That's it. I'm home. From the wilds of Torres del Paine to Gatwick Airport in the space of five days - quick stops in Santiago and Madrid on the way back do little to ease the shock of finding myself back home after so long away. People around me are speaking English. Toilet paper can be flushed. The shower is always hot. I can choose from a variety of clothes. There are vegetables on my plate. This is going to take some getting used to. There have been highs - literally and figuratively. There have been lows. Ecstatic times (many). Stressful times (a few). It's been hot. It's been cold. It's been sunny. It's been wet. Planes, trains, boats and buses (oh, there have been buses). We've hiked, we've climbed, we've tobogganed, we've glacier-walked, we've rafted, ... read more

Of all the places we've visited so far in South America, none has captivated our imaginations - brought out the inner adventurers in us - more than Patagonia. Often harsh and brutal, always spellbindingly beautiful, Patagonia had us at Bariloche, and it didn't let go of us for over two whole months. And with only three weeks left to go before I have to return home, it's one place I've gotto back to. Warm, sunny and hedonistic Rio de Janeiro could not be more different from my entry point back into Patagonia: the Argentine city of Ushuaia, a place many people have heard of even if they've no idea where it is (apart from the French, who are all totally and bizarrely besotted with the place), is the most southerly city in the world. Perched at ... read more

Eager to get a taste of as many diverse regions of Brazil as I can in my whistle-stop seven week visit, I make another large hop south from Salvador (via Rio but that's for the next entry), leaving the tropics and the intoxicating Nordeste behind for something completely different. The state of Minas Gerais is Brazil's fourth largest (it's bigger than France) and second most populous - and has long been a powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. The state's name - General Mines - is a pretty obvious clue as to state's importance in colonial days. Indeed, by a lucky quirk of geology, the forested hills of Minas are stuffed full of rich seams of gold and vast quantities of diamonds, discovered at the end of the 17th century. The Portuguese had hit the jackpot and ... read more

Brazil's nordeste is famous for many things: its incredibly spicy food, its strong African cultural influence, its friendliness, its beautiful colonial era towns. Its thousands of kilometres of azure-watered, coconut-palm-fringed praias - beaches - are another. And so from pretty little Olinda I make my way along the coast to the next state south, Alagoas. Alagoas is Brazil's second smallest state - it's still a third larger than Wales, mind - and one of its poorest, despite its status as one of Brazil's most important producers of sugar (of which Brazil is the world's largest producer itself - that's a lot of sugar) and coconuts. Indeed, the view from the bus between Recife and Maragogi, the small seaside town where I will base myself for the next couple of days, consists of nothing but emerald green ... read more

After the aquatic delights of Bonito, my next destination promises to be something of a shock to the system. São Paulo, a city of rather frightening superlatives. The largest city in Brazil, a country of monster metropolises. The largest city in the Americas. The largest city in the Southern Hemisphere. One of the largest in the world. São Paulo, famously one of the most densely-built concrete jungles to be found anywhere. São Paulo, home to some of the world's longest traffic jams. Like I said, a bit of a shock to the system. São Paulo certainly doesn't have a reputation as one of Brazil's more interesting or beautiful cities - places like Rio and Salvador get those awards. Which might make my decision to spend two weeks there a little strange...at first. A four-hour bus journey ... read more