Paraty

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Well, here we go again!


We took a boat to a little town an hour and a half away to catch a bus to Paraty. The boat was great fun on the way to the town. Esteban colleague happened to be a on holidays with his girlfriend. He had a little guitar. We played and sang on the boat accross to the town. The time flew in. Tunes from Oasis to Ocean Colour Scene and Johnny Cash were sung. Great craic altogether.

So we got a public bus to Paraty. The journey lasted 2 hours. We witnessed amazing views of the coast. Breathtaking is probably the better word to describe the views.

We arrived in Paraty at approx 4pm. We all had a walk around the town. Esteban organised us for a bike ride into the hills to where there are waterfall you can stand under and also swim around in. So that was all arranged. OBRI decided she would go SCUBA diving the following morning instead of a bike ride.

After that, came a massive surprise and shock! I went to the internet and rang home on Skype. Apparently alot of people had been trying to contact me to give me some horrific news. My Mam ended up being the one to tell me that Fintan Brennan had died from massive heart attack 2 days previous. It caught me by surprise and I was speechless on Skype. Couldn´t get to grips with what I had just heard. So I went back to the hostel Marandez, and went to bed for a few hours to lament my mate´s death.
Fintan was a great friend to me. He helped me set up in my business and gave me excellent advice on how to approach different obstuctions within business. Fintan, was quite methodical in his approach to everything he did. He was the one that said and encouraged me to go travelling South America. He was also there on my going away drinks night in the Autobahn. He wished me luck and to keep him posted on what was happening whie I was away. He was a great bloke! Anyway change of subject, getting myself into another tizz here.

So the following day we hired out mountain bikes and took on a devilish trip up the hills. We were told it was a forty min cycle to the waterfalls. It took one hour fifteen mins to get there. It was a lovely cycle til we got to the hill. It was approx 30 min cycle on the hill itself. I kept saying to myself, this should be the last corner. And it wasn´t! Neil and Lee-Annwere quite fit aswell as Esteban. They were ahead about 20-30 meters ahead. Then there was another bend. I was praying that it would be the last bend and hill. Then I notice the second bride. I crossed it and looked ahead! I saw the other three struggling at this massive hill. They were aslmost at the top. Neil had to jump off. I had literally nothing left in the tank at this stage, so I walked up the rest of the way. As I reached the top and around the bend, they had disappearred. I was delighted to see that they had just taken a right into a kind of a park. That was the last of the cycling til we were due to cycle back.

So what was ahead of us was bliss and well worth the hardship of the cycle. There was a lovely waterfall with fresh cold water. The sun was beating down all the way on the cycle. We also realised that there was a natural slide. It started at the top where we ploked our clothes. We waded accross to where it was safe to slide, the ground was so slippy that it caught Neil out and the current suddenly caught him. He ended up sliding down into a pond at the bottom. He wasn´t expecting the current to be so strong. Then Lee-Ann went down. It was great fun! Esteban and then me. I was heavier than the rest, So I actually gain alot more spped. I frightened the living daylights out of me as I spun naturally down backwards. That was the last time I did it. I also went underneath the waterfall. There was a little place to sit down inside it. The power of the water was incredible!

We noticed a suspension bridge ahead and accross to the other side was a bar and small restaurant. It was a great wat to finish off our day. Nice cold beer and spicey sausage and fried onions, HEAVEN! We were starving.

Estebam left early to meet up with the love of his life or maybe his bit on the side! He seems to be mad about this lovely girl called BEA.

Dinner was in an nice restaurant although the service was appalling. It took like anywhere else in South America and hour to get served your dinner. We all called this Latino Time. They are as slow and thick. Obri had squid and the rest off us went for something safer. OBRI was puking the whole night in her room. She used towels from the hotel to clean up her puke. When she needed to puke again she just puked again on the floor as the toilet was blocked. She couldn´t move really the following day. She didn´t even know her arse from her elbow.
Neil and Lee-Ann had to repack her bag as there were more clothes on the outside than there were in it. At one stage Lee- Ann had a pair of Obri´s knickers in her had, which she took from the clean pile of clothes. She asked, Linda, "are these clean?" Obri said, "Let me see!" She sniffed them and said no I was wearing those last night. Lee-Ann nearly puked herself.

We caught a private bus to Sao Paolo.

So off we went on the bus. Three hours into the trip, we stopped off for a pee and a bit of food. Obri walked to the toilet feeling shit and came back out. She seemed fine and we all asked if she was ok. She said "yes"! A minute later she is sitting on the path beside the bus puking her ring up. It was digusting. She looked so helpless! A few mins passed and we were on the bus again, keeping our eyes peeled.

We got to Sao Paolo bus terminal at approx 5pm. Esteban went up to get the tickets for the bus. Lee-Ann and Neil were having Barney over Everton Chelsea FA Cup final. Neil had just found out that Everton beat United in the Semis and was planning a 3 day trip back home for the final. One things for sure, it did not go down well with Lee-Ann. She´d be stuck in Lima for a few days while Neil is off to Wembly with the lads. He asked what I thought. I said, once in a lifetime opportunity but are you ready for the consequences. If it was me I wouldn´t do it to her." So that was going on while Obri sat in the middle of the terminal with her legs folded under each other. I asked her if she was feeling ok. She replied saying she was feeling alot better.

Esteban got the tickets for the overnight bus to Igassu. So we all made our way to get some food. All of a sudden Obri out of nowhere, decides to sit down in the middle people beside the toilets and a bin that you could easily stick your head into to puke. Instead she pukes in the middle of the floor. It splashed all the way accross to another guys shoes 3 meters away. Neil and I looked at each other and laughed in a kind of "what the fuck is she on" A toilet and a bin at her disposal. I was mortified for her! The poor thing!

So that was it, we got on the night bus to Igussu, we were all determining who was going to sit beside Obri. None of us wanted to catch what she had. So I ended up sitting beside this old dear on the bus. Esteban had to sit beside Obri, he pumped her full of tabs including a sleeping tablet. She didn´t stir til the following morning. What a result!!




Will keep you posted

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