Up to that point, all I had seen of Uruguay was its capital. I don't normally like capitals (I find them too big) but Montevideo was definitely small enough for me to enjoy. Still, I was finding it all a bit too “Westernised” and was looking forward to getting off the beaten track. The guide book suggested escaping to the countryside, with a trip from Montevideo to Tacuarembo (to the North) on day one, Tacuarembo to Chuy (near the coast and on the Brazilian border) via Melo and Treinta y Tres on day 2, before returning to Montevideo along the coast on day 3. So that was my plan... I understood what was interesting there was the road, rather than the towns where I would stop for bus transfers or a night's rest. Bus travel in ... read more

Sao José Dos Campos is a large city in the Sao Paulo state and is probably not a name that would ring any bells to any backpackers, even the well travelled ones. But for me, it was a must go destination for one simple reason: my cousin lives there. I couldn't possibly go to Brazil and not go and see her, especially as she and her husband have had a baby girl recently. So it was my 3rd encounter with familiar faces in 3 weeks and I was starting to get used to the company, so much so that I wondered how it would be once I'd be back to being on my own. I would find that out a few days later. When I got the 1pm bus from Paraty, I was told it would ... read more

30th April. When Isabelle told us that she was intending to travel in Central and South America for 6 months I had the idea that Pam, Phil and I would travel out to see her. My experience of long distance travel over the last few years has been the ferry to Guernsey, so Central or South America seemed a long way to go! We first of all thought we might go to Trinidad but that didn’t fit with Isabelle’s timetable so in the end we decided on Rio de Janeiro. Mark and Christopher had also told us about Iguacu Falls and both said that if we ever got the chance to go and see them then we must do it. Rio seemed near enough to Iguacu (well at least the falls are in the same country) ... read more

I had been looking forward to getting to Rio. Not so much because of Rio itself, but because I had some visitors coming to see me, my only visitors on the whole trip, namely Pam, Stephen and Phil. They were to stay with me for 8 days, with most of our time spent in Rio and a couple of days in Iguazu at the end. As a result of this, the next 2 or 3 blogs are going to be a little different from what you might have read from me so far. First of all, this was as I called it “my week's holiday in the middle of my holiday”, out with the grotty hostels and chicken buses and in with the 5 stars, taxis and nice restaurants... The other thing is that Stephen also ... read more

For my final day in French Guiana, I was destined for the Iles Du Salut (the Salvation Islands). I will start with a spot of history to help you understand more about the islands. A long long time ago (1852 to be precise), in a land far far away (France, which may or may not be far depending on where you are), the emperor decided that it would be a good idea to send criminals to jail in Guiana. The plan was to help develop the colony and if they survived passed their prison term (tens of thousands died from malaria, other diseases or violence whilst they were incarcerated), the prisoners were not allowed to leave Guiana upon their release from jail. The Iles du Salut were judged the best place to lock up serious criminals ... read more