The Maracana, what can I say, this is the stuff of boyhood dreams and everybody who likes football knows of this colossal stadium and is one of the most famous in the world and only second to Wembley for fame. When I first thought of South America as a destination, football was always one of the main reasons and couldn’t wait to see this stadium and even better to watch a few games. Over the years the Maracana has been rebuilt and modernised and now I think it’s a 100,000 all seated stadium but not sure as when I try and [View Full Entry]

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We gladly left Sao Paulo and headed for Rio de Janeiro, a place so many people have loved and has been classed as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. We couldn’t wait! It didn’t start well! Like most Brazilian cities they are useless for public transport and have most of the bus terminals at least 10 km from the city! It doesn’t make any sense and just makes everything a pain, setting off a few hours early to get the bus and then after arriving trying to work out how to get into the city. Rio was one [View Full Entry]

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Our next stop was Florianopolis, 15 hours south on the coast and the most expensive bus journey we have been on for 30 pound. To top it off the bus was shit and as Michelle said must have been made for Eskimo midgets! No leg room and the bus was freezing! Lucky for us the bus changed after about 10 hours and we managed to get some sleep for the last 5. We finally arrived but still a bit half a sleep so was very grateful when a local came over offering us an apartment on Santa Catalina for 12 pound [View Full Entry]

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Finally in Brazil a country we have been looking forward to since we first stated planning this trip 2 years ago. Unfortunately for us we didn’t plan our time very well, which means we only have 6 weeks here and with a country only slightly smaller then the U.S that is no time at all! Our first stop for Brazil was Foz do Iguaçu to see the Iguaçu falls from the Brazilian side. We managed to get an early bus from Asuncion and we finally arrived in Brazil 7 hours later. The border crossing was easy enough and after all the [View Full Entry]

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A lot of people we met before and after our trip to Paraguay asked the same question "Why Paraguay?" After going there we were thinking the same. Once again it was the same reason why we went to Uruguay because it was so close and we are travelling South America and you can’t expect everywhere to be amazing! For me football reasons were also on the agenda as we tend to get drawn against them in the World Cup so for next time it will be nice to say, I’ve been there! We started the day fairly early as we were [View Full Entry]

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After such a great time in BA we decided that we bet a get move on and next up was Misiones on the Brazilian and Paraguay border for the spectacular Iguazu falls. People have raved about it and said it was one of the highlights of their trip. We had to pay 25 pound for the 18 hour bus journey which we thought was a bit steep compared to what we have been paying. It turned out to be worth it, we were given a hot meal with wine and then later on some champagne, first class all the way! We [View Full Entry]

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I will always remember the Simpson episode when Homer is looking at a globe and spots Uruguay and says "He he U-R-Gay!!". I think it was the episode when they were going to Australia. Going from the guide book and fellow travellers there is not much to Uruguay and nothing that stands out as a must see compared to its neighbours but with us being so close and traveling around South America it would be a shame to miss it! The only things I knew about this place before I read the guide book was its capital city is called Montevideo, [View Full Entry]

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Buenos Aires a perfect place to catch a few games of football as it’s very similar to London, as in there are shit load of teams that play in the capital, about 12 from a league of 20, so wasn’t too worried about seeing some football. I have heard it can be a bit of hassle for Boca and River so would just have to see how it goes. I won’t be leaving until I get to see both the teams play, in a derby would be perfect but that isn’t until October so will have to just settle for other [View Full Entry]

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Rosario is fairly close to Buenos Aires, 3 hours by bus so after staying only one night in BA we got the morning bus and planned to stay there for 3-4 nights before returning back to BA where we left are main bags so we could travel nice and light. One of the main reasons for coming here was because the Lonely planet described it as "one of the most perfect cities and we should all be there now!" So with that advice we had to see what all the fuss was about. The bus journey was nice and easy and [View Full Entry]

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We decided against another long bus journey and to fly from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires. We didn’t fancy the long bus journey and there was not much difference in the price, 110 pound to fly for 4 hours or 80 pound to get the bus in 50!! The flight it self had some amazing views over the Beagle Channel with the mountains reflecting on them like a mirror as we took off from Ushuaia, we then passed over the snowy Fuegian mountains and Andes on our way to our first stop in El Calafate. Usually when flying you hate having to [View Full Entry]

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