Having rode high on the salt flats where evening temperatures left us frozen, it felt good to drop down to the barmy valley city of Cochabamba. Of course, this involved an overnight bus journey and a 3am connection in a cold Oruro but at least this time we did not have to rough it on the floor. In fact, we arrived into a sunny Cochabamba and found Hostal Jardin, a pleasent guesthouse around a flowery but manic garden. The owners were friendly, and their dog even more so, and thus we set about relaxing for a while. Cochabamba, like many South American city's, has a statue of Christ looming over it. Although not as impressive as Rio, this Cristo is a damn sight cheaper to get to and interestingly taller too. The gondola ride up ... read more

Eighteen hours into our journey across the barren chaco region that seperates Paraguay and Bolivia, our bus broke down. The midday sun was adding heat to a situation we had not been in for a while. Brazil and Argentina had dazzled with buses and prices to match any European country, but now we were back on a proper bus that rattled and smelled its windy way from A to B via C. The journey up to that point had not gone without incident. A few hours into the trip Han had exclaimed that "South Americans are good travellers". It was true that, unlike their Indonesian counterparts, nobody was sick aboard the juddering bus, but the man behind me was doing his best to dispel our theory. I could smell the alcohol on his breath and ... read more

Rio, Rio, Rio. The words is a verb in itself, conjuring images of sun, sand and samba. One's mind looks down on the city like Cristo Redentor does from his perch, backed by perfect blue skies. We positively salivated at the chance to revel in the city's splendour, dreaming of caipirinhas and birthday hedonism but also wanted to feel the real Rio aside from the 'glitz' and 'glam'. When the chance arose for us to stay in a favela for our time in the jewel of Brasil, it did not take us long to decide. Vidigal Favela Vidigal is one of the most visible in Rio, looming over Leblon beach from a hill known as 'Morro dos Dois Irmaos' (Hill of the two brothers), where homes of all shapes and sizes compete for space, accommodating approximately ... read more

Carnaval, this most wonderful Brazillian celebration, had gripped us like it had the nation. Scenes of jubilation, cross dressing, dancing and drinking filled both the day and the night. Eighty percent of the country's expenditure during the five days is spent on beer and with us contributing to the cause our Carnaval continued, the siestas always followed by extravagant fiestas.    Having enjoyed the lucid carnaval feel of Ilha da Santa Catarina and the free spirited delights of Florianopolis, it was time to indulge in a night of electronica at one of Brazil's biggest nightclubs. Set amidst the lush Atlantic rainforest near the town of Balneario Camboriu, 'Green Valley' was the perfect setting for three of my favourite DJs to throw us, and four thousand others, into raptures. Booka Shade, Trentemoller and Axwell kept us going ... read more

At the Northeastern tip of Argentina we had Brazil to the north and Paraguay to our east. Freedom of opportunity took us on a whim to Paraguay for the weekend. We exalted at the possibilities of travel, it's not everyday you get to choose between crossing a number of different borders. Unless, of course, you live in Switzerland. Going to Paraguay for the weekend did involve, however, a twelve hour overnight bus journey from Buenos Aires. Cheap long distance buses were a thing of the past as we battled with our wallets to pay the £90 it took to get us both on board. The deal was made considerably sweeter when we were served beef stew followed by pudding on the journey. Brilliant! This was still the cheapest ticket we could buy. The meal was a ... read more