The following are extracts from my journal and are recounted in no particular order:

Sao Sabastiou 01.03.09
It´s 3am and i am "sleeping" in the local bus station. my bench has been built in order to hold the average South American build and as such only one side of my body is ever actually in contact with the less than comfortable wooden slats that it is made from - far from ideal!
To my left is a dope-dealing jewelry maker called Daniel, who professes to be Brazils number one Sex -pistols fan, whilst to my right rests a local tramp wrapped in a bin bag that was only seconds ago the key compananent of the nearest trash recepticle.
in just over an hour i am due to board a bus to Sao Paulo, but then again this is South America and accurate departure times are few and far between.

Lapa, Rio de Janeiro 21.02.09
The streets are teeming with drunken revellers united in one common purpose, Carnival!we are now into our third day and and there has been little time for sleep. if i am lucky i will be abel to keep my eyes open just a little longer and watch the sun rise over Copacabana beach for the second day in a row.

Paraty 24.02.09
Once again we have regretably decided to "wing-it" and failed to book a hostel in advance. upon arrival we are greeted by the fiercest tropical rain i have ever witnessed. when it rains here, it REALLY rains! moving from place to place is like walking into a solid wall of water. three hours pass and the storm shows no signs of letting up. night is drawing in and we are forced to venture into the now submerged streets of Paraty in search of a bed. several Poussadas are underwater and cars are being turned back.
eventually we stumble upon a dry room in which to rest our rather wet heads.

Copacabana 15.02.09
Rio is stunning. encompassed within its city limits are towering mountains, dense rainforest, white beaches and a thriving metropolis. tomorrow the rest of the lads from England arrive and Carnival truly begins - tonight i sleep!

Sambadrome 23.02.09
Stretching over a mile in length the Sambadrome spends most of the year completly deserted. Tonight over fifty thousand people have been crammed in to see the Samaba finale. float after float passes surrounded by hundreds of brightly costumed contestants all dancing in perfect rhythm with one another. the procession doesnt end until gone four in the morning and not once do the enthusiastic locals stop cheering.

Rossario, Argentina 06.03.09
We meet a local girl on the bus from Rossario and end up staying up into the early hours playing Uno. in the morning when we finally arrive (everywhere is about 20 hours away from everywhere else here) she invites us to her house for breakfast - a not uncommon event in Argentina.
when we get there we discover that her mum has already been warned of our imminent arrival and has coooked us all a massive meal. we eat with the entire family (about 7 in all) and spaghetti is piled onto our plates quicker than we are able to shovel it down. Apart from Lydia and her husband Emelio none of our newly adopted family speaks a word of english and our spanish is shameful to say the least. For almost 4 hours we stay drinking matê and attempting, mostly productively, to have an almost coherent conversation.
not once do i feel uncomfortable or unwelcome in the home of people who only hours ago were complete strangers.
as we leave Emelio tells us that in Rossario (the largest university town here) we will meet the most beautiful ´chicas´ in all of Argentina. on the walk to find our hostel we are not dissapointed, everywhere i look are the most stunning girls i have ever seen - Rossario isnt too shabby either.