Dan and Gina

So from Belem we got on a riverboat and headed three hours up the Amazon to the Ilha de Marajó. The island is slightly larger than Switzerland and famous for two things - buffalo (which thrive in the swamp conditions) and the scarlet guara birds we encountered in Cabure. Grassy streets where the buffalo roam , beaches , miles and miles of green make this a truly beautiful island and we had a fantastic time there. The first night we stayed in a beautiful pousada set right on top of the ocean. It was that night we ate buffalo steak for the first time (and i tell you it is good) ; whats better though is buffalo cheese - my god its delicious .. After the first night we decided we wanted to try and find ... read more

From the tranquility and beauty of the small towns on the coast we made our way 4 hours north to our next stop, São Luis. We were looking forward to the city because of the historic centre where a number of buildings have been restored. Well its true that some have indeed been restored but its also true that most havent. The Lonely Planet describes São Luis as "one of Brazil´s architectural gems" - i have got to be honest - i have seen better architecture elsewhere in Brazil - more colonial and better preserved. I know that this is one of the few places in Brazil where they tile the outside of the buildings but not enough have been done - and some have been restored very poorly. But we made the best of it ... read more

From Tatajuba we travelled up the coast passing through Camocim (eyesore!) , Parnaiba (nothing there!) and Tutoia (really grim!) and eventually ended up in a small town called Paulinho Neves. We werent really sure what to expect - we knew it was a small fishing town on the banks of a river - but it was much much better than just that !! Paulinho Neves is the entrance to the small Lencois sand dunes - the difference from the grand lencois - is that the small dunes have vast green areas next to them making them look even more beautiful. We did a really stunning walk over the dunes - cooling off by swimming in the lagoon. Another day we went with our guide Neilson down the river in a small boat , along the mangroves ... read more

So from the beauty and tranquility of Lencois we headed off to the city of Fortaleza. I suppose you could call it the Benidorm of Brazil - huge skyscraper hotels right on the waterfront. Even though it wasnt what you would call picturesque - it did have a really pleasent atmosphere with lots of markets along the seafront. We didnt do a great deal there - though we did go out on a schooner for a couple of very relaxing hours. And Gina even managed to hunt down one the most exclusive hair salons in town for a hair cut - proper traveller that she is !!! ... read more

After the wedding our English friends and family stayed in Brazil for a further couple of weeks. We had a great time doing not a great deal - eating , drinking , swimming, and getting excessively bitten by the local mosquitos. One day we headed out to Eco Point in Ilha Bela and did a rather taxing assault course - me , the wife , Eve and Steve came back to the pool (where Mum and Dad were relaxing) saying "Im not sure you two should do that - its a bit tough" - well like a red rag to a bull Im pretty sure that it provoked them into action - and feeling they had something to prove to their children headed off to swing through the trees and crawl through oil barrels. They got ... read more