Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

September 7, 2016

After a twelve hour delay we finally landed in Rio de Janeiro, the first stop on our journey. From the taxi window we could see the sun shining light over the favelas, graffiti scrawled on walls and the beautiful distant mountains. With the help of Lola who we met on our connection in Frankfurt we made it to our apartment in Copacabana with no problem.

The next morning we went for an early walk, we walked the entire length of Ipanema beach. As we passed cyclists and joggers the heat became more intense, we stopped for a drink with a view over the whole beach while a guy on a guitar played 'Girl from Ipanema' singing the lyrics in Portugese. We walked all the way back to Copacabana getting lunch at a popular 'pay by weight' restaurant before a walk along the sands and surf of Copacabana beach.

The next day we found ourselves struggling with the public transport system on our way to Sugarloaf mountain but a long walk, taxi ride and a cable car later and the whole of Rio was spread out before us. After enjoying the views and making friends with a little marmoset we made our way to Lapa and visited Escadaria Selaròn, the most famous steps in Rio.

Cristo Redentor was next on our list, we took the bus to the foot of Corcovado mountain the next day then the funicular train up. Corcovado was shrouded with cloud meaning that our views of Rio were obscured, we enjoyed seeing Cristo and people watching. After, we made our way to peaceful Jardim Botânico, full of beautiful cactus, orchids and gardens of all sorts.

After a busy few days we spent the next morning in our apartment booking the coach to our next destination as well as hostel beds. We then walked to the Lagoa where we hired bikes and cycled around the whole lake; R$24 well spent! After, we ate a delicious vegan/vegetarian meal at Teva in Ipanema with Lola and Felipe.

Paraty is our next destination, I'm finishing my writing while waiting for our coach. Rio has been a wonderful start to our trip, although those days I dreamed I'd spend on the beach didn't quite happen, there was just too much to see and do!

🎥 Brazil and Iguazu Falls video:

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Backpacking Begins

September 4, 2016

September 1st, it's a special and memorable date for me and my partner Craig. It's the date that we flew to Beijing in 2011 to embark upon eight months of travel. We chose the exact same date to fly to Rio de Janeiro where - as I'm writing this - we have just enjoyed our first full day.

Our travels are open ended and fairly unplanned, we hope to be on the road for a year and would like to see most of the South American countries before moving on to another continent or home depending on our financial situation.

This journal will be used to record this journey, place by place or week by week depending on Internet access and time. I hope you will follow along.

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Lisbon

July 13, 2016

The smell of sardines on the barbecue, brightly coloured garlands hanging across winding alleyways, beautiful tiled walls and rickety trams. All these things I associate with my week in Lisbon this June.

I visited with my family and we did so much, rather than list everything in my journal, I've chosen a few images and put together short descriptions of our wanderings.

Our apartment was halfway up a steep alleyway in Lisbon's Alfama district, from our apartments pretty terrace we could see terracotta rooftops, tall chimneys and colourful flowers on balconies. We could also see the water. This view was from a platform round the corner, historic tram 28 winds through the district.

Colourful Pena Palace is a main stop on a day trip to Sintra. It's roughly 45 minutes by train and then a bus ride away unless you're particularly fit and a fan of steep hills! Inside Pena Palace are ornately decorated rooms and it boasts spectacular views, you can see for so many miles it's unreal. The grounds are extensive and there are a lot of hidden gems to discover, it's worth arriving early with lots of energy as there is so much to see.

Belém is a pretty and leafy district a tram ride away from the city centre. Here you can find Belém Tower. When we visited it was a very hot day, my mum and I sheltered under a tree people watching while my other half Craig and my brother Matthew took photographs. Whilst in the area we ate a delicious Italian lunch, visited Jerónimos Monastery and I got my art fix at the fantastic and free Berardo Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Quinta da Regaleira is also in Sintra but we visited on a seperate day, it was my favourite place in the Lisbon area. Full of pretty plants and flowers, statues, ponds and unusual sights. There are tunnels behind waterfalls, initiation wells, hidden doorways and tall towers, it felt like we had jumped into a fairytale.

Now, I'm not a beach person. I once spent 4 weeks in Fiji where there wasn't much to do except relax by the sea and so I think I've exceeded my beach time quota. However, we did spend one day out of seven in Cascais a pretty seaside town. We spent the whole day on a lounger, I read my book (On The Road by Jack Kerouac) sipped piña colada and watched people play in the freezing cold ocean. It was pure heaven.