much more to see in South America and we only scratched the surface and also because we knew that when we got to London we would have to be organised and start looking for work!

Fortunately we arrived to friendly faces here and have been very lucky to have a great place to stay while we set ourselves up (thank you Carissa and Steve!). It all isnt doom and gloom in London either, the weather has been great (better than Rio) and we have a fantastic wedding to look forward too as well!

Hopefully this will be our last post for awhile as we will be too busy working and earning pounds for our next trip away! Thanks for following our South American adventures and hopefully we have inspired some of you to add it to your travel wishlist.