Greetings from Brazil

Almost a week in the trip now, so thought it was about time to update the old blog.  We’ve just arrived into Paraty, an old colonial town about 4 hours from Rio famed for its cobbled streets and white-wash buildings.  We’ve yet to look round the town as have prioritized the glamorous task of doing the laundry – I can’t believe how much we have managed to amass in just a week – it’ll be all that hiking we’ve been doing in the 30+ degree heat!

So, our trip started off a little further from the ideal due to a cancelled flight from Heathrow to Rio.  The first issue was the ´minor´ (or so we were told) problem with the plane’s hydraulic system – despite being herded onto the plane we were still waiting on-board for a good 3 hours until the problem had been diagnosed and the new part been ordered.  Would have been good to get away on time, but we weren’t too worried at this point – they’d turned on the in-flight entertainment so I happily relaxed into a viewing of ´Made in Dagenham´ and snacked on the freebies they were handing out.  The entertainment was interrupted for an announcement from the pilot, which we all thought would be news of our imminent departure – we should be so lucky!  Instead the call was to ask if there was a doctor of medicine on board; a young child had fallen and hit their head and assistance was needed.  Unfortunately, there mustn’t have been any knight in shining armor on-board, as the next call was to inform the now rather fidgety passengers that an ambulance had been called and we would have to wait for the injured´s luggage to be removed from the craft.  As you can imagine, the mood on board was not great and was only further exacerbated by the lack of a Portuguese speaking crew member on board. It all turned a little embarrassing for BA when a Brazilian passenger had to volunteer to translate over the tannoy.  Just when things couldn’t get any worse, a group of agitated passengers had decided enough was enough and demanded to be let off the aeroplane.  We were told that if this group persisted with their demands that we’d all have to wait for their bags to be taken off and their details taken etc.  The likely outcome of this would be that we wouldn’t be able to depart inside our allotted window, thus meaning the flight would be cancelled. What then ensued was a battle of wills and a debate that wouldn’t seem out of place in an A-Level RE Ethics lesson (greatest good .. and all that).  Despite pleas from the captain and fellow passengers, the splinter group still insisted on leaving, meaning we were off to the Ramada Jarvis for our first night, rather than the far more sunny and exotic climes of Rio de Janeiro.

After this fall at the first hurdle, things started to work out a bit better for us – we were able to cancel our hotel and rearrange our transfer. Our first ´real´ night was spent in Botofogo in Rio in a hostel/hotel.  We grabbed a few beers in the local before setting our heads down for an early start of Sugar Loaf touring and hostel relocation.  The next day, after ´cable-car´ing it up Rio´s most famous (or maybe joint most famous) peak, we moved to Ipanema, a more backpacker friendly part of town fully equipped with its own Louis Vuitton shop and everything.  The next 3 days were spent in the Ipanema Beach House meeting people and seeing the sites.  St Teresa, with its old rickety tram and bohemian atmosphere, was a highlight.  

I spent most of the initial time in Rio being massively paranoid of getting robbed, but, alas, all was fine and I started to relax into it all a lot more when we took a trip to Lapa for a night out.  Lapa is an area of the centre of Rio renowned for its street parties, where musicians improvise to the samba beats and locals and visitors alike dance until the early hours.  Street stalls sell amazing kebabs and strong caiprinias to keep to partiers happy.  We spent the majority of the evening dancing under the arches of the St Teresa tram with new Brazilan friends.  I couldn´t get over how friendly everyone was and we spend the evening having our drinks topped up by and dancing with fellow revelers.  I think we may have taken the party spirit a bit too far by mindlessly sauntering in to one of the bars with our street-bought cocktails and dancing to the band without actually buying a drink – we were soon told where to go!

On Sunday, we left Rio with two new friends, Justin and Emily, to Ihla Grande, an island a couple of hours south.  The island was so absolutely gorgeous and I can see why it’s a popular destination for Cariocas wanting some time away from the city. The Lonely Planet was certainly on the money when it compared the island to those of Thailand, and I did feel as though I was on the Phi Phi of yester-year.  The island also reminded me of the Perenthian Island in Malaysia, with its sweeping white beaches and laid back charm.  We spent 3 nights here in a lovely hostel and completed a couple of walks/ treks as well as having some well-deserved early nights and some cocktails with a crazy group of Chilean guys – there must be something in the water in South America as I´ve never seen a group of men with so much rhythm - they certainly put our dancing to shame!!

So… that brings up to today and Paraty. Ash isn´t feeling too great at the moment (he seems to have been unlucky with reaction to malaria tablets and sun-burn) and so we’ll probably stay here for a couple of days to recuperate before heading up to Campo Grande for a spot of jungle adventure in the Pantanel.

Until next week… Bom dia!

P.s. I´ve just been on my blog to find people have actually ready and left comments – LOVE YOU GUYS!!!