A Good Week

The past seven days have taken me north from Foz de Iguacu into the eco-mecca of the Brazilian pantanal, south-east to the infinite high rises of Sao Paulo and north-east to the world class beaches and hillside favelas of Rio de Janeiro.

The journey has been anything but predictable, complete with a successful two hours of piranha fishing with a bamboo pole; befriending a capivara; a visit through my friend Paula´s NGO to one of Sao Paulo´s many hidden slums - this one 300 families strong and located in the shadow of South America´s most exclusive shopping malls; catching our flight to Rio despite showing up 30 minutes before its scheduled departure and boarding 10 minutes after it was supposed to take off (our fault, we assume); visiting Rio´s Sugarloaf during an unexpected break in the low cloud cover; and whiling away a rainy afternoon amongst this vibrant city´s cafes, antique shops and shopping malls.

Much to say about the experience in the favela in Sao Paolo and Rio´s way of life, but that will have to wait till another day. Tomorrow looks to be much the same as today, with the highlight likely being a big lunch with Paula´s extended family, while Monday´s expected sun will hopefully mean a day on the sand at Copacabana beach.

T minus 8 days until I return home.