The Journey Home

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All good things must come to an end!

Strange as it might seem, the next flight we take is the one home!

It´s the end of an amazing trip in which we saw new worlds, met great people and sometimes sampled dodgey food ;o)

Could you do it, I hear some of you ask?

Well, do you have the qualities for RTW!!?

Stamina: you´ve seen the glamour shots and the great locations! What you haven´t seen is the grimacing face when you´re packing your bag for the umpteenth time and are fed up with trying to get your 16 to 19kgs worth back into it. Average time spent at any one location, probably 2 days..... enthusiasm and energy required.

Patience: you can´t speak the language, you´re confused by the currency (Laos kip = millions!), you don´t honestly know if you´re going to get off at the right stop. The map and guide book CAN and will be wrong on occasion.

(Loving our bags!!)

Appreciation: as the poster in the loo of the hostel we stayed at in Lima, Peru stated: ´You are a stranger in a strange country, of your own choosing!´. Everywhere is different, but you will still look australian or north american :o)

Cop-On a tricky one: even if you had some before you left, it definitely becomes more honed; you learn to detect the scams, the rip-offs and yet try not to be rude!

IRL - Hong Kong - Thailand - Laos - Cambodia - Vietnam - Thailand - Malaysia - Singapore - Australia - New Zealand - Chile - Bolivia - Peru - Argentina - Uruguay - Argentina - Brazil -

IRL

(View over the English Channel at 6.30am)

Interesting Bits:

Places where we have spent most time (ie week or more): Chiang Mai, Phuket, Sydney, Queenstown, Santiago, La Paz, Punta del Diablo, Buenos Aires.

Number of sunglasses purchased (due to desire for more, or theft/breakage ergo requiring replacement): Michelle 1; Sancha 4

`Contributions to South America`: 1 digital camera, 1 pair prescription sunglasses, 1 Ipod, 1 cellphone

It´s not over yet, stay tuned for extras in the coming weeks as we tailor the site. And we apologise in advance if we bore you with our stories over the coming months... see ye soon!!

Brazil - Rio de Janeiro

Pictures speak a thousand words, so they say! We´d like to share with you some a famous image of Rio and the hotel we are currently lounging in :o) Three pools, spa, gym, tennis courts, direct beach access.



How´s the weather at home?!

Brazil - Florianopolis

I´m sure you understand that given the many trials and tribulations we have experienced over the last 8 months, we have decided to R&R on the beaches of Brazil for the remaining time of our RTW.

Florianopolis is a place designed for just those needs!

A few days back, on entering Brazil at Foz de Iguacu, we were welcomed with the words Dia Dhuit from the immigration guys! It was one of the most comical border crossings ever! Most border officials barely look at you, yet these guys were so informal... their Irish accents were excellent.

We spent two days on the Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls and about 2.5 hours on the Brazil side (Iguacu Falls). Kara and Sancha also took a helicopter ride over the falls - a moment of madness/ weakness/ insanity/ who knows! The whole area is just beautiful; butterflies everywhere, landing on you frequently. (view of some of the falls from the Brazilian helicopter!)

Our driver for the day, David, then brought us to the bus station where we endured a 16 hour journey to Florianopolis.

So now we are by one of the many beaches on the island of Santa Catarina which has 52 km of beach altogether, v famous surfing spots also. We are about 22 hours drive south of Rio de Janeiro so it´s almost obligatory for us to take a flight instead! Monday sees our arrival to where so many people call the most beautifully located city in the world. We shall let you know! (Sancha with the greatest gift Brazil has given to the world, the Caipirinha; Kara and Michelle enjoy pizza and an english/spanish/portuguese ordering process; man learns to surf, complete with Brazilian surfboard)

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