The next place I visitied was a little bit special. Easter Island is one of the most isolated places in the world, located as it is a 5 hour flight off the Chilean coast. Flights to the island are controlled by LAN, and as there is no competition, they are prohibitively expensive on a backpackers budget. Luckily, on my RTW ticket, it simply counts as a stopover on the journey between South America and New Zealand, meaning I had the chance to visit. It was with palpable excitement that I boarded the plane in Santiago, and a thoroughly enjoyable 5 hour flight later, it was an even more excited Stewart that touched down (still inside the plane) on Easter Island. Having found the cheapest place on the island to sleep (in a loft next to the ... read more

I arrived in Santiago rather late at night, so just had enough energy for a quick feed then it was bedtime. The following morning, I awoke, stepped out of my hostel and saw the Andes. I'd spent a long part of my trip following these mountains south, but hadn't seen hide nor hair of them since Ushuaia. It was a bit like seeing an old friend. I also saw a not so old friend, as Oscar, a Chilean whom I'd met in Rio, had invited me to stay. I shifted my stuff from the hostel to his place, and then it was time for lunch. Fed and watered, Oscar took me out to explore his hometown/city. Being as I had very limited time, it was definitely useful to have a local to point me round the ... read more

You know, I had a title all lined up for this blog. It had been kindly donated by Michael Paynter, but events overtook me, and the title was changed. But Mike, you can take solace in that you have been namechecked in a world famous blog. Well, maybe not world famous, but perhaps famous in England. At least my mum and dad read it occasionaly. So then, Rio de Janiero. The very mention of the place is enough to get you mugged apparently. But I've been around Latin America quite a while now, and consider myself pretty street smart, so I wasn't going to get too worked up about that. However, for whatever reason, it had never really been a place I was overly excited about visiting, and I was kind of there as it is ... read more

I'll be honest with you. I'd dreamt up this title for this blog for quite a long time. It just seemed oh so perfect, even if there was no fighting involved, as all it takes is a simple bus journey from Sao Paulo. Or does it? Perhaps aware that I had a blog title in my mind, Brazilian police stopped our bus for a passport check just minutes outside of Paraty. I handed him my passport, and answered all of his questions to the best of my ability. However, it soon became clear that he didn't like the fact that I'd come into Brazil from Paraguay, and he decided to have a good search through the bag I had with me on the bus. Naturally, he didn't find anything he shouldn't have done, but still, this ... read more

I had planned to make an early start from PJC the next day, and catch the 6am bus to Campo Grande. Yes thats right 6am. I can see you sniggering in the back. And snigger even more, because I pulled my favourite trick and missed the bus. Never fear, I just got a later one, and pulled up into Campo Grande at 10pm. One free night in a hostel, and excellent Brazilian breakfast later, I was signed up for a Pantanal tour and hitting the road! The van escorted a group of 7 of us - myself, Mac, Marty, Donna, Pipin, Inge and Emmanuel - towards Brazilian´s famous wetland, often thought of as the best place in South America to see jaguars. What excitement! Unfortunately, the group was split early on by a division in social ... read more