Panda in Beco do Batman, Sao Paulo

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

Panda in Beco do Batman, Sao Paulo

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

Purple trees dot the green

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

Best Instagram places in London - Shoreditch street art

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 yoga mat, Trindade

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