Its been a busy last week, Puno - LaPaz - Puerto Suarez - Corumbá - Sao Paulo - Paraty - Angra dos Reis - Illha Grande - Rio De Janeiro

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well its been a while but im afraid we have come to an end. This the 19th is our last day! The emails begging our parents for extra money so we could stay here an extra month, or 6 failed so we are on our way home this afternoon. Its been an adventure, but its okay because now we are planning our next one.

last minute dash

We´re in Rio again now but getting here was a bit of a struggle, with less than 10 days to go we suddenly realised that we were in Peru, humm, so a taxi to Bolivia (yes a taxi from Peru to Bolivia!!!) was in order and then a bus to La Paz.
In La Paz we did last min shopping, and spent a little (*cough* lot *cough*) too much and went into a travel agency and booked a flight to Puerto Suarez,(bolivia brazil border) at 6oclock the next morning.

So 6oclock the next morning we were on a flight, stopping off in cochabamba and Santa Cruz, and by 1pm we were in Brazil! We caught yet another taxi between countries and were in corumba.
The heat was incredible!! We couldnt even carry our bags to our hostel room (green track is only R$10 per person, with brekkie,an absolute bargin!!). We later found out that it was 39 degrees, it was crazy! But the most bizzare thing was the colour or the sky, the sun was the most vivd red we have ever seen and the sky was orange, bright orange!
Apparently there was a fire accross the river (the pantanal) which had been buring for 5 days, when we went out later we were rained on by ash, every thing was just covered with a thick black soot. So needless to say we did the only thing we could...ate ice-cream!!
We also went back to the hostel we stayed in last time, hoping to find our swimming gear. We asked the mean little lady who recognised us and blushed! humm a bit suspicious. But we got a guy to translate for us, and she bought out a pile of clothes, none of our stuff but the stuff we recognised from being next to ours on the washing line. She then stuttered, and got the guy translating to spin us a story about people leaving swimming stuff, and towels, there for a year while they went to Bolivia (where obviously they wouldnt need swimming costumes, or a towel!!!) and it wasnt us so ours must have been taken by the laundry lady. As we walked out she laughed. I dont think she liked us very much!!

The heat made us go a little bit crazy though, we booked another flight to Sao Paulo...

Sao Paulo

Was rubbish!! We really didnt like it there. We were greeted by a homeless guy who began to preform a striptese for us and were ripped off by the taxi driver who wouldnt give us the right change and drove off!! We wandered around for a while before finding some shifty looking hotels, where we were met by 3 little old ladies.....off their faces on something, with pupils like saucers!
After stressing over 3 places like this we decided we deserved a treat, maybe we picked the wrong country for us but we were so tired and miserable, we spent an outrageous 30pounds on a hotel room!!! Crazy!
But it was so nice!! And there was enough hot water in the shower for us to have not one, but 10 showers...each!!! And a really cool electric safe, shwooosh!!

But as it was such a mank city we left as soon as they kicked us out of the hotel and got a bus to Paraty...

Paraty

Hummm not what we expected, we were told it was lovely, beaches palm trees and all that jazz, im sure it would have been lovely, if we didnt get there in a thunderstorm!!! A thunderstorm in brazil, in summer where rain is unheard of, perfect!
We met a local couple who lived on a beach 20 mins away who took us to a lovely pousada for R$35 for a double room with an unreachable second floor, although with a bit of effort Dom made it, and then needed the bed moved to get down!! haha
We looked around the town and spent the day there but in the rain there was really nothing to do, we checked the weather on the internet and there was a gap of two days good weather so we grabbed it an jumped on a bus to paradise.

Angra dos reis / Illha Grande

Theres not really anything to do in Angra, but we stayed one night in the Hosteling International place (R$60 for a double, but this really is the cheapest you will find). We spent the evening shopping where i bought lots of lovely tops and things and was very pleased with the cheapness of it all! But after all that shopping we just chilled out in the hostel.
The next morning we caught the 8am boat for the 1h and a half ride to paradise!
We got there, the sun came out and it was brilliant! There are so many pousadas its crazy but we went for the only place on the island which isnt! (see the picture, look for this man hes the cheapest by far!! and is a lovely place!)
We then rented a body board and got on a boat to the supposedly most beautiful beach in brazil. It was a 40/50 min boat ride and then a 30min walk through jungle! (you can walk there but it takes almost 3 hours we were told and in the heat it was crazy!) It was so worth going there, we both agreed that it was the most beautiful beach we had seen and was one of the most spectacular sights wed encountered. Its a shame that its so touristy, but luckily the tourists seem to all come down from the trail and collapse after walking a few meters down the beach, if you walk for about 20mins down the beach its much nicer. So thats what we did, and it was worth it, we lazed about in the sea and swam for a bit.
We had a bit of a hair raising moment when we were body boarding and the string attatching the body board to us snapped, a wave stole the board and we were stranded. The sea was okay for body boarding but far too rough for swimming and it took a good 15 mins to get back in. When we did we were so full of sea water and so worn out we could do nothing exept eat a peice of bannana pie!!!
Then the boat ride back, we entertained ourself by placing bets on how long before i was sick, we were both wrong and i made it home with my lunch inside of me!!

After a good day on the beach we headed back to our hostel, showered and changed before heading back out, all of the guide books say food is really expensive on the island but we found it to be no different to the mainland, of course there are expensive places but you just have to avoid them!!! The sea food on the island is amazing, but avoid the crab, its not real crab its supermarket crab sticks!!

The next day the hostel owner rented some kayaks for us and took us to the docks to visit some islands. After the hair raising expreiance the day before i wasnt much in the mood for water so i took advantage of the hot weather and topped up my tan.
Dom on the otherhand tryed his hand at being Ray Mears and paddled out to some islands, he came back with a few cuts and grazes, a bruise, and two coconuts- one of which turned out to be home to a million biting ants... he only realised when he had it between his legs in his kayak, coming back from a tiny tropical island... ouch!!
The weather had become cloudy so we went for a walk along the coast, what we didnt take into acount was that the sea water had washed off our sun cream and the weather changes quickly! By the time we got back it was high 30´s again and we were a little bit pink, lobster pink so we were told! needless to say i´ve asked mum to buy aftersun for when we get back!!

Then there was another boat ride back to Angra, our bets were wrong again and i made it the whole way back without being sick!!

We spent that night in Angra, we didnt feel like getting on a bus, and we went to Max´s burgers for a milkshake. We havnt had much fast food scince we´ve been here but it was only milkshakes! The fast food here is the crazyiest thing ive ever seen! Its slower than cooking yourself and none of macdonalds rubbish shakes, my strawberry one had REAL strawberries in it!

The final countdown

The next morning a bus to Rio. Which broke down half way!! We got on another and were there an hour late, but at least we got there!
And it was Raining, yes its true, sunshine capital of the world and it rains! I think its just sad to see us leave (thats another hint that we might not be in england for long!!!) but we made the most of it and spent lots of money on tourist goods!
Robby was pleased to see us, a little surprised as we´re a day early, although we upset some americans, (who now repeat what we say to them in a mock english accent) by stealing their room, they are now on the floor in the living room, remember the blog about the cockroaches! hahahahahahahaha...ha

Our last full day in Rio was spent on Copacobana beach, we rented a funny two person rickshaw type affair and rode it (in the rain) to the market, although we had a bit of trouble when the stearing broke! We ended up leaving it, in a petrol station, as it was impossible to ride back!

And now we are waiting to leave this amazing country : ( Its sad to go but now we start a new adventure, 5 days back and uni starts and then we get jobs and start saving for the next adventure, maybe cambodia, china, venezuela who knows where we will post from next?!?!?!!

chiao for now, its been fun!
Laura and Dom XxX

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Comments

[THEE GREAT RODRIQUEZ]

BON VOYAGE!
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