The Adventures of the Morrisons

We decided that as the rain was now in full flow that a move inland was in order. Now in Scotland that would be a 2 hour drive. Unfortunately here that meant a 6.5 hours to Sao Paulo. This isn´t exactly a dream destination. By all accounts outside war zones this city has the highest mortality rate in the world so it was a 1 hour stop for a bus change and that was that for SP. In total we drove through this city for over 2 hours on a 7 lane motorway and it was high rise all the way. Probably about 30-40 miles worth. Anyway, our final destination was to be Curitiba which was a further 7.5 hours. Oddly we are really enjoying the bus journey´s. They are ultra comfortable and so long as you ´ignore´the bus drivers tendancies to overtake all is well.

In Curitiba we chose to stay in the eco lodge hostel. It is amazing but sadly the weather had followed us and it was pretty empty so our stay was short and sweet at 2 nights. Walking around the city getting drenched was not exactly fun but we did manage a nice traditional meal there.

Next stop .... Foz do Iguazu ....

Ilha Grande did not quite live up to the hype. Fortunately for us Paraty exceeded all expectations. The journey there was a memorable one too. One and a half hours by ferry passing some beutiful places followed by almost 2 hours through some of the most beautiful countryside we had ever seen. Every time we pulled round a corner we wondered if this was our place.

Paraty is a small town which is marked out in particular by it´s historical colonial centre. We took a short cab ride to the hostel and again my Portugese wasn´t up to scratch. In fact on the way I got 2 chocolate milks. Not bad given I ordered a coffee and a fersh orange I thought!! Anyway, after a fair bit of chat that nobody really understood we ended up with a superb double room overlooking the beach. It was midge hell at times though.

The town centre itself was brilliant. Again the brazillians were taking care of their herritage with no cars allowed anywhere near the centre. We met a few Scots here, hopefully the first of many. The seafood restaurants were in an abundance and so cheap that it´s quite embarrassing thinking of Fisher´s in Edinburgh now.

Over the days we spent there the weather was up and down. Rainy season was beginning to kick in along the coast now so it was time to move inland especially with the local dogs playing havoc with our sleeping time and the eventual rain drips through the roof!

Our last few days in Rio proved quite eventful. The numero uno tourist attraction Christ the Redeemer was absolutely stunning, better than we had hoped for. We travelled up in an organised tour to see him at sunset. Fortunately the weathr was clear and the temperature was still high in the 30´s. Numerous photo´s were taken and the views over the city itself was spectacular. We were able to piece together all the places we had visited and put them into context.

Our last 2 days in Rio weren´t quite a sunny as we had gotten used to which was a shame in itself as that fell on Ali´s b-day. Mind you, the mood wasn´t dampened too much as we bumped into monsieur Cantona again. Electric storms followed and the sky lit up with lightening but it passed away and we were able to go out for a fabulous meal although we are going to have to cut back on the salt sooner or later.

We left Rio on Monday and it was a nice feeling to finally be moving on to somewhere new. Rio hadbeen a raging success and now we´ve left unscathed we reflect on it fondly.

A few hours later on the bus and we arrived in Angra dos Rios where we caught the ferry to Ilha Grande. Some of you will have seen pictures as I banded them around some while back. The place is every bit as stunning as the pictures make it look. The feeling is very much laid back here and as much as I like that it can be somewhat frustrating if you need something done in a hurry (or at all!!). We´ve hiked over to Lopez Mendes which is arguably one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The surf there is superb although neither of us tried our hand. Swimming in the waves was hard enough. We´ve also gone on a boat trip around the island dropping us off in some amazing beaches for a beer or two. Snorkling is amazing and great fun diving into the lagoon.

From here on in not a lot is planned so you´ll hear when you hear. Paraty is the favourite at the moment, basically an onland version on Ilha Grande.

Spent yesterday at Ipanema beach which is where all the beautiful people hang out apparently, not that we´ve seen many ugly ones! Richard gate crashed a models photoshoot to get some pics for you boys which he will send soon.

This morning we were up at the crack of dawn to queue for the world cup, and in hindsight it was a tad too early, well, maybe 3 to be precise. Brazillians don´t do queueing!! Anyway, game 1 was Mexico vs Russia which finished 2-2 after Mexico had taken a 2 goal lead. They won the pen shoot out to redeem themselves. Matches consist of 3 3rds´s of 12 mins each. Entertainment at half time with cheer leaders and guys doing footie tricks.

To the main event and by now the stadium (bar the sponsors stand) was packed to the rafters with Brazillians ready for take off. Brazil play host to the Solomen Islands. As we´ve come to expect the Brazillians put on a show and a half scoring for fun, at seemingly at ease. Final score 11-2. The giant screen in the corner only served to double the excitment as each overhead kick and stepover was played over and over ....

After a good few hours in the baking heat it was off back to the hostel for some much needed sleep. Alas Richard spotted a les Blues shirt. We moved closer and closer to what seemed to be a training session. Number 7. Not possible .... hallaluya ..... it´s only Eric Cantona. Hairs on end. I´m on the pitch. Eric speaks, and I´m getting his pic after the training session which then goes on for an eternity.

The search has paid dividends. We´ve now got a good few pics of God (Cristo overlooking) in his various posses we´ve come to love and a couple with us by his side. What a day, and it´s only 1.30pm!!

The last few days have been pretty eventful albeit easy.

Spent some time yesterday up Sugar Loaf mountain. The organised tour collapsed at the last minute as not enough people to make it worth their while. Frikin great! Anyway, out comes the map and we work out we need the 511 bus - there seems to be thousands of buses here and they are ALL mad drivers but thats the norm around town. I am assured by the taxi driver they all know what they are doing.

We eventually got to the bottom of SL and it was beautiful. The area around there is probably the safest part of town as it is guarded by the military. There is a small secluded beach there and many of the towns musicians and artists live in the nearby 'bohemian' area. Once we had our tickets we were in the cable car in no time and off. Ali was a little nervous but before we knew it we were at the first of two stops. The views are breath taking and it´s well worth the trip. Onwards and upwards to the next cable car it was and the top was spectacular. Sometimes you forget what a massive city we are in. There´s not much you can´t see from up there.

Last night Flamengo played host to Corinthians from Sau Paulo. We were offered some tickets but instead opted to go find an authentic Flamengo bar to watch the game in. Kick off is around 10pm on weekday games and its quite an event. Looked like there was 70k at the Maracana so initially I thought we´d passed up an amazing opportunity! The game finished 2-1 to Flamengo after trailing 1-0 and everyone in the pub seemed to sing through most of the match. The atmsophere was superb and the locals in the bar are very friendly too so it made for a great evening.

Today it´s off to Ipenema beach where the 'young, rich and beautiful' hang out so I should be sufficiently out of place lol but I am going nonetheless. A day of relaxation. We´ve seen some of the national teams training down on the beach for tomorrow´s start to the world cup and to be honest I think Ali is hoping to bump into Cantona more than I am. So here´s to stalking Eric if we can find him!