Still alive in Rio.

Hi everyone. Just wanted to let you know that we are still alive and well. We enjoyed an amazing few days in Buzios, despite Kelly having the cold from hell. Now we are back in Rio de Janeiro and spent the day at the Botanical Gardens before taking a walk around the lake.

Club Tropicana, drinks are free.

Fun and sunshine - there's enough for everyone! Today we went on a cruise around some of the islands and beaches of Buzios. At every stop we could get off the boat for a swim or to do some snorkelling - not to mention the endless supply of mojitos. If we didn't feel like we were on holiday before then we certainly did today.

On recommendation.

We headed a couple of hours north to visit the small beach town of Buzios. It is extremely beautiful here and seems like it would be where everyone from Rio would come to chill out at weekends. There are a lot of huge, modern holiday homes, classy restaurants and little boutiques. We have only been here a day and already like it. Thanks Nuria and Sebastian!

Free hugs.

After another 24 hours on a bus we arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Our hostel is close to the beach in Ipanema and just a short walk away from the famous Copacabana. And after all this time we can confidently say that ... we have found Jesus! I think he may have been here all of the time but today we got the tram up the mountain to take a look for ourselves and have to admit he is quite impressive.

Hasta luego Argentina.

Goodbye for now Argentina. (Known to Zak as the place where 'beer is cheaper than everything!') Thanks for all the great things you gave us. Buenos Aires. Caramel on everything. Stray dogs. Chanting fans. Iguazu Falls. Parilla. Nuria and Sebastian. Shopping at the Disco. Evil siestas. The Subte. Quilmes ... and more! 

Iguazu Falls.

Today we went to the Iguazu Falls on the Argentinian and Brasilian border. No picture will ever do this place justice. You have to see it to really appreciate the size and the beauty of these waterfalls. We walked around the national park for 6 hours and it felt like only minutes. It was beyond amazing.

The front of the bus canny sing.

We left Buenos Aires and took a 19 hour bus ride north to Puerto Iguazu. Luckily the buses here are 5 star (camo) with large seats that recline to a comfortable 160 degrees. We were also provided with drinks, meals, bedding and a TV. It was much better than flying.

The view from the afternoon.

This is the view from our hotel on Av. Callao, Buenos Aires. While we were waiting one of the workmen took us up on the roof of the hotel to let us take some photos. It looked like this for 360 degrees and there were buildings for as far as the eye can see.

Vamos, vamos, River Plate.

Today we went to watch an Argentinian football game... and it was awesome! We went to River Plate v All Boys at the River Plate stadium, the biggest in South America. Despite the home side losing it was a great experience and watching 70,000 fans chanting non-stop for 90mins was amazing.

Requiescant in pace.

Today we went to the Cementerio de la Recoleta to look at all the ancient tombs and crypts. We spent hours looking down all the alleys and inside some of the rooms. Some tombs had up to eight of the same family inside them and there were even a few that had recently been used.

Livin' la vida Boca.

Today we braved the subway and made our way across the city to the colourful and arty suburb of La Boca. Here the houses are painted in bright colours and the cobbled streets are full of cafes, market stalls and local artists selling traditional paintings. You can even get your photo taken with a Maradonna look-a-like, although he was a lot slender than the original!

Buenos dias, Aires.

After spending most of Wednesday sleeping we finally made it out in Buenos Aires and spent the day wandering around the city, trying our best (and failing) not to look too much like tourists. After walking a good 8kms we had a compulsory siesta before heading out for dinner at the acceptable time of 10.30pm. Then we went to a bar for a few hours where we drank the night away with an argentinian midget (?) called Nacho ... TRUE STORY!

So long and thanks for all the fish!

The day has finally arrived and we are all packed and heading to the airport. And you can tell by the look on our faces (above) that we are both very excited ... and nervous! First stop Buenos Aires.