We arrived in Brazil at 7pm local time, so after trying to get money out of the ATM at the airport and failing, as there is so much fraud here that as soon as we tried to use our cards the bank put a hold on them!!! Luckily I still had some US dollars in cash and changed these up to get us a taxi to the hostel, which was the grand total of $70 US!!!!! We knew now we were no longer in Asia and this was going to kill our budget, which I have now set at about £3000 for February and March as these will be the most expensive countries, Brazil, Argentina and Chile and we are here at the most expensive time for Rio Carnival.
Sao Paolo is such an enormous city, it is near on impossible to try and explore it and there is nothing here we really want to see in particular, so we are just staying local near our hostel until we can get rested up, recover from our jet lag and get the bus out of here. We have 2 nights booked so only really have 1 day to kill anyway as we have arrived at night and leave the morning after the following day at 6am!!! The hostel is very noisy and we are in a 6 bed mixed dorm which is costing us $20 a night, so double the price of Asia, and I am not particularly happy about being in a mixed dorm, but needs must!! We go straight to bed and try and sleep through the noise. I wake the next morning still so tired and feeling a bit down, probably from all the travelling, it really takes it out of you. We walk into town and just wander around the local area until we have had enough and then head back to the hostel, and I just go back to bed for more sleep. It is so hot here in Sao Paolo, we saw a thermometer reach 40 degrees. A few hours later in the late afternoon a storm whipped up and woke me from my nap, the windows and doors in the hostel were banging and the wind was blowing, then the rain came down. Before long the road outside had become a river and we heard a loud crash! We looked out the window and a large tree had fallen on a car just outside the hostel, further down the road another tree had also fallen and blocked the road.
By now the power was out, as I think the tree had fallen throughout the cables, the emergency services had turned up, and eventually some tree surgeons arrived and started clearing up the mess as the storm was coming to an end. I packed my bag while it was still light as it did not look like the power was coming back anytime soon. We were leaving at the crack of dawn whilst it is still dark outside, and still jet lagged I tried to get some sleep to the noise of the chainsaw outside the window and the constant partying ensuing downstairs!!!
The next morning I was so tired!!! I had hardly slept for days now and was ready to lose it completely!!! I just wanted to get to Paraty and chill out and catch up on some sleep. I really do not like staying in dorms, I think I am past all that now at this time in my life, but am aware it is an essential part of travelling and the whole travelling experience, but it doesn't mean I have to like it!! I have not really had to do this up until now as Asia is so much cheaper than here, but now I have no choice if I want to stick to my budget, so I just have to swallow it and make the best of it and hope I meet some new friends along the way, it does have some positives I guess! I have already learnt that most travellers are pretty selfish and inconsiderate and will think nothing of keeping everyone else up in the hostel if they want to party all night!! Most hostels have rules about the noise after a certain time but nobody takes any notice of it!! Not being a killjoy but when you have to deal with it relentlessly night after night, it pisses me off!!!
I think I am possibly having an episode of travellers burnout!! So tired and irritable I can't even think, and start to wonder what this is all for! Crazy, I know. What people would give for this lifestyle, but for me it is just not always easy, and a year is a long time to be on the road living out of a bag. Most of the time I am ok with it, but occasionally I am just tired of it and long for the comforts and familiarities, and stability of being in one place, with friends and family nearby. Nicola and I are not getting on well, I am getting on her nerves and she on mine, and we have nothing to talk about. I need to get away on my own for a while, somewhere relaxed, in the country, where I can chill out and escape all these people and just enjoy the place I am for a while without constantly moving and just take stock of everything. I will do this in a few weeks when I get to Argentina, after Nicola's birthday, we will take a month apart, it will do us both good. Until then it is going to be another crazy time for Rio Carnival!!!
We arrive in Paraty and already I am feeling better just looking at the views from the bus on the way here. Brazil is beautiful, and so green and lush, with huge mountains and hills surrounding everything, everywhere you look. It is truly breathtaking!! Paraty is a gem of a place, little terraces housed with cobbled streets running through them, a place where time has stood still in its traditions and beauty. I guess the Portuguese influence is very strong here as I feel like I am in the mediterranean rather than South America! It is so quiet and tranquil, absolutely perfect for some rest and relaxation! We settle in and go for a wonder around and see what is on offer.
We are only here for 3 days so we decide on a boat tour of the islands for the next day, and I choose to do some horse riding the following day. The boat tour was great fun, we had a local musician on the boat the whole day singing and playing local and international music, including a bit of Oasis, so funny. He was good fun and everyone was in good spirits, jumping off the boat when we stopped, swimming, snorkelling and island hopping. It was a fun day out! We met a set of aussie twins, who did not look much alike, and hung out with them for a while. They were staying at our hostel too, so that evening we met up with some canadian guys also staying at our hostel, and all went out for a night on the town. There was a party in the square so we hung out there for a bit and then hit the beach as everything closes about 12am. We chilled there for a bit and then I headed for bed as I had to be up for riding the next morning and was already worse for wear.
I awoke the next morning feeling like crap!! I was not sure I was capable of riding but did not want to miss it, so persevered and tried all morning not to throw up. I forced some breakfast down and tried to rehydrate. I can't believe i felt so bad!!! I was drinking the local speciality, caprihinias, consisting of lime mixed with local palm alcohol, I think, and god knows what else, but my head was pounding!!!! At 10am the guy picked me up for the riding. I still felt so sick and hoped the drive was not too far. There was a couple of french people and some local girls, one who was possibly the girlfriend of the guide, I am not sure but there was much flirting going on and every time I rode near him because I wanted to be at the front, she was there. So annoying!!! The girls here are very possessive and jealous about their men, even when there is no reason to be, but that is the way it is, and god help them if they stray, I would not like to get on the wrong side of their temper, these people are very passionate about everything!!!
Anyway despite that, I stayed ahead on my own most of the ride and soon sobered up. It was a beautiful ride through some awesome views and waterfalls where we got off for some bathing if you wanted a dip to cool down as it was extremely hot now. The horses seem to cope amazingly well with the heat and were full of energy the whole time. I had a grey horse who was so much fun, he was on his toes constantly wanting to rush on, but was very well behaved. He was scared of lorries though and I had to push him on a few times, but when we got to the gallops he made up for it, although he did take the shortcut home, and i was relying on him to know the way as I had no idea where we were going! Such a character! After riding I just chilled out for the rest of the day on the beach and around the hostel as we were leaving the next day for Ilha Grande.
The following day we got our transfer for Ilha grande, a small island off the coast about 2 hours from here. We met a couple of Danish guys on our minibus, it was just them and us, so we started chatting and they were telling me all about bariloche, in Argentina, and gave me some tips on where to go and stay etc. I have decided that sounds like the perfect place for me and am going to head there after Buenos Aires. We arrived at the port and took the boat across which is about 45 minutes, then we were there. We found our hostel in town and were in a 6 bed female dorm, which was cramped, but ok. We ditched our stuff and went exploring and to get some food. As we were walking around looking for food, we bumped into the Danish guys again and joined them for dinner. We chatted for a while then said our goodbyes and headed back to the hostel.
The next day we decide to trek to Dios Rios (2 rivers) which we are told is a 2 hour walk one way. We need some practise for macchu piccu so decide to do it, it is overcast and a bit rainy so a good day to be walking. We head off and start the climb over the hill to the other side of the island. It is unbelievably hot and humid and the hill is really steep. After 30 minutes we are soaked and exhausted! We carry on hoping we are going the right way and are rewarded at the top with the view of the town and the bay, as well as the mainland. Happy now as we know it is all downhill from here for the next hour :) We finally get to Dios Rios and it is a beautiful beach with a very small town, I believe there is a prison here, but we did not see it. We had lunch and strolled along the beach for a bit and then started to make our way back. The first hour uphill again!! We trudged along, tired and aching by now for the 2 hours back, which took 2 .5 hours as we were pretty tired out and just took our time. Just as we were arriving towards the town the rain started to come down, it poured down and we got drenched! Thank goodness we left when we did as it did not stop for hours!!
Eventually back at the hostel we showered and changed and waited for a while for the rain to ease. We met a couple of other girls in our room, Paula form Argentina, and Andrea from Chile. We braved the rain and went out for dinner nearby. Andrea met some guys before who turned up and we all sat together for a while before heading to a beach bar to party as the rain had now stopped. We had a dance and a few drinks and then headed home about 1ish
The next day I just hung out with Paula at the beach. She is so much fun and such good company. We talked about many things, she helped me to make some big decisions and gave me some healing as she does that too. I felt like a huge weight lifted from my shoulders and knew what I needed to do now going forward for the rest of my trip, as I was having doubts about how long to carry on travelling for due to conflicts going on inside my head about where I should be and what I should be doing, which were making me unhappy and not able to enjoy this experience as I should have been. I have a lot of time for Paula and she has helped me in more ways then one as well as just being a great person and great company! I am so glad we met her and will meet up again in Rio for Carnival and her home Buenos Aires!
After now recovering slightly from our walk to Dios Rios we were ready for another trek across the island. This time to Lopez Mendes beach, about 2 hours away. This is supposed to be the nicest beach on the island. Nicola, Paula and i set off and start the trek uphill again. Again we are rewarded with some lovely views on the way and just enjoy the climb. We stop at the first beach we come to after about 1 hour and have some lunch, relax for a while and then carry on. An hour later we arrive at Lopez Mendes, it is a lovely beach, white sands stretch down to the shallow waters, which are unfortunately for me cold, so I decide to spend my time relaxing on the beach instead while the girls go swimming! We get the boat back as we feel we have done enough trekking for the time being!
Back at the hostel we pack our bags once again and get ready to leave for Rio de Janeiro on the 9am boat the following morning!
Sao Paolo is such an enormous city, it is near on impossible to try and explore it and there is nothing here we really want to see in particular, so we are just staying local near our hostel until we can get rested up, recover from our jet lag and get the bus out of here. We have 2 nights booked so only really have 1 day to kill anyway as we have arrived at night and leave the morning after the following day at 6am!!! The hostel is very noisy and we are in a 6 bed mixed dorm which is costing us $20 a night, so double the price of Asia, and I am not particularly happy about being in a mixed dorm, but needs must!! We go straight to bed and try and sleep through the noise. I wake the next morning still so tired and feeling a bit down, probably from all the travelling, it really takes it out of you. We walk into town and just wander around the local area until we have had enough and then head back to the hostel, and I just go back to bed for more sleep. It is so hot here in Sao Paolo, we saw a thermometer reach 40 degrees. A few hours later in the late afternoon a storm whipped up and woke me from my nap, the windows and doors in the hostel were banging and the wind was blowing, then the rain came down. Before long the road outside had become a river and we heard a loud crash! We looked out the window and a large tree had fallen on a car just outside the hostel, further down the road another tree had also fallen and blocked the road.
By now the power was out, as I think the tree had fallen throughout the cables, the emergency services had turned up, and eventually some tree surgeons arrived and started clearing up the mess as the storm was coming to an end. I packed my bag while it was still light as it did not look like the power was coming back anytime soon. We were leaving at the crack of dawn whilst it is still dark outside, and still jet lagged I tried to get some sleep to the noise of the chainsaw outside the window and the constant partying ensuing downstairs!!!
The next morning I was so tired!!! I had hardly slept for days now and was ready to lose it completely!!! I just wanted to get to Paraty and chill out and catch up on some sleep. I really do not like staying in dorms, I think I am past all that now at this time in my life, but am aware it is an essential part of travelling and the whole travelling experience, but it doesn't mean I have to like it!! I have not really had to do this up until now as Asia is so much cheaper than here, but now I have no choice if I want to stick to my budget, so I just have to swallow it and make the best of it and hope I meet some new friends along the way, it does have some positives I guess! I have already learnt that most travellers are pretty selfish and inconsiderate and will think nothing of keeping everyone else up in the hostel if they want to party all night!! Most hostels have rules about the noise after a certain time but nobody takes any notice of it!! Not being a killjoy but when you have to deal with it relentlessly night after night, it pisses me off!!!
I think I am possibly having an episode of travellers burnout!! So tired and irritable I can't even think, and start to wonder what this is all for! Crazy, I know. What people would give for this lifestyle, but for me it is just not always easy, and a year is a long time to be on the road living out of a bag. Most of the time I am ok with it, but occasionally I am just tired of it and long for the comforts and familiarities, and stability of being in one place, with friends and family nearby. Nicola and I are not getting on well, I am getting on her nerves and she on mine, and we have nothing to talk about. I need to get away on my own for a while, somewhere relaxed, in the country, where I can chill out and escape all these people and just enjoy the place I am for a while without constantly moving and just take stock of everything. I will do this in a few weeks when I get to Argentina, after Nicola's birthday, we will take a month apart, it will do us both good. Until then it is going to be another crazy time for Rio Carnival!!!
We arrive in Paraty and already I am feeling better just looking at the views from the bus on the way here. Brazil is beautiful, and so green and lush, with huge mountains and hills surrounding everything, everywhere you look. It is truly breathtaking!! Paraty is a gem of a place, little terraces housed with cobbled streets running through them, a place where time has stood still in its traditions and beauty. I guess the Portuguese influence is very strong here as I feel like I am in the mediterranean rather than South America! It is so quiet and tranquil, absolutely perfect for some rest and relaxation! We settle in and go for a wonder around and see what is on offer.
We are only here for 3 days so we decide on a boat tour of the islands for the next day, and I choose to do some horse riding the following day. The boat tour was great fun, we had a local musician on the boat the whole day singing and playing local and international music, including a bit of Oasis, so funny. He was good fun and everyone was in good spirits, jumping off the boat when we stopped, swimming, snorkelling and island hopping. It was a fun day out! We met a set of aussie twins, who did not look much alike, and hung out with them for a while. They were staying at our hostel too, so that evening we met up with some canadian guys also staying at our hostel, and all went out for a night on the town. There was a party in the square so we hung out there for a bit and then hit the beach as everything closes about 12am. We chilled there for a bit and then I headed for bed as I had to be up for riding the next morning and was already worse for wear.
I awoke the next morning feeling like crap!! I was not sure I was capable of riding but did not want to miss it, so persevered and tried all morning not to throw up. I forced some breakfast down and tried to rehydrate. I can't believe i felt so bad!!! I was drinking the local speciality, caprihinias, consisting of lime mixed with local palm alcohol, I think, and god knows what else, but my head was pounding!!!! At 10am the guy picked me up for the riding. I still felt so sick and hoped the drive was not too far. There was a couple of french people and some local girls, one who was possibly the girlfriend of the guide, I am not sure but there was much flirting going on and every time I rode near him because I wanted to be at the front, she was there. So annoying!!! The girls here are very possessive and jealous about their men, even when there is no reason to be, but that is the way it is, and god help them if they stray, I would not like to get on the wrong side of their temper, these people are very passionate about everything!!!
Anyway despite that, I stayed ahead on my own most of the ride and soon sobered up. It was a beautiful ride through some awesome views and waterfalls where we got off for some bathing if you wanted a dip to cool down as it was extremely hot now. The horses seem to cope amazingly well with the heat and were full of energy the whole time. I had a grey horse who was so much fun, he was on his toes constantly wanting to rush on, but was very well behaved. He was scared of lorries though and I had to push him on a few times, but when we got to the gallops he made up for it, although he did take the shortcut home, and i was relying on him to know the way as I had no idea where we were going! Such a character! After riding I just chilled out for the rest of the day on the beach and around the hostel as we were leaving the next day for Ilha Grande.
The following day we got our transfer for Ilha grande, a small island off the coast about 2 hours from here. We met a couple of Danish guys on our minibus, it was just them and us, so we started chatting and they were telling me all about bariloche, in Argentina, and gave me some tips on where to go and stay etc. I have decided that sounds like the perfect place for me and am going to head there after Buenos Aires. We arrived at the port and took the boat across which is about 45 minutes, then we were there. We found our hostel in town and were in a 6 bed female dorm, which was cramped, but ok. We ditched our stuff and went exploring and to get some food. As we were walking around looking for food, we bumped into the Danish guys again and joined them for dinner. We chatted for a while then said our goodbyes and headed back to the hostel.
The next day we decide to trek to Dios Rios (2 rivers) which we are told is a 2 hour walk one way. We need some practise for macchu piccu so decide to do it, it is overcast and a bit rainy so a good day to be walking. We head off and start the climb over the hill to the other side of the island. It is unbelievably hot and humid and the hill is really steep. After 30 minutes we are soaked and exhausted! We carry on hoping we are going the right way and are rewarded at the top with the view of the town and the bay, as well as the mainland. Happy now as we know it is all downhill from here for the next hour :) We finally get to Dios Rios and it is a beautiful beach with a very small town, I believe there is a prison here, but we did not see it. We had lunch and strolled along the beach for a bit and then started to make our way back. The first hour uphill again!! We trudged along, tired and aching by now for the 2 hours back, which took 2 .5 hours as we were pretty tired out and just took our time. Just as we were arriving towards the town the rain started to come down, it poured down and we got drenched! Thank goodness we left when we did as it did not stop for hours!!
Eventually back at the hostel we showered and changed and waited for a while for the rain to ease. We met a couple of other girls in our room, Paula form Argentina, and Andrea from Chile. We braved the rain and went out for dinner nearby. Andrea met some guys before who turned up and we all sat together for a while before heading to a beach bar to party as the rain had now stopped. We had a dance and a few drinks and then headed home about 1ish
The next day I just hung out with Paula at the beach. She is so much fun and such good company. We talked about many things, she helped me to make some big decisions and gave me some healing as she does that too. I felt like a huge weight lifted from my shoulders and knew what I needed to do now going forward for the rest of my trip, as I was having doubts about how long to carry on travelling for due to conflicts going on inside my head about where I should be and what I should be doing, which were making me unhappy and not able to enjoy this experience as I should have been. I have a lot of time for Paula and she has helped me in more ways then one as well as just being a great person and great company! I am so glad we met her and will meet up again in Rio for Carnival and her home Buenos Aires!
After now recovering slightly from our walk to Dios Rios we were ready for another trek across the island. This time to Lopez Mendes beach, about 2 hours away. This is supposed to be the nicest beach on the island. Nicola, Paula and i set off and start the trek uphill again. Again we are rewarded with some lovely views on the way and just enjoy the climb. We stop at the first beach we come to after about 1 hour and have some lunch, relax for a while and then carry on. An hour later we arrive at Lopez Mendes, it is a lovely beach, white sands stretch down to the shallow waters, which are unfortunately for me cold, so I decide to spend my time relaxing on the beach instead while the girls go swimming! We get the boat back as we feel we have done enough trekking for the time being!
Back at the hostel we pack our bags once again and get ready to leave for Rio de Janeiro on the 9am boat the following morning!
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