Time for new

Time flies. It's hard to believe that it's been over a month since Maisie and I set out for Brazil, with a WHOLE month ahead of us to do a billion things. And it's already been ten days since she left and since which I have been continuing the journey with Javi.

My last few days in Rio with Maisie flew by really quickly, with a lot of lazying around (the lazying was mainly done by me) and with the highlights being a few nights out in Lapa, visiting Sugar Loaf hill (if ever in Rio, it's an absolute must) and a couple of visits to the beach and pre-carnaval stuffs. I'm stealing one of Maisie's photos from Sugar Loaf just so you can see what I mean. The place actually pays homage to the statement that Rio is the most beautiful city in the world (at least when viewed from afar.)

True to form, Javi made it to Rio on Valentine's day, rose and all.
That afternoon we said bye to Maise at the bus stop, tears and all.

Javi and I decided to escape Rio before carnaval (why I hear you ask? well because Rio is a madhouse as it is, and during carnaval, prices go up on everything, accomodation goes from 30 reais per night to 200, drinks, food, everything, and to be honest it just felt like too much) and we took refuge in a village called Parati. A beautiful little place, with a historic centre, lively carnaval vibe, and some amazing beaches. Some photos from the carnaval

We had been camping just outside town, when we met up with Rafael's friend Yogi, who lives in Parati, and who took us on an hour and a half trail, which leads to one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen, called praia do sono. You could camp there for a very little, so the next day we packed our bags, did the hike again, and spent the next three days lying on the beach. We also visited a deserted beach, which required another hike, this one up a hill so steep I thought I wasn't going to make it, and went and found a mini waterfall and some banana trees in the jungle. All and all, a mini paradise. Bellow a photo of the beach, after the long hike (second time round) through tropical growth and rocky mountain. Well worth it. And yes that is Javi kissing twelve cans of beer.

While at the camping we met a nice couple from Sao Paolo, who gave us a lift to Sao Paolo, the big city itself. From there we got a night bus to Foz de Iguacu, and tomorrow will be visiting what promises to be one of the most impressive sights in Brazil. After that we'll be heading into Paraguay, which is literally five minutes away from where we are, and finally be somewhere cheap, as Brazil is a killer economically. We will finally be able to afford proper accomodation, and I'm personally looking forward to a nice big steak.