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Fifi Flipflops Big Adventure

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    Carnival

    7 février 2016, Brésil ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    First things first we hit the beach, ive missed being able to just get into the water and cool off so its a welcome break fro m the heat,It never cools down here not even at night. We hire a couple of chairs and very soon a couple of Brazilian guys called hedges and Bill ask if we can mind there things while they go for a dip. I invest in a dental floss bikini (dont worry i wont be posting any pictures) and the guys soon return. They are really keen to practice theyre english and we are really glad to have them with us as they have an art of being able to haggle to get us cheaper beer. The guys are really cool and we spend hours chatting before i have to leave to return to the hostel to go shopping for my carnival outfit, Mark stays with the guys and by the time i have finished Mark has returned and tells me to go and get myself a shower as the guys will be coming to pick us up shortly to take us to a bloko. The guys dont show but we just think that maybe they have carried on drinking and theyre probably pissed somewhere. So not to be beaten we head out solo.
    Carnival here is really something else, everyone is in fancy dress and double decker buses line the streets in various areas of town playing all different types of music (with a brazilian twist ) and we join the throbbing crowd(i mean thousands of people). Once they have a big enough crowd they drive very slowly away with the crowd sambaing behing them following through the streets. I have bought Mark a shrek mask and i have a masquerade mask, quite underdressed as it goes.We follow rhe parade through the streets for nearly 2 hours and then head back for a bite to eat and bed as we have arranged to meet bill and hedges tomorrow at 9 to follow another bus x    En savoir plus

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    Travelling Circus

    6 février 2016, Brésil ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    So as we bid a sad farewell to Petropolis we say goodbye to some really cool people. Felipe Ray and Andreas to name a few , have made our stay here really perfect, thanks guys. We board the bus and head back down the treachorous hill that seemed a life time to get up, and yet is over quicker than i can blink an eye at, maybe because going up we didnt really get out of 2nd gear although it felt like we were travelling far to fast for the road conditions, although that seems the norm here. On the bus a young guy asks if we need any help and at Rio he takes us to the local bus to catch it to Copacabana. People here really are so helpful.
    Within mins of being on the bus he has run over a ladys suitcase who was waiting for the bus next to us and narrowly missed mowing down an old lady on the pedestrian crossing, having gone through a red light ( Ireally hope this journey wont take long),
    We drop our bags in the hostel and get handed a welcome pack consisting of a masquerade mask confetti and and a whisle. The hostel has a very young crowd and i feel like im on an 18-30 holidy , but if you cant beat them join them. Every night they have entertainment here pub crawls etc but tonight is a bbq so i pay our 30 reals each ( approx 8 quid) and we head upstairs to eat, or so we think . There is only so much meat that can be cooked and as the first tray is put out a French guy literally piles his plate so high that noone else even got a bit of fat we ended up having a bit of a row but you know what the French are like, (well most of them) . Mark went to bed before he lost his temper and i followed shortly after - wish i was back in Petropolis.    En savoir plus

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    Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

    3 février 2016, Brésil ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    After still aching from the climb yesterday I agree with Mark to go and visit the waterfalls which are high up in the mountains at the National park. We catch a bus at the top off the hill and head for the bus exchange. Here we have to catch another bus down and up a very narrow lane , yet again the bus driver drives like a lunatic ( I think this must be one of the prerequsites)and thank god there are not many other cars on the road as he weves his way up the mountain like Keanu Reeves in speed . We are droppped off and havee to climb a lane to the entrance of the park. A car stops as we just start and I dont have a clue what the guys are saying, but somehow manage to blag us a lift. The trek is all up hill obviously but we start to make our accent and climb through the vines and trees up a very narrow branched path with a map that is bearly readable . We arrive at the first "pool" which is beautiful and there are people bathing in it , but a lot of young noisy kids so we agree to head a little further up.
    The mosquitos are out in force here and we fight our way through the brambles taking time out in the small and few places of shade drinking plenty of water. Maybe doing this in flip flops was a bad idea and as we climb higher i must stub my toes 20 times or more, but as I have said before when you put the effort in the rewards are endless. The beauty of these waterfalls is immense and this place is filled with lots of wildlife, huge butterflys, toucans and even crocodiles(only joking). After 3 hours of trekking we agree that enough has been seen and the thought of climbing further just didnt appeal. As we headed back down we decided to take a different route and this was littered with various other waterfalls and pools . There is an option to camp here and if we had more time we probably would have done this , but we have carnival to head too tomorrow so need a good nights rest.    En savoir plus

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    Go Tell It From the Mountain

    2 février 2016, Brésil ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We have agreed to have a lazy day today and catch up on the washing etc. We mosy about the hostel and plan a churrasco(bbq) for this evening. We take a short walk to the supermarket and buy the best steak they have together with various bits and bobs and return to the hostel. We speak with the guys in the hostel and they point to the hill in the far distance and advise that the view here is amazing. Today is well in the 30's and Mark says it is too hot to do this. Me being me i ask another Brazilian guy in the hostel(Andreas ) if he would like to do this and he agrees so just after 4 oclock we set off.
    A 25 minute bus journey takes us about half way up but the rest is up to us. Oh shit what have i let myself in for???
    The cllimb is pretty hard and alll up hill, as i turn every bend all i see is another slope and the sun beats onto me with no forgiveness( iam am going to be tonights bbq at this rate.) After a 2 hour climb the end is in sight and as we round the corner I cant believe the view. I am on top of the world literally, below the smaller mountains are scattered genourously and we just sit and watch as the sun slowly and gradually takes her place. I knew that this trip would bring many beautiful things to me, but when you put the little extra effort in it can bring so many more. We have to head back down as soon as the sun is set , because we have walked through a forest and when you lose the light the track down is as arduous as the track up!
    As we start our decent I think i see people in the trees, only to find out they are Fireflys, I try to take a video but there are somethings in life you just have to look at with the naked eye and seeing these little creatur
    es light the way is a truly magical experience as i have never seen a firefly before. Halfway down I say to Andreas look at the sky ! I have never seen so many stars and i Lie on the ground for 5 mins taking in the full constelation, another magical moment. we refill our bottles from the natural spring and continue the trek down watching the city light up around us. It is really dark by now and the torch on the iphone comes in really handy. We await the bus with anticipation as im could eat a scabby horse and hopefully Mark has the BBq prepared aand has not spent the last hours emptying the hostel fridge.
    The Churrasco is superb and we sit with a few people in the hostel as Mark entertains us all with his tipsy humour and is a wonderful end to a magical day.    En savoir plus

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    Historic Petropolis

    1 février 2016, Brésil ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    So today we have encountered problems with the intenet which is a bit of a problem because we cant download photos so will have to add them at a later date , and after breakfast we are given a map of a route we can walk that will take us to all the various historical sights in Petropolis, Even though the walk is long we decide we can do it with a few refreshment stop offs thrown in. Petropolis is reeped with German influences and all the houses are so beautiful, we first arrive at an old church built in 1893, the kind lady invited us in and gave us the full history and the place really was beautiful but i keep having to say that i have multiple religions and with a big devil tattoo i feel a bit awkward lol
    We walked futher along the streets to a small little house , this was Alexander dumos dumonts house , and he built the first plane and circumnavigated around the eiffel tower. Then to the Crystal Palace where there are many beautiful orchids , the differences in the beautiful flowers are so extreme but eye catching.
    As we walk along the roads most of the houses in the street are owned by someone important from historical times and have then been passed dwn to their families , who split these huge houses in two.
    After a bite to eat we head to the Imperieal Museum which has many historic artifacts of the Imperial Family of Brazil , It has been recreated to look like how it would have been when the family used it as their summer home. They came here because in the summer it was so hot in the city that their mountain retreat was much cooler.
    Inside the house we were asked to handover all cameras phones etc as no photographs were to be taken, and handed a pair of oversize flip flops that you put over your own shoes and almost skate along the wooden floors(one way of polishing them i suppose). On route we see a young woman snapping away at various points in the house with the phone on her camera , but nothing gets away from these guys , they radio through, and as she is following behind us they confiscate her phone and delete all the pictures she has taken and hand it back to her as we leave.
    The palace is beautiful, very ostentacious and the crown jewels are very sparkly. After 6 hours walking the streets we head back to the hostel for a shower and decide to head out for something to eat.
    We have been recommended a small italian restaurant, and after being robbed by the taxi driver we evetually are dropped off at casa Pellegrini , the atmosphere is amazing and the place is packed with locals so you know its good. I eat the most fantastic pasta Gnocchi and Mark has a Hamburger and chips , and after finishing we take our drinks outside and take in the vibe.
    I head to the shop just over the road to pick up some cigarretes and when i leave there is something not right, there are groups of guys shouting and fighting and as I head back to the restaurant there are more coming up the street . I have tourist tattooed all over me so keep my head down and keep walking and as i get back to the restaurant everybody in the place is stood looking up the street that i have just walked down. The atmosphere has changedd for the worse and a guy returns to the restaurant minus his havianias so i suggest to Mark it might be time to leave, and after the days walking I am more than ready for my bed.    En savoir plus

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    From Beaches to Mountains

    1 février 2016, Brésil ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We say goodbye to Zee and yet again I am sad to be leaving here, but I must get away from the mosquitos or I'll need a blood transfusion. We board the bus and as my language is improving these journeys are getting less stressful or so i think.....the journey up the mountain has me on tenderhooks, the driver is on a death wish but as we climb i cant help but hold on tight and look down. the winding road takes us past waterfalls and high above the immense forest below, the scenery is like something out of a movie it really is beautiful. We arrive at what i think is the central bus station and ask "punto finale petropolis centro" thank god the young guy spoke English , and offered to take us on another local bus which cost us £1 instead of £20 in a taxi.
    We arrive at the hostel and yet again i am really pleased. This is quite a big hostel and they speak pretty fluent English although I really want to try and practice the Portuguese as you have a habit of being Lazy when you can out here.
    We are informed that there is a beer festival on tonight , so after a quick shower and change we head down to the beer festival accompanied by a brazilian guy from the hostel. There are quite a lot of people around and we join the queue to get a beer , only after 20 mins to be told that we have to purchase tokens as they don't take any cash on the stalls.
    The festival has live music and the vibe down here is brilliant, the band here are playing all Beatles songs and after a little gentle persuasion Mark dances with me as we jive to music from home the crowd are shocked even though we can't dance they have never seen dancing like this !!!
    The band finish and we head back to the hostel, this time up the hill , all this travelling takes its toll after a while and i crash out on the bed fully clothed.    En savoir plus

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    Last Surf in Saquarema

    30 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    So today is our last day in Saquarema and it will be a while before I get to hit the waves for a while so we eat breakfast and pack up the bag with our bits and pieces, board under arm we take the 10 minute walk. Today is particularly hot but after the rain yesterday the air does feel cooler. Our first point of call is to the chemist to buy another mosquito spray. They really are a big issue at the moment and even the locals are suffering. Its mad because in most countries they are so small you dont see them , out here theyre like Daddy bloody long legs!!!!
    Down the beach we get some light relief (for some reason they dont like the sea ) and set up our i pod and wireless speaker to listen to some music (still cant quite let go of my music). Out here JUstin bieber is 12and 3 in the charts and the modern music is very similar, even people like blondie and the beatles are still played widely.
    I head out to surf but the waves are really flat today, i suppose noone can control the sea , so after an hour i head back to Mark who is quie happy sat under the brolley with a grande cerveja (big beer). As we sit there a boat comes in with 'the catch' and they fillet the fish of the back of the boat and take them to the restaurant to be cooked, chucking the heads into the water to feed the Albatrosses circling above. However not all heads are eaten and whilst paddling a little later in the day had them floating round my feet. Great the mosquitos and fly are going to love me equally.
    We decide to try the fresh fish in the restaurant , but thinking i ordered the whole fish it came out in a stew, a little dissaponted but it was tasty all the same.
    We spend our last night chilling on the balcony lying in the hammock underneath the stars getting eaten alive, while Zee tells us his story of going to a Cachacha Brewery when he was young back in the 70s and he was wearing platforms and on his way home he lost one of the heels and gave us an impesonation of hobbling along , he said it was the worst night of his life so i will have to take it easy. Perfect!!!    En savoir plus

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    Church of Nazareth

    29 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    As we arrived in Saquarema we spotted the most beautiful church so after a late breakfast we head into the Centro to explore some more. The small local bus does a full tour of Saquarema so we jumped aboard and got off at the furthest point. We really need cash as there is only one place we can withdraw here so it is pretty essential we find it. After sorting the cash issue we head back towards the church set high on a hilltop on the edge of a cliff. It is so beautiful and I wish it was open to take a look inside but the view from the outside was still breathtaking. At the back of the church was a graveyard and I can honestly say there is no where you would rather be buried
    The view from here is beautiful and as always Mark plays up by going to the very edge of the cliff with me screaming at him to comeback, apparently just because I'm scared of heights it doesn't mean he needs to be (you'd think he was 10 not 50)
    After a good walk around we head back to the hostel to shower and apply a whole tub of mosquito spray.
    As many of you might have seen the is a massive mosquito problem in Brazil at the moment and although they haven't given me any disease yet I am covered from head to toe.
    The supermarket is a good 10 minute cycle from here and I really wanted to cook curry so Mark and I borrowed the hostel bikes, there is a storm brewing and we needed to get back before it started. Now u know why I took out life insurance! The saddle on my bike kept tipping upwards and there were no brakes, how we arrived back was a miracle and I took 5 mins to calm down before preparing dinner.
    The curry was delicious and went down a treat . There is a guy staying in the hostel with his 'wife' who is from Sau Paulo who's English is also good and we stay and chat whilst listening to music from the Beatles, the beach boys and Bob marley. The storm is in full flow and we sit and watch the lightning while the thunder rumbles in the background. As much as it is raining now it soon will be dry and I'm sure another sunny day tomorrow.    En savoir plus

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    Surfer's Paradise

    28 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    So this morning we left Arriaial de Cabo early morning and boarded 'the local bus back to Cabo Frio for our onward journey to Saquarema. This bus journey will take approximately 3hrs (nothing in Brazil is pronto) but after boarding we realise we will probably be on time. No sooner has someone boarded the driver is off and that goes for someone who was getting off the bus . The hostel is amazing very surf orientated but that's what Saquarema is all about. I am in my absolute paradise , died and gone to heaven. The guy here is called José , he speaks perfect english , is very helpful and even had a board and wetsuit to borrow as it would be a bit difficult doing machu picchu with a board as well as a backpack . I can't rate this place enough and would rate to all my surfing friends as well as the non surfer's grab a board and your bound to catch a wave(you will be hooked). So off we head down the beach you get a table and chairs and a parasol and as long as you drink £5 in ice cold beers and soft drinks (very hard to do in the 30 degree heat at less than a quid a go) your table is free. After just one beer I say to Mark let's head for the waves an he reluctantly follows. The waves are huge and I head in the water with total respect the undercurrent is so powerful that you up to your neck in water one minute and its around your ankles the next as I look behind me it's a wall of froth as a huge wave breaks and I jump on it. I'm either gonna get totally wiped out or have the best surf of my life. The latter is what happens and my heart is racing as I tira onda (ride the wave in portuguese also means someone who is really cool. I am buzzing and have booked to have an additional day .En savoir plus

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    Brazilian Traditions

    26 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    It is our last day in Arriaial de cabo and I have to say I am sad to leave this little piece of paradise. The beaches and the waters here are so beautiful and today the waves have been massive but i'm sure our journey will bring many more of these.
    Today we were chatting to a couple of people in the hostel and i said that the one thing i really missed was a bath .... they explained that in Brazil they have Motels , now don't get confused as this is not somewhere you drive to they are basically sex chalets that you can rent on an hourly or nightly basis , they all have baths and some even have extra oxygen ,(dont think we'll be needing this)
    Today i also had my first Brazilian wax (omfg) i arrived back to the beach 2 hrs later walking like John Wayne , but feel well prepared for the Brazilian way of life but whilst away Mark had been leading Buddy astray so i ordered dinner and we headed back to the hostel to pack.
    After a shower we headed down to the nearest and first beach we had seen and participated in an Acai , its like a frozen fruit smoothie and absolutely delicious , (i will definitely be repeating this experience, but not sure about the waxing.) Whilst watching a game of soccer a lovely ending to this week.    En savoir plus

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    Under pressure

    25 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Today we headed to another beach in Arriaial . The beaches here are very different even in the same citys, some are for surfing , some are for snorkelling, and some are for boats . We have decided to take a diving trip today, only to 10m but i want to try it before i commit to booking my Padi course. We head out on the boat and begin prepping all the gear for the dive , god i thought getting a wetsuit on was bad enough but my god the gear was massive , weights tanks and flippers. Raffael and Mark let me go first and the instructors from Deep Trip were amazing. Sabrina spoke perfect English and as i entered the water I felt really confident . We spent a little time on the surface and then when i was comfartable we started to descend , however when i got to about 4 m the pain in my ears was really bad and no matter how much i tried to clear them it was still bad. I thought it would be a good idea after a couple of attempts to try and fight it and as we descende further the pain was excrutiating and instead of concentrating on my breathing my focus had moved . As i panicked water started to fill my mouth, I had no idea how deep we were and panic had no overtaken any concentration I thought i would die . We ascended back to the surface and Sabrina asked if i would like to try again , but the pain was still excrutiating so i chose to get out , I was so dissapointed but hoped Mark would have a better experience. He did! I was so glad for him, but so dissapointed for myself . Ah well theres always the surf !!!!En savoir plus

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    Boat Trip

    24 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We get up early in the morning and decide that today is going to be hot hot hot , there is not a cloud in the sky, and as you can probably tell that is unusual so far.
    We have met an Brazilan guy who speaks perfect english so we ask him if hed like to join us , thank god we did because the process of boarding a boat is quite strange here. You have to buy a pass to enter the marina as well as your boat ticket so once boarded we head out for the islands. I can say we werent dissapointed, this place just keeps getting more and more beautiful. One of the islands we go to has a huge tree that looks like a bonsai tree and this place is an ancient indian burial ground . Even though we have factor 50 on the sun is so hot we are still burning. We then ride past a rock called monkey face and it really does look like one although i dont think the pictures do it justice . Heading to the next island Mark and i stay on the boat , and one of the divers pulls a sea urchin from the bottom .
    We head back to sure and i say to Mark about going to see the sunset we follow the sun and arrive at Praia de grande(big beach). It is one of the biggest beaches I have seen and curves around for miles. The sunset is a little dissapointing as there are quite a lot of clouds but even this doesnt take away from the beauty of this place .    En savoir plus

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    Arriaial De Cabo

    23 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    I haven't written for a few days but we are in the same place and if i'm honest I have taken a little time out to relax and take it all in . This place is really beautiful the beaches are perfect and the atmosphere is very relaxed or should i say it was till yesterday as lots of people started arriving for the weekend.We have actually met someone English which is really unusual in the places we have been , although lots of the people staying in the hostel are keen to practise their English and my Brazilian is improving daily(with the help of sign language) .
    The hostel we are staying at is really clean and comfortable and we are currently sharing a dorm with 4 other people . Mark went out last night with Josh and rolled in at 4am pissed as a fart asking for the DIB DIB (his word for a remote control) to turn the air con down. As you can imagine this went down like a lead balloon and one of the guys asked to be moved.
    Although it is really cheap out here I have decided to do a little cooking and we head to the supermarket to buy the basics. I have really missed doing the normal things like cooking and cleaning , although i did do hand washing yesterday with the 2 buckets of water and the sink with a washing board built in, oh the joys of backpacking. After dinner we sat and played cards and listened to some music, Mark has said he won't be drinking until carnival now? thats 2 weeks away , we will see!!!!    En savoir plus

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    First of many

    21 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    So today we hit the beach for the first time. It was like a little piece of paradise and while Mark ventured towards the sand dunes I took some time just to sit and take it all in. I feel very blessed to be doing what I am and the first few weeks have been like a holiday but now the realisation has kicked in of the enormity of it all. This is the very beginning of the adventure yet we have already seen and done so much. This trip has already changed my outlook so how will I feel in 12 months? We head back to check out of the hostel and our taxi arrives to take us to arraial de Cabo. We arrive very quickly and once again we are really pleased with the hostel. My sister was shocked that we were sharing a dorm but this really is the cheapest option and I'm pretty used to it from my navy days . We intend to walk out to the beach but guess what? ....IT'S RAINING AGAIN! We go into the nearest restaurant and sit down for something to eatEn savoir plus

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    Cabo Frio

    20 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    A five hour bus journey bringsus to Cabo Frio where we get a taxi to our first hostel. This part of the journey is quite daunting for me as its the first time we are on our own. The hostel is really quite impressive and Leonardo (the owner) speaks really good English(with the aid of google) How did anyone get by without the Inernet ?? We make our own beds and grab a shower(warmish) before heading out for a bite to eat. It is raining lions and rotweillers . We borrow an umbrealla from the hostel and only walk 10 mins down the street , making a hasty entrance to the nearest bar/ cafe where we order a crepe delicious. For the first time since being here I am cold so a quick dash back to the hostel for a warm shower. Downstairs Leonardo is playing the guitar so we sit with him and he offers us to play a video game the most basic version of Mario I have seen. Its like the Atari set I had when I was a kid. We retire to bed early as we will leave tomorrow but honestly wish we could stay for a few more days.En savoir plus

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    Road to nowhere

    20 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    After 3 days without internet the morning is spent catching up on my blog. We still do not have a phone so we walk to the place that the Claudio in Miracema has arranged for us to get the phone unblocked. I ask for the guy but he doesnt speak a word of english and doesnt have a recollection of talking to Claudio so we give up and head into the VIVO store. Thank god for google translate we are able to purchase a small phone and use it to arrange to meet Bruno at his house at midday. we have to get a taxi to Brunos as it is about 5 miles from the hotel . The house is in a complex and there is a security gate where they buzz through to the flat to make sure they are expecting us, even though there is no answer(we are naware of this) the security guard tells them we are Americans and this seems to get us a pass as when we get to the flat there is noone in ???? We call Bruno and his brother but there is no answer and the taxi is gone. So our only plan of action is to walk . After one hour of walking in one direction there is nothing until we arrive at a main highway. We turn around and now walk two hours in the other direction where we find a small bar and eat a couple of savoury "pasties". We receive a text to say Bruno will be home at 5 so we atke a leisurely walk back and sit in the bar about 20 mins from the University. Its crazy here as Bruno has received a text from someone in the bar telling him that we are here, yet again we stick out like a sore thumb.We walk back to Brunos and meet him athe gate . His brother arrives home and we arrange to go for Pizza . In the restaurant they keep bringing out all different types of pizza at regular intervals and you choose which you want (eat as much as you like) just when i think i cant eat any more out comes the sweet pizza.
    We drop Bruno and Inacio back to the complex and carry on back to the hotel to plan our departure in the morning.    En savoir plus

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    Millionaires Lifestyle

    20 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We have been invited out today on the boat, the housekeepers prepare all the meat and drinks and we set off to the Marina. As the boat pulls in I cant beleive my eyes , its a huge speedboat with a 3 berth jetski attached to the back. Everything is loaded onto the boat and we set off. We head out of the marina and do a tour off the small beaches before anchoring off. The bbq is attached and the beers are passed around , before the boys set off on the jet ski. The huge wireless speaker is connected and we now have a rock boat, tke brazillan funk is pumping out so loud my heart is banging to the beat. We dance eat and frolick in the sea and I honestly don't have a care in the world. Mark is offered a go on the jetski and before i can blink he is off . I decide to have a try at the paddle board which is a lot harder than it looks but without blowing my own trumpet I'm quite good at until i need to turn around. I spend minutes paddling to one side but am still going straight, I panic a little as at this rate ill be in Rio de Janeiro before i'd planned. I try paddling on the other side and for some unknown reson this works and i'm heading back to the boat. Bruno(the owner of the paddle board is fantastic on it , doing head stands etc and later in the day comes back from the beach with strawberry Caiprinhas . Food off the bbq is cooked all day and we drink more and soak up the atmosphere. It has not stopped raining here but as we head back to shore Mark and I are both sunburnt. We grab a quick shower and its time to head back to Campos to collect our books. A 3 hour drive and we book into a hotel, after all the sea air and only having had 3 hours sleep I sleep like a baby .En savoir plus

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    Buzios

    19 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We get up in the morning to more beautiful food for me to realise that I have left my lonely planet guide at Bronos place in Campus - this is a nightmare as its like my brazilian bible , looks like were heading back to Campos, but at least we'll get to see Bruno and Inacio again. Mark gets up with a head like the birkenhead tunnel and aldos brother is no better.
    Time for a bit of site seeing so we head into the town where Bridget Bardot frequently used to stay back in the 0's (I can see why). Buzious is the playground for the rich and beautiful think i will become a doctor in platic surgery and by a house here . All the designer shops have got in on the action (lecoste etc ) but it is twice the price of England. Mark is a happy man as there is no room in my rucksack so his wallet is safe.
    Alverho and Hennata drive us to the 'tourist" viewpoints then we head for lunch to a place that does crepes filled with what ever filing you could dream of, they were delicious and very filling. A quick cacacha in a bar called Buddha ended up in us getting tickets to go clubbing for free so seeing as it was the boys night last night , how could i say no.
    We head over to the laundrette to do some much needed washing and drying , it has poured down for 2 days now, how am i ever going to get a tan for Carnival??
    On route home we stop off to buy the ladies of the house some flowers to say thank you and mark retires to bed while i get ready to head out clubbing (its hard being married to an old man)
    We arrive to the club and could not see what all the fuss was about . When you enter you are given a card and all your details are taken, every time you go to the bar you hand in the card and when you leave you pay. This is great as it stops the queues and the service is quick. From nowhere the music changes and everyone starts heading to the "curtained area" in the corner of the club. Through the curtains there are shadows of women and as we are allowed through the most beautiful women dressed in very seductive leather outfits with what i can only think are strap ons dangling down. I stood mesmerised for nearly 10 minutes watching and then to my total surpise a random woman approached me , thank god for aldo as she was intent on taking me home ( think it must be the hair) . We arrive home at 4 in the morning and Mark is still flat out , and before log so am i , another brilliant day x    En savoir plus

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    Campus

    16 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We get up at 5am and finish off our last bit of packing we are still carrying an excess bag but were one large bag lighter so im not too concerned. Saying our goodbyes is hard, but as i have said to all my students , its not goodbye its till we see each other again. Aldo and suane pack our things into the car and we head to Campus to see Bruno and his brother Anasuo. The journey is 3 hours in a car and im glad we havent had to catch a bus as im sure this would be doubled. We arrive in Campus to find Bruno still in bed who we quickly arise and he takes us to show us his University. Bruno is a really clever guy, but his project at the moment is studying how various influences affect the growth of fruits to help the 3rd world countries . This is really interesting and im intrigued by how so few factors can have such a massive affect. Bruno is a very popular guy on the Campus (not just with the ladys ) and the university is known to be the best in the state . We all take lunch together and then unknown to us we are now heading to a place called Cuzious (another 4 hour journey) in the car, but this place was one of my places to go in my lonely Planet book , and its where Aldos brother lives with his wife and kids . After the long journey we pull into the home , which is huge (i was wondering where we were all going to stay) and are greeted again by Aldos mum and dad(Sicleni and Carlos ) The hospitality they show is second to none so i know we wont be dissapointed. The house is beautiful with a massive swimming pool a huge bbq area , and the inside is to die for all very tastefully done.(i could live here)
    Well i thought I could entertain , but this place has put me to shame. The evening has been filled with Endless beverages including cachacha tequila beer and endless bbq, and the entertainment has been just as good, singing dancing and playing UNO. Its amazing how a game of cards has no language barriers and the laughing that has come from playing this is wonderful.
    Its only 9.30 at night, and we are all invited to swim in the pool - feeling slightly boozy i go and change and mark come down with his snorkel on . Mark then thinks its a good idea to have a drinking competition with Aldos brother and this ends with us having to put Mark to bed (very messy), hes going to be rough in the morning. It has poured down all day but the rain here is so warm that it really doesnt put a dampner on things but I retire to bed hoping that tomorrow will be a little brighter. Now i understand why it is called the rainforest.    En savoir plus

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    Cachaca Brewery

    15 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    I cannot believe it, we have been invited to the place where they make Cachaca , for those of you that i havent introduced this drink to, its the main ingredient in Caiprinhhas.
    When we arrive the guy who is supposed to be showing us around is not here and as we get into the car to leave a voice shouts to us that the son of the owner will show us around , back out of the car and into the brewery we go . This place is amazing , they have a machine that seperates the sugar cane from the chaff and then inside thy have a small distillery , they can make up to 100 litres of cachacha a day and they have just aacquired a larger vat that holds 75000 litres but currently is leaking so they need to give it some tlc . Dimitry speaks pretty good English so the tour is really interesting and the taster session is even better. We head back home where neylor is preparing a bbq and eat our last supper in Miracema. The thought of leaving this place is really sad as it has been our base for the past week and the help of all the various English speaking people here has definitely given me a taster in the Portuguese language. Elena (the lady who helps in the home offers to give me a manicure and pedicure , my nails still have the shellac polish on from weeks ago , so this is a god send. Felling like a new woman , we all head out to the ice cream parlour where Biaa has asked Mark and I to do another interview process . After completing this we all head into the attached games room and have a game of pool. Im sad to say we were defetaed by the Brazilians , well done guys. It is now midnight and we will leave in he early hours of the moning to head to Campus.En savoir plus

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    Sunset on The Farm

    15 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    So today has put my language skills to the test. After breakfast Mark and I headed into town to try and acquire a sim card. As i pointed and flicked through my lonely planet phrase book, i was more than relieved when one of the guys who walked into the shop was someone who could speak English. The issuue was neither of our phones can take a Brazilian Sim card so we are without communications apart from wifi. Mark is still feeling under the weather so as he heads back i head to the church to say a final goodbye to the children. Bia asks if i would like to ride the motorbike home so after a rusty practise around the car park ( i have not ridden a bike for over 15 yrs )When i arrived the priest geeted me with a present of a beautiful hand carved elephant (another thing i need to squeeze in my rucksack ) We have made plans to go back to the farm for sunset so off we trek to the farm. Although we are unuable to see the sunset due to cloud cover the view from the top is so beautiful it could be snowing for all i cared. Eveton has a drone and so we also got an aerial view. after saying our goodbyes i was very grateful to all the family for the hospitality. We have been invited to Aldos aunts tonigt for dinner so after a quick shower we head over to Siclenis house . They live opposte Aldos house so the views of the city at night were once again amazing . We had a beautiful evening and one of souanes friends was an English teacher and asked us to do an interview so she could use it to teach the children,Mark an i will have to start charging for this I think. Another lovely evening spent an home to bed we go xEn savoir plus

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    Miracema Museum

    14 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today we have woken up and its pouring, and i mean cats and dogs , but the rain here is warmer than the showers that we are taking and gives me a sense of enormous freedom , although after a couple of hours I am begining to wonder whether it will stop. Mark is still unwell so it is my duty to do the cigarette run. As i stoll up the street with my umbrealla (sombrego) and in flip flops there is something ironic about everyone riding motorbikes with an umbrella in one hand. The rain is relentless but this doesn't stop us from heading to the museum. The museum was amazing, they hold all the document here of the births deaths and marriages of Miracema even from before the war - i was amazed , the governor of the museum let us into "the vault" where i was allowed to leaf through the registrys. As i opened the page the name in front of me was Pestana (our brazilian family's surname ) All the document are being dust protected and copied so as you can imagine this is a mammoth task . The museum also contains historical things of the city including all the machinery that they used in the clothing factory (presses looms sewing machines) At the back of the museum is a German house which has much of its original artifacts in . The highlight of the museum was Ma brazils painting, she is a wonderful artist and this is apparent in this painting. We head back to the home as Aldos mum and dad will depart for vacation tomorrow so they want to say goodbye , more presents are given to us , a beautiful ceramic plate (inscibed on the back ) and a new hat for me . As we sit around the table i receive an email from one of the many peruvian tours that i contacted yesterday to say they have availability for Machu Picchu WE ARE GOING TO MACCHU PICCHU !!! Aldo and Suiane and Everton help us and we are also going to carnival and staying on cocacabana beach . I am one very happy girlEn savoir plus

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    My first salsa lesson

    12 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    So after this mornings breakfast , Mark helped Bias mum to take down the xmas decorations from the outside of the house , they have a huge garden and Ma doesnt hold back on covering the whole lot even a nativity scene in the outside pagoda. Bia and I started to disect the Jaka, this is a fruit that is the size of a 4 month old baby but absolutely stinks. The inside has a glue that holds everything together but literally sticks to everything so after Mark had finished helping I jobbed him off to finish the job of the Jaka. We then headed to Bias home, after 2 mins into the journey Ma Pestana was driving and Bia informed us that she didnt have a licence as we pulled up a side street to avoid the police . We arrived and were greeted by Neylor we looked at her wedding photos and Video. I have never seen such a beautiful wedding album, all the photos are embossed in the pages , a truly beautiful keepsake the house has huge potential and the grounds are massive . It is custom in Brasil that you build your house as your family grows so even though the house is quite small they have a lot of room to grow. We ate ice cream sundaes and it was soon time to leave .... there was dancing to be done !!!!
    As we pulled away from Bias home Ma never saw a car coming and Mark shouted "Santa Maria" Iwe all laughed so hard we were sat there for nearly five minutes .
    We arivved at the centre of the church and all the children were there to meet the "Gringo". They choreograph dance moves and I must say there moves were on key. One of the students asked me to dance and as you know me im game for anything . I absolutely loved it and cant thank Dimitry enough for giving me the opportunity.
    Mark has not been well the past few days (man flu ) so we headed back home to take care of him.
    After dinner i received an email from the company that we booked our Machhu Picchu trek with to say that our group had been unsuccesful in obtaining passe from the government so were unable to go ....WTF...we booked and paid for this in September ! A shitty email was sent and i was so dissapointed that the only thing to do was to go to bed and await my email response in the morning .    En savoir plus

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    A day on the farm

    11 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ 🌧 6 °C

    So this morning we got up to a wonerful breafast before setting out to watch a game of football on the full size pitch that is opposite the family home . Unfortunately the game was just finishing, but i got the opportunity to show them a few english skills (not) , a ten year old looked like Messi comapared to me, but I blame it on the flip flops. After 3 mins i was knackered and Bruno suggested we go to "his" farm.
    Elenia and her family have a group of small farms where they have livestock , and i said to Bruno this is the biggest Goat i have ever seen, It was actually a Calf lol. we walked to the top of the holding and my god i thought I was in heaven, the panoramic views and the peacefullnes were surreal (we will return here tomorrow for sunset). we came back to the granmothers house who served us homemade pastries made with freshly milked cows milk and also a glass of milk. This reminded me off when we were kids and treated to the Gold Top. The smell from the granmothers kitchen was amazing and she then brought out the biggest homemade cheese . Heading back to Elenias house we were given the opportunity to get our own mangos from the tree using a long bamboo stick with a plastic bottle attached to the end we scooped our mango and also collected various other things to taste. One of these was a chilli OMG i thought i was going to die (and id taken the seeds out ) my nose ran my eyes watered and when i wiped my nose i then got chilli on this too , it was like a horror movie i coughed and choked went a greater shade of red and was grateful of "my mango" to wash away the taste.
    In the evening we were invited to Aldos house which was in the flavella but my god the views from here were amazing. We were welcomed by Aldos family who presented us with one of the best churascos (bbqs) I have ever had Sicleni and Carlos were great hosts and we all wanted for nothing after we had finished the BBq Sicleni announced she would shortly present dinner .... REALLY !!!!!! BBq was just a starter. By the time i leave Miracema I will be the size of a house. During the party Aldos cousin Souvani shared her hair with me , we drank cacacha ... the first time since I arrived and then drank banana cacacha ... sambuca is binned I have a new alcohol love.
    Back to Brunos home and Bruno left at 1am to head back to the city where he works and studies , but we will join him again on Friday so I dont feel too sad xxx    En savoir plus

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    Bruno Arrives

    10 janvier 2016, Brésil ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C

    So after waking up early we woke to a beautiful breakfast with the family and then set out to explore Miracema city. Brazilians are very religious and in the city square they still have all the xmas decorations up. As we wondered through the square it was so beautiful , all the old men sitting around the park chatting chit chat , Bia then took us to the local church where her cousin works as a secretary.
    Inside the church they still had the nativity scene which was all hand made. The church has a lot of history and the word Miracema means " the tree that comes back to life " as it was made from a dead tree that came back to life so that they could use this to build the church.
    Back in the park we bought a cocunut water and visited the statue of the "mother crying" this statue is about her son who never returned from war.
    Back to the house for a shower and siesta before heading out to "prefeitura municipal" a wonderful natural park that overlooks the whole city, her we met again with some of "the children" trekking to the top of here makes me wonder why i got a shower but hey ho.
    In the nationalpark they lay bird seed in a line and as you approach the little birds all in a line eating so cute ... flowers called Bird of Paradise grow everywhere surreal when we pay so much for them in the uk .
    We are anxious now as Bruno is very near and we head back to the house to await the arrival of "the Prodigal Son".
    Brunos been jumping out of a plane in Rio so we had passed each other in transit , on his arrival we gave him his present of 32 cans of cherry coke (unavailable in Brazil) you would have thought we had given him liquid gold he took us out to show us the city through his eyes, the park at night was exceptional and after our tour we head back to the house for a cerveja and an early night    En savoir plus

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