Steve has been gone for a week now and there’s another four to go so I’ve been finding my feet in Buenos Aires alone. Most of the time I’m quite happy wandering the city and setting up camp in cafes with my iPad and a good smoothie, but sometimes I want some company. Travelling alone is rarely as lonely as it sounds so I thought I’d share my tips on going solo in the city – and not just hanging out with fellow travellers/ex-pats (although sometimes that’s lovely too).
Travel
Iguazu Falls: excellent splendour of the universe
Our visit to Iguazu Falls gave birth to a new catchphrase: ‘Exxxxcellent splennndoooooourrrrrrrrr of the universssssse’. This has to be shouted in a mighty way as if a superhero, preferably with one joyous hand thrust into the air. Why visit Iquazu falls? At the end of out trip, we had a tiredness that reminded us … Read more
Writing on the wall: street art and graffiti in Sao Paulo
The walls in Brazil are completely alive with street art. From the winding murals of Santa Teresa in Rio, to the hyper-glyphs and psychedelic pandas of Sao Paulo’s backstreets, you can sometimes hardly turn a corner without seeing a piece of finely crafted visual madness. The current mayor of Sao Paulo banned advertising above a … Read more
What to do in São Paulo the concrete forest
The trip to São Paulo started and ended in tears. The first for the jungle and the latter for the new friends we will miss. It’s a concrete forest of a city – a sprawl of never-ending skyscrapers and dense traffic – but within that madness, a medley of fascinating culture abounds including some of … Read more
Saudade for the forest
The last post I wrote was a little melancholic (as an aside, I’m feeling much more up-beat now and very much looking forward to spending six weeks in Buenos Aires). One of the factors I didn’t mention that contributed to that mindset was the journey to Sao Paulo. It was an 8-hour trip from Paraty … Read more
Difficult days when travelling
This moment is a difficult one. I’ve been bitten by bed bugs which has made my entire body itch. It’s maddening, and as always the ailments of the body are affecting the mind. Steve has also realised he has to go to America for five weeks to shoot Continuum. I was hoping it’d be three. … Read more
Sea and Forest Hostel, Trindade review
Before we left the UK, I kept lusting after beautiful yoga retreats in the wilderness. Unfortunately, many of them came with a huge price tag and were confined to the stuff of dreams. Then one day I stumbled across the incredible Sea and Forest Hostel in Trindade. It ticked every box of my yoga dreams: … Read more
Ilha Grande: paradise island
Stunning, amazing, beautiful and breathtaking are all words you’ll hear people use to describe Ilha Grande. It’s a paradise island, dense with Mata Atlantica rainforest and surrounded by incredible beaches and clear lagoons. There are places to surf or snorkel, and with so many beaches, it’s not hard to find a spot for yourself. Most … Read more
The best vegetarian food in Rio de Janeiro
Everyone told us Brazil was terrible for vegetarians and, on the whole, they’re not wrong. Expect to see a lot of cheese, bread and deep fried everything. However, there are a number of saving graces, such as per-kilo restaurants, excellent fruit and palmito. We were also delighted to find some excellent vegetarian options in Rio. … Read more
Five of the best things to do in Rio de Janeiro
There’s only one word to describe Rio and that is mega. A mega Jesus, mega landscape, mega juices, mega nightlife. In Portuguese, there’s a word, saudade, which describes a sense of longing for something in the past, and that’s how Steve and I feel about Rio now. We were only there for two weeks but … Read more