The awesome impact of a plane landscape can be vastly underrated. People seek out mountains and valleys; majesty and splendour, but as the saying goes, sometimes you fail to see the forest for the trees. An early morning taxi and boat ride later and we found ourselves no longer in Buenos Aires but in Uruguay, an oft overlooked and predominantly rural country sandwiched between Brazil and Argentina. From the port in Colonia del Sacramento, we were careful to avoid any sight of the old town itself, preferring to leave that as a surprise for our eventual return to this little Portuguese settlement a few days later. Instead, we jumped aboard the first bus we could find headed for Montevideo, the capital city, where we would spend the following three nights. Our ride would only take just ... read more

And so we put Brazil in our rear mirror, for now at least. We were genuinely conflicted about leaving such an amazing country. Of course we describe Brazil in such a way but really, as Amy accurately stated a couple of days ago, we feel as though we don’t know Brazil at all. Such is its size; its diversity both geological and cultural provide a place that, much like Indonesia, one could travel for a whole year just in the same country and still have only scratched the surface. There is no doubt in our minds as we cross the border into Paraguay that we will return to this most wonderful country; to experience the diverse culture of Salvador and laze on its beaches; to explore the cobbled streets of Olinda to the north east and ... read more

Little Paraty, just four hours from Brazil’s big and boisterous Rio de Janeiro, is a world away from the year round “carnival” atmosphere of its famed big city. To be brief; quaint, quiet and cobblestoned. To do it justice; a town of gorgeous colonial charm which would appeal to even the most stubborn modernist. With a pleasant community atmosphere Paraty showcases numerous charming churches, an abundance of green, open squares and a small labyrinth of delightful lanes on which the residential homes are fronted with glossy, brightly painted doors. I must admit, it charmed the pants off me (and that was before I had even seen the beaches!) and thus I invested significant energy into my sadly failed attempt at convincing Chris that we should live there, forever. So keen was I, I even browsed the ... read more

Rajasthan; India’s desert state. It’s everything one might expect from a desert, especially at this time of year in the searing pre-monsoon heat which makes the land arid and void of colour. Nonetheless, Rajasthan is the most colourful state of all India, for the people paint the landscape here. Our train passed though many small settlements where the women and men alike appeared from a distance as many-coloured, iridescent marbles, reflecting light and drawing the interest of our foreign eyes. The saris and turbans are subject to careful colour coding relating to age, marital status, caste, mood and even season. Upon closer appraisal the married women wear florescent pink scarves, tucked at the waistband and hanging over their faces as a veil to protect from harshness of the Indian sun. Beneath the cloak is a crimson ... read more

We sit quietly on the banks of the river. The calm waters reflect the diminishing glare of the late afternoon sun as it sets to the west, lulling us into wonderfully absent minded reverie. The storks, herons and other water birds seen during the day have since vacated the river and there is little sign of the crocodiles known to frequent these shores, save for the occasional bark from a watchful and cautious mutt lazing in the surrounding sand, alerting those around to a possible silent, lurking menace. Across the river, as the sun completes its descent, the alluring stillness of the Chitwan jungles will steadily sever into murderous action as hunters rouse for the night, hungry and dangerous. It is blissfully clear that on these shores we are worlds away from the icy chill and ... read more