TheDeMathers

What a fabulous city! We arrived in a first class cama suite bus, which is basically like flying first class, but on a bus. The seats recline back to 180deg, we got pillows and blankets, we had our own tv screens with movies on demand, and they brought us dinner (along with scotch and wine) and breakfast. So we felt pretty refreshed when we arrived. We made our way down to the local market to do some gift shopping and check out a few sights. Our hostel was in Recoleta which felt just like Paris. Gorgeous Parisian architecture, patisseries and cafés everywhere. We have spent the last 9 days here, taking our time to check out all the sights. It's been really relaxing not having to cram everything into a few days. We did a graffiti ... read more

We flew into Rio on a day when we knew there was a lull in the pre-Carnaval partying. The program told us so, and the aim was to squeeze all the general tourist sights into the few days we had before the festivities resumed. We were really looking forward to seeing some serious art galleries and museums. Rehgan has been suffering something like "art withdrawals" as most of Brazil is lacking in what we would consider fine art. There's obviously plenty of culture, in the forms of music, dance, religion, etc. but what he's missing is pretty pictures on the wall of a decent gallery. Unfortunately Rio did not come through for us and it wasn't for lack of trying. The best display of paintings we saw was the Naïve Art Museum. A lovely little collection ... read more

Basically that's what it's all about on the Brazilian beaches. I'm pretty sure at least 50% of women here have had boob jobs, and there is also some serious booty to be seen. I don't think it's possible to purchase a bikini with full bum coverage in this country. I feel a little out of place with my full bikini bottoms. The last couple of weeks have been über relaxed, hopping down the coast and sticking around long enough to get a good feel of the towns we are in. Pipa is another beach town, a bit like Jeri, but not as pristine and not with quite the same laid back vibe. Our pousada was a little way out of town, a good 10-15 minute walk, but it was a really nice place with a pool ... read more

Venezuela Our entry into Venezuela was undertaken with a healthy measure of caution. We had met no one who'd already been here and all the reports I'd read told me that the crime rate is really high and currency exchange is... challenging. The first of these points is mostly due to the current government, the President Chavez (you can't escape his ugly mug plastered on billboards everywhere), is running the country as "socialism for the 21st century". His ideals don't really seem to be working out as well as intended and the divide between the wealthy and the poor is getting larger, and as a result the crime rate is very high, particularly in the larger cities. Tourists are major targets for muggings, kidnappings and such. Even the residents are extremely cautious, as people have had ... read more

The last couple of weeks have been..... eventful, to say the least. Let's start at the beginning, before the robbery, before Colombia, even. Otavalo, the town with the biggest market in South America was interesting, hilarious and a little frightening at one point. We stayed at a hostel called Rose Cottage, about 3km out of town, up in the hills. It is a beautiful property, run by a gorgeous (and mildly insane) Ecuadorean woman named Rosa. She usually lives in London with her family, so we were very lucky to have her there with us, driving us around in her beat up 4WD (and getting lost), cooking us breakfast and telling us... well, everything! On our first day, we decided to go and see the market on a regular weekday, as we had heard it can ... read more