Fri 26th Oct: 'Picked up my flight ticket at 7:55am and managed to get back to the pousada for 8:15. However, decided to get a taxi to the airport as time was still tight. Got there in plenty of time, but not without the driver trying to grossly overcharge me. It left a bad taste in the mouth, leaving Paraguay .... it seems a national pastime to "do" THE TOURIST"! I had a good flight with TAM - great meal and drinks on board. Took a while getting through immigration (memories of Miami), but got lots of helpful advice from the [View Full Entry]

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Thurs 25th Oct_ Had some difficulty with the computer I was using to upload the photos last night and gave up in the end, followed by a heated discussion with the manager of the internet cafe over payment - the end result was that we compromised and I paid half. Found a fantastic cafe/bookstore later that evening- it had a fabulous collection of some of the best literature from around the world- spent the evening browsing and having a few beers there. 'Still having problems getting my head around the Paraguayan currency and the large denomination notes - about 10,500 Guyuarinis [View Full Entry]

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Wed 24th Oct: I caught the coach alright yesterday, after a few delays; it would not start to begin with and I was the only passenger leaving Foz. The company transferred me on to a luxury double decker, just me and the driver on it. However soon after he crossed the border into Paraguay he pulled into a coach station and changed it for a 20 seater and also picked up extra passengers. It was a good journey otherwise. About 80Km outside Asuncion we picked up two vendors selling a drink (I think it was terrere) and chipa (a doughnut like [View Full Entry]

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Tues 23rd Oct: We had a bad thunderstorm here in Foz do Igauaçu on Sunday morning. It was a good excuse to stay in, rest and catch up with domestics - also a chance to get rid of the chill I caught. In the afternoon it cleared up enough to go out, so I got a bus to the Brazilian side of the Falls - quite spectacular. Unfortunately I fogot my camera so had no photos of that side. Met lots of people at the hostel, all at various stages of their journeys .. all with stories to tell. On Monday, [View Full Entry]

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Sat 20th Oct: Had my memory card and USB adapter taken on Thursday - 1st thing I´ve lost since arriving in Brazil. What´s amazing it happened on the Ihla Grande, the one place which I thought was crime free; I had just uploaded some photos on to the blog and went up to pay for the use of the internet; in the meantime someone took both the card and the reader. I managed to get another Reader in Rio but the photos are unfortunately lost. I had planned to put them on a memory stick when I finished travelling in Brazil [View Full Entry]

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Thurs 18th Oct: This island is so tranquil and quiet after the noise and crowds of the cities..... no vehicles apart from a few bicycles, narrow cobbled-stoned streets with quaint shops in its only village and a multitude of fantastic beaches. I took a boat tour yesterday and hired out some snorkling gear. It was a whole day trip with about 35 others. We visited a few different beaches for swimming and also a bay area called the Blue Lagoon which was great for snorkling - saw a colourful range of fish (most I didn´t recognise). The water was very clear. [View Full Entry]

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Tues 16th Oct: Didn´t actually reach the beach yesterday afternoon - en route I saw an Irish Pub and thought I'd pop in and try a half a Guinness -- a fatal mistake! Met a few countrymen who had settled in Brazil and one half led to another; before I knew it was dark and it was time to get a bite to eat and back to the hostel. (Guinness is very expensive in Brazil) As the hostel has only recently opened it was not full; only one other in the dorm besides me. I planned to see the statue of [View Full Entry]

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Mon 15th Oct Yesterday morning I went to the Hippy Market near Ipamena beach - a huge traditional Sunday market with stalls selling mainly leather, jewellry and art. Many local and national artist bring along their works for sale and it was that I was really interested in. Eventually 'bought a large oil impressionist painting of the Rio scene. Got the artist to roll it up so I could put it through the post. Decided to change hostels to a new one beside Cococabana beach - also a safer area. I was the ninth guest they had it only opened a [View Full Entry]

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Sat 13th Oct: Went out last night to the Lapa area for the Samba scene and listened to the music for just over an hour - tired after long day so came back and went to bed. Hostel was full. Booked a tour of the Rocinha district - the largest slum area in Rio (200,000 pop.) The buildings of the district are called Favellas. A guide drove myself and six others to the outskirts of the district and from there we travelled on the backs of motorcycles as it was the quickest means of transport up the winding roads to Rocinha. [View Full Entry]

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Fri 12th Oct: The Candomble experience I went to on Wednesday night was very strange. It was held in a specially built hall on the outskirts of the city. The inside was ornately decorated with a wooden structure in the centre with wooden statues inside it. All participants were dreseed up for the occasion; the males were one side of the room and females on the other. The women were dressed mainly in white hooped dresses and also had finely laced shawls. The ceremony went on for three and a half hours and was composed of drum beating, chanting and fireworks. [View Full Entry]

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