Dramatic setting – tick. Beautiful beaches – tick. Good Surf – tick. Palm trees, forests, rocky peninsula – tick, tick tick. And where are all these ticks coming from? Itacaré in the state of Bahia, a chilled out surf town paradise a few hours south of Salvador that poets, artists, surfers and hippies like to … More Itacaré – the hidden gem
Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there… At the copa (co) Copacabana (Copacabana) The hottest spot north of Havana At the copa (co) Copacabana Music and passion were always the fashion At the copa they fell in love. And now that … More Rio de Janeiro – the city with beaches, forests and the best sunsets
I never thought I could be overdressed in a bikini… Until I came to Brazil. The micro bikini and thong is the beach uniform, worn by women old, young, large and small. Don’t think the men are left out either, gone are the board shorts of Chile and Ecuador and very much in are the … More Ilha Grande – hiking, beaches and the Brazilian bottom
We rocked up to Paraty at sunset, just as the party was beginning. Blue and white bunting flew across cobbled colonial streets that were packed with both Brazilian and foreign tourists. On one side of the river there was a marquee with bars and restaurants and a main music stage. The whole town had a … More Party in Paraty – the night of the Caipirinha
You’ll never believe it… It’s sunny! Which means it’s to the coast for us! Brazil, we have quickly learned, is not short of stunning beaches but on top of that it also has some beautiful islands with perfect beaches so our first stop out of São Paolo was Ilhabela, an island that had been named … More Ilhabela – and a beautiful island it was…
After three months, seven countries, circa 37,000 miles and over 100 hours on buses, stage one of our journey has come to an end and it’s back to the UK for us! However, there was one last city to explore. Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Quito did not come with a good rep in terms … More Quitting Quito, Exiting Ecuador, Leaving Latin America
Having enjoyed at least a few days of sun on the Galápagos we had got the taste for it and having flown back into Guayaquil we headed straight for the coast and the surf party town of Montañita to soak up the rays. However it was not to be, despite the rainy season being from … More The Ecuadorian coast: Montañita & Canoa
As I mentioned previously, (The Galápagos Islands – Santa Cruz; giant tortoises, iguanas and getting older) if you’re not on a cruise, the way to get to San Cristóbal and Isabela from Santa Cruz is by speedboat taxi, a journey which for either destination takes two hours. If you were imagining a tranquil float across the … More The Galápagos Islands Part 2: San Cristóbal; snorkelling, secret surfing and attempted murder by sea lion
The Galápagos Islands Part 2: San Cristóbal; snorkelling, secret surfing and attempted murder by sea lionThink of every positive adjective you can. Got them? Times them by 1000 and that explains the Galapágos. Blog over. Alternatively get yourselves a glass of wine or if it is pre 9.30am better make it a coffee, there are … More The Galápagos Islands – Santa Cruz; giant tortoises, iguanas and getting older
Time for a new country, we arrived at the Ecuadorian border at 2am, not something that would have been safe a few years ago but it was a smooth transition with a police presence to deter potential robbers and kidnappers. Our first destination was Cuenca, an old colonial city that is now a UNESCO heritage … More Entering Ecuador – beer, hat purchases and chocolate deprivation
Winging it overseas 