Jan 26, 2005 - I'm sorry for the long pause, but I was hanging out on some island somewhere and no computers came to my rescue.

There is so much to tell and yet I'm already in traveler mode, too impatient to sit down and write about it. First of all, how is it that I am so damn lucky? I mean, I could not even invent half the stuff that just seems to magically fall into my lap. I would never be able to even daydream that big most of the time and I am an expert daydreamer. But I will stop looking the gift horse in the mouth now as I would hate to jinx such good fortune. Gratitude to the heavens above for all of the abundance poured out onto my path. There are the...

Jan 2, 2005 - New Year´s Eve in Rio

Did not want to leave Ilha Grande, but I did, to go to Rio for New Years Eve, where my friend Vicky and I danced on the beach to Beija Flor samba school and various bands, and saw the famous fireworks over Copacabana. Due to a technical hitch this year, the fireworks, lit from platforms out in the bay, became unviewable after about 10 minutes due to the great amount of smoke generated by the display. The effect was rather unusual, and quite spectacular, perhaps rather like on a battlefield after artillery has fired and visibility is low....

Jan 1, 2005 - New Year`s in Rio

From Ihla Grande, we headed to Rio for New Year`s. The tradition is that everyone wears head to toe white, jumps 7 waves before midnight, and throughs flowers for wishes out to sea. We loved it. We spent the evening with a nice Aussie couple we met on a tour and had a fantastic time. The beach was covered in crowds, food stalls, hawkers, concerts, you name it. I had so much fun, that I got a cold and spent the next week recovering... so it goes. In Rio, we had a chance to tour the slums (favellas) and as terrible as this may sound, we...

Oct 18, 2004 - Hit the ground running

Tired from a 16 hour, overnite plane ride? Of course not. Though after 48 hours with the pedal to the metal, I am now a bit haggard. Arrived at the Che Lagarto hostel in Copacabana shortly after noon on Saturday, dumped my pack in my ass-smelling dorm room (the first of many olfactory offenses to come, I´m sure) and went straight away to the beach. Gotta love a country where beer vendors abound, and ice cold at seventy cents to boot. Returned to join a group headed to Marcana Stadium for some futbol. We sat in the rowdy terraced section...

Oct 9, 2004 - Bussing it in Brazil

You know you're on a bus in Brazil when ... 1. Your bus arrives at the station 45 minutes late and is considered to be "on time" or "ahead of schedule". 2. Your bus, which just arrived 45 minutes late, takes 30 minutes at the station to unload/reload passengers and their amazing volume of baggage, and then stops just 30 meters outside the station and takes another 20 minutes to load up more passengers who were waiting there (like, couldn't these people have just walked to the bus station while they waited?). 3. Your bus has 3 mechanical...

Oct 4, 2004 - Rio de Janiero, Brazil

After the big send off from Hilary at Heathrow we were told the flight was over booked and we were put on standby. 30 mins before departure we got the last seats to Rio de Janiero. What a relief! Rio was a wicked city. We did´t quite get the weather for it though. Copacabana beach is buzzing. People walk, jog, sprint, stretch, and surf along the length of the beach. We went up the cog train to Christ the Redeemer and saw the excellent view of the city. Our most memorable experince in Rio has to be the trip to the Favela. Our guide was on...

Oct 4, 2004 - Brazil - Ilha Grande and Rio de Janeiro

Well we have just two hours left in Rio, but it has been a great adventure these past two months. We took that very long bus ride (14 hours) to a 2-1/2 hour bus ride to a 2 hour boat ride to get to our island paradise, Ilha Grande. Ironically, it rained the two days we were there, but that did not stop us from hiking for hours both days. The rest of the time was spent eating and consuming alcohol. It was very relaxing, but it was great to finally make it to Rio de Janeiro. The first day we did not get here until the late afternoon, so that...

Oct 3, 2004 - A very rainy and cloudy Rio

We arrived in Rio to bad weather, no-one on the beaches and not being able to see the famous Corcovado mountain with Christ the Redeemer on top of it. The forecast was bad for tommorrow, so we decided it would be a good day to travel to Ilha Grande, a tropical island 3 hours by bus and 1 hour by boat south-west of Rio de Janeiro.

Sep 17, 2004 - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Found a great Hotel in Copacabana called the Royal Rio Palace. Negotiated them down from a room rate of about 150USD a night to 55USD. Swimming pool on the roof, jacuzzi bath (for Jane!) and a great buffet breakfast. 5mins from beach. Had great 4 days in Rio. Shopping(quite cheap), walking/sunbathing on the beach, footy match at The Maracana Stadium, up to the Statue for stunning views of Rio, and up Sugar Loaf Mountain for sunset, Cinema visit as well. Found cool bar called The Bud Bug in Copacabana with good juke box. Real highlight was...

Aug 26, 2004 - Holy capoeira kicking, booty-shakin, beat banging Bahia!

So, Salvador improved slightly. I found a way to deal with the place the only way I know how -by immersing myself in the one good thing it has to offer-- incredible music! Music—always my salvation. Salvador by night aint half bad. It still smells like piss, sewage, and dende oil, but just about every night of the week a different afro-brazilian percussion ensemble takes to the streets cranking out amazing rhythms. They lead the town in a dancing parade until everyone arrives at the place where they will play for the night. I got to see...

Jul 11, 2004 - Blame it on Rio

Blame it on Rio.... or their caipirhinas. I´m robbing cradles, wrecking homes, and wreaking general havoc on the city of Rio. Forget that those lethal fruity drinks only cost about $2 U.S, but they are pure liquor (cachaca) with just enough sugar and crushed lime to mask the fact that you are drinking your way into delirium. And as such, mission project FBBWC ( find brazilian boyfriend with car) was going quite well. Too well in fact. But then, I found out that my BB had not only a car, but also a wife... and after a minor incident of...

Jun 18, 2004 - Rio De Janeiro

Next it was an overnight bus to Rio the `Marvellous City`. Aesthetically at least the title is a misnomer. Arriving on the bus, riding into town Rio is an ugly city. The outskirts feature dirty unattractive urban stretches, brazilian architectural eyesores stand along the beaches and favellas (slums) climb the hills. Rio´s beauty is its natural gifts of long beaches populated with many thong clad brazilian godesses framed by towering rocky spires. A man can overlook a lot of negatives for beaches full of beautiful women wearing very...