Due to some construction and traffic, we arrived after midnight to the rodoviaria (bus station) in Porto Alegre. It is a large city that most tourists do not visit, but we met two girls Ouro Preto who live there. Some guy in Florianopolis had recommended a hotel, so we gave the cab driver the address. It was booked and so were the next five hotels we tried. Finally we found one that was twice what we wanted to spend. The room was not very impressive, but i did enjoy opening the window in the shower where you could see the whole city from the 19th floor while showering. The next day we met up with Laura and Karine and saw a completely different side of the city. They showed us around the next two days and ... read more

Colonial port town of Paraty, Brasil. We arrived in the rain and left in the rain, but in between was beautiful. The historic part, most of the town, is closed to vehicles and has a slightly curved grid of rough cobblestone streets. It is very similar in architecture, same period, to Ouro Preto, but a flat, beach front version. We were walking the streets in the rain, cursing ourselves for not writing down the address of the hostel we booked online, when a british bloke stopped and asked if we knew where we were going. We told him The Historic Centre Hostel. He said, "I know where it is. I should, I own it." We stayed the next four nights, the only men in a hostel of women. We learned quickly that you don't ask John, ... read more

The beautiful botanical garden in central Rio was founded in 1808 by John VI of Portugal. We spent several hours walking around, taking pictures and getting kicked off the playground equipment. ... read more

Jeremiah and I took a Jeep tour through the largest favela in Rio. These shanti towns are completely self-sustaining aside from government trash and sewage services. The drug lords live at the top and control the entire community. They are seen more as businessmen than criminals and have far more respect from the people than the local police. The tour is completely safe and sanctioned by the drug lords so that tourists can see the truth about this way of life. They want outsiders to know that their conditions are very bad, but that the people are vibrant and retain dignity despite being ignored and shoved under the rug by the government. These towns are erected by the people in any space available and the electricity is cyphoned from surrounding businesses and communities. This favela houses ... read more

Flew into New York on Thursday. I stayed with Crissti (thank you kindly) for a few nights. Walked more than I ever have in my life and fell in love with New York. It was great to walk around a place I have studied for 30 years. Jeremiah flew in on Sunday and we spent the day trekking around (sometimes in the wrong direction) and packing in everything we could. We stayed the night at the famed Chelsea Hotel. If you've never spent an Easter Sunday at the Chelsea, you're missing out. Then, off to Rio...... read more