We arrived in Paraty on Sunday 2 Aug and after some confusion eventually checked into a B&B at about 2am absolutely shattered! When we surfaced later it was a gorgeous day. We had a wander around the historic part of town, which is beautiful, little cobbled streets where no cars are allowed and white shops/cafes with colourful doors. Found an amazing self-serve ice cream parlour too. We then relaxed on the beach from where the view was amazing.

Typically, the following day it had clouded over. We caught a bus inland to Penha where a waterfall has created a "natural waterslide" on the rocks. One of the locals was there going down it standing up and doing all kinds of tricks, crazy locals! (They were also sending dogs down it after sticks, which we thought a little mean!) The boys had a go (sitting down!) but Jess and I wimped out because it was cold!

That evening we walked over to the fort and down some rocks to the sea the other side. We sat and looked out to sea and it was so peaceful and beautiful- I honestly think it is one of my favourite places I have ever been. The sea was calm and framed by a backdrop of misty mountains, and to top things off we spotted some turtles surfacing every now and then! It was magical.

I think last Tuesday would have to be one of the most ridiculous days I've ever had. We had agreed that if the weather was sunny we'd go to Trinidade where there are three beautiful beaches, but if it wasn't so great that we'd go to another beach called Praia do Sono (beach of dreams- ironic given what followed), accessible by a 1 1/2 hour hike. It was grey and damp when we woke so we decided to go for the trail to Sono. BIG MISTAKE!! What we didnt realise was that the trail was up and down through this muddy clay stuff which, where it had obviously got wet, had got all muddy and dangerously slippery. Jess, Lee and I had unthinkingly worn flip flops and ended up barefoot clinging for dear life onto Steve, a tree or any other object within reach- it was definitely one of those times where you think, I have to laugh or else I'll cry! We decided it had better be a blimming amazing beach since it ended up taking much longer than an hour and a half to get there and had Jess, Lee and I all on our bums at one point- when we got to the beach not only was it still cloudy but the sea was really rough and uninviting. More like beach of nightmares!

That evening we got a total of three local buses and eventually arrived in Sao Sebastio from where we were going to visit the nearby Island of Ihlabella the following day. The local buses here are cheap but pretty rickety and uncomfortable and involve a lot of clinging on to stop you flying off your seat. It is also an interesting experience trying to fit through the tiny turnstiles whilst loaded up with all our bags! So we spent Wednesday on Ihlabella and were lucky to have a gorgeous hot day. Jess and I chose to find a beach and relax while the boys went off to explore some waterfalls.

On Wednesday night we got an overnight bus down to Florianopolis, a southern coastal city. The hostel we stayed in was really nice, as was Flori though it was a shame we didnt have a bit longer to spend there. We had a couple of days of bad weather- apparently we just missed a heatwave which ended literally the morning we arrived- typical! That day was a little disastrous as we set off for a walk in the warm only for it to turn cold and windy on us and eventually start raining- I was frozen! We had a bit of an explore of town the following day and also had a brilliant night out at an electro/house night (yes you read that right, I actually liked the music too!).

Yesterday (Saturday) was our third and final day there and it was hot and sunny. We rode bikes over to the nearby Joaquina beach, a popular surf spot (we did see lots of surfers but sadly no waves!) We had a climb on the sand dunes and were gutted we didnt have time to stay and try out some sandboarding.

Last night we got an (uncomfortable!) overnight bus over to Foz do Iguazu from where we are going to go and explore the national park and the Iguazu falls tomorrow - so excited. Can't believe I'm over halfway through now and nearly in Argentina! Better start practicing my Spanish...