Borders, Buses, Burgers: The Last Fortnight

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I am in Sao Paolo, Brazil, counting down my last week of my trip. I would probably forget that but Alexis keeps reminding me how many days there are left and we have started getting up early (hmmm...10, 11 am) to execute mini itineries of stuff to see in the various places we speed through, feeling the time slipping away.

Last time I wrote my blog, 31 August or there abouts, I was enjoying hanging about in Buenos Aires, which turned from a couple of days to one week. Since then we travelled by ferry over the Rio de la Plata to Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay, on to Montevideo, a day in the country at an estancia, crossed to Florianopolis in Brazil, loafed for a couple of days on Ihla de Santa Catarina, bussed it to Curitiba, loafed on an island sharing my name - ilha do mel - taken ´Brazils most beautiful train ride´ and washed up in sao paolo, allegedly a more dangerous city than rio. I feel thats a bit mental, cramming in three countries to two weeks. Momentarily I forget where I am.

I was very apprehensive about coming to Brazil having spent a lot of time thinking about how dangerous it is alleged to be. Not only does it harp on about it in the guide books, and of course thats just the reputation that precedes it, but also I remember hoy many people in my capoeira class back in london liked to bleat about having lived through stick em ups on the bus in rio or sao paolo. Im still being super careful with my stuff and what I carry with me: usually im super careful anyway, always knowing where my bag is, never taking chances, being paranoid - ubt now I just take the minimum cash ], no cards, no passport, no camera if i can avoid it. Even Alexis, who thinks such talk is preposterous, has imbibed a bit of my paranoia. It does inhibit my ability to enjoy the place because I cant relax. But I remember how dangerous Bolivia was said to be before I went there and how completely rubbish that claim turned out to be. But the number of cops on the streets here, on the tube, just hanging about armed to the teeth, reminds me that there could be something to it.

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