The one where we moshed at The Killers

Man what an awesome awesome night. The Killers rocked.
Our first full day in Buenos was incredible. The most amazing weather. We walked around Recoleta, the posh part of town, and went and saw Eva Perons grave, purely because everyone seems to do it in this city. The cemetery was interesting, but we didnt hang around long.
Mark then suggested a beer in the sun. Buenos is full of al fresco cafes and bars and restaurants. Im in heaven. So we had a drink and some nachos in Recoleta, then decided to do a pub crawl around a few suburbs.
Next stop Las Canitas, then Palermo. Both neighbourhoods are so cool. You just cant go wrong in this city. Think differing versions of Balmain and Surry Hills. So we sat outside all afternoon drinking wine and beer while people watching. But no one goes out here till well after 9pm, and by then we had hit the wall so called it quits and went home.
The next morning ... not so fun. It was raining, and cold. We tried to do one of those daggy hop on hop off city bus tours, but it was a bit of a disaster. The bus up top had open windows, and we froze. The most interesting point was when protesters walked past us and were waving and yelling while we took photos of them.
So we abandoned it and I had a relaxing afternoon at the hotel while Mark met up with a girl from his Peru tour who is here. The 3 of us had dinner then Mark and I headed off to The Killers.
God it was one of the best concerts ever!!!! I know Paul Budrikis thinks theyre over rated .. but theyre my favourite band.
We were standing about 40 metres back, surrounded by 20,000 fans. By now the skies had cleared. They opened with Human and the crowd went crazy. Moshing .. thank god my brother is 6ft4 so he could look out for me and stand behind me! It was such a great night. They played all the hits. Brandon Flowers is such a charistmatic and energetic performer.
I cant remember the last time I moshed at an open air concert!
Today is the last day before we join the Intrepid tour of Patagonia. Im a little nervous about it. God Im just so unfit after 2 months of no exercise. I even slightly strained my calf muscle at the concert last night!

The one where Lynne does the Tango

Buenos Aires .. what an awesome city. Except for the stupid horrible man who asked me if I was pregnant!!!!!!!!!!! So Ive obviously put on a little holiday belly during this trip. I was pretending I hadnt until the stupid shop attendant while finding me a jacket size pointed to the holiday belly and said 'oh youre pregnant'.
I didnt buy the jacket. My poor brother hasnt heard the end of my fury and depression. When will men learn that even when a woman's water has broken and she is clearly in labour, you never say 'oh youre pregnant'. Its so rude. I havent been asked that in years, since losing weight. Clearly its now back!!!! So my brother is having to put up with me looking in every window reflection at my stomach, saying 'it isnt that big' and now feeling guilty every time I eat a big meal. But seriously, who diets on holidays? Of course Im going to eat pizza, ice cream and pringles every day if I want to. And its hard to find lots of fresh fruit and vegetables in South America. Anyway, Ill move on.
We left Punta Del Este in Uruguay one day early. The weather was cold, so it was pointless hanging out at a beach hostel. Although we had to wait all day for our laundry to be returned. Ahhh laundry. So many funny stories about handing your laundry in. One time in Brazil I collected my laundry from the lavanderia, and the girl was saying something about a black t shirt and pointing to the underarms.
When I got back to the hotel I realised she had kept my favourite Billabong t shirt because it was so dirty it needed 2 washes! So I collected it the next day, although it only lasted another couple of weeks. Im sure you will all be glad you wont see that t shirt in any more photos because I threw it out in Rio.
We went to Montevideo for one night. Its a nice enough city, not a lot to see. Too many McDonalds signs and flags waving from poles for my liking. But the usual cobbled streets and outdoor cafes and rundown buildings to fill the city with character.
We then got a bus to Colonia and a ferry to Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is great. Huge huge city, but you could walk all day and constantly see something interesting. We are staying in the centre, in a hotel we booked on my new favourite website booking.com. Its so easy to use, and has some bargains on it. We got a really nice hotel for $35 per person a night, inc great breakfast. Although obviously Im now ignoring the pastries.
Our first afternoon was spent collecting our tickets to The Killers for tomorrow night. Mark googled them in Punta Del Este, and found out they were playing here. God I was so excited! My favourite band in a cool city!!!! But hes angry he will miss seeing ACDC by 2 days .. and there are still tickets on sale!
We walked around the pedestrianised shopping area, had coffee at Plaza Mayo. Then went to a tango show last night. Its a touristy thing to do, but sometimes they can still be really good fun, and it was.
We first had a tango class. My god, the Scrivens family are not dancers. We battled through learning 8 steps, Mark and I as partners, then had to dance in front of the class and messed it up!
I had steak and red wine for dinner ... yay!!! Finally tasting the amazing Argentinian reds and steak that everyone raves about. Then the tango show started, and it was really good. Man these people can move. And I had to get up 3 times to dance!!!! Far out, I was sitting in a spot that was easy for the guys to grab me. Mark and I both ended up on stage dancing for a bit, then a couple of times I danced in the aisles with the men. It was fun.

The one where we arrived in Uruguay

Buses in Brazil are great. Comfy with seats that recline a long long way back. We had a 9 hour bus trip to Sao Paulo. Its not that far, just the coast road is very windy and the bus makes sooo many stops. Even 90 minutes out of Sao Paulo, we stop for a 20 minute break. Just Get There!!! Ive lost my Ipod charger so its power is on borrowed time. Luckily Marks Ipod has some good music on it!
Thankfully I had booked a hotel online because arriving in Sao Paulo at 10.30 on a Friday night without a hotel would have been a little frightening!
The hotel seemed to be in a nightclub part of town, although that could be every street in a city the size of Sao Paulo.
We spent half a day walking around, re visiting part of the city I had been to on my Intrepid tour a month earlier. Sao Paulo is not that interesting. Its a hold onto your wallet the whole time kind of place, and can get really crowded in the black market area where we walked.
We didnt do much in the afternoon, just stayed around the hotel and ate a kilo of ice cream at a self serve place.
The next day we got a flight to Montevideo, in Uruguay. A 40 minute cab ride took about 15 minutes thanks to the driver doing 140kph for some reason.
At the airport we were waiting to get a cab to the bus stop to get a bus to Punta Del Este, when Mark had the spot of the day, by seeing a bus pass by with a sign to the very town we were wanting to go! So before you knew it we were heading to Punta, which is like a mini Gold Coast. I am sad to have left Brazil. 6 weeks there in a country I fell in love with, and Im already having Brazil withdrawals. Its colder here. Like, about 15 degrees it feels like. Although its probably warmer, Im just used to 35 degrees every day. We are staying in 1949 Hostel. We got lost walking the 100m to the hostel from the bus stop. Mark is standing behind me telling me to blame the map. Ill be Switzerland .. neutral.
The hostel is cool. We have a twin room, but there are lots of fun travellers here, so I settled in for an evening of drinking and chatting, while Mark had an early night.
Mark and I are going well together. Sometimes he speaks in a language I cant understand. eg `hopefully there will be fresh fish at the hostel today' means 'hopefully some hot new chicks will check in today'. His favourite saying is 'shes not struggling'. This means the girl he is perving on is hot. And he has an unbelievable memory for movie and Seinfeld quotes. We have also developed a game where if we see someone who looks like someone famous, we say I didnt know Vladimir Putin was in Uruguay. The best one was the Jonathon Thurston lookalike here in the hostel.

The one where there was trouble in paradise

Ah yes .. the joys of travelling without realising Brazil is hitting peak holiday season with a long weekend. More on that in a moment.
The football game Mark and I went to in Rio was amazing. A Rio team versus a Paraguayan team in the South American Cup semi final. Thank god the Rio team scored. They won 2-1. It was the most unbelievable crowd. So many flares went off at the start and we couldnt see the ground for a while! The crowd chanted and yelled the whole time. About 50,000 people there I reckon. The small crowd of opposition fans were in a little area completely separate to ours. When the Rio team scored in the final few minutes the crowd erupted and everyone was hugging and cheering. Awesome. We paid $6 each for an ice cream though. Ahhhh love being ripped off when youre a tourist. The game started at 10pm!
We strolled around Copacabana the next morning then got a bus to Angra Dos Reis where you get the ferry to Ilha Grande. I had been there on the Intrepid tour earlier, you might remember the hot young Brazilian Cristiano from earlier blogs. When we docked at the island we hit trouble, big time. A woman who spoke English told us the whole island was booked out because it was the start of a long weekend, and everyone in Brazil seemed to be coming to Ilha Grande. So I left Mark in a restaurant with our bags while I searched for a room. It took a lot of doorknocking and ´no we have no rooms´before I found a pousada with a double bed for one night. Given it was 5pm and there was no way of getting off the island till the morning, we took it. Ah yes, sleeping with my brother in a double bed. Oh well... it was better than the other option of sleeping on the beach! We had planned to stay 3 nights, but it was impossible to find any rooms. So one night it was. And it took about 5 minutes to spot Cristiano, who was on the beach looking rather gorgeous. My Portuguese is a little better than it was a month ago, so this time we were able to have a sort of conversation!
Mark and I had a beautiful swim in the ocean at sunset. A great travel moment. You just know that in a few months when we are back at work we will be wishing we were back on Ilha Grande swimming in the water. Im still not taking any of this trip for granted, because I know its 3 of the best months of my life.
We then went to a bar for a few drinks and Cristiano and a couple of his friends joined us. Mark went to sleep and I stayed out drinking for a while with Cristiano, who was very upset we werent staying longer! So was I ... ahhh oh well, such is life.
Just to ensure the travel gods were making our lives difficult, Mark and I got the ferry back to the mainland in the morning to catch a midday bus to Sao Paulo, but of course its booked out, so here we are waiting for the 3pm bus in 37 degree heat in an internet cafe with no air con. But we are still smiling, cause we are on holidays, just like everyone else in Brazil this weekend!

The one where Lynne learns Portuguese for brother

No idea how to write it, but you say ´ele es me ermowng´and that means this guy is my brother, not my husband or boyfriend. Handy when you want to avoid hotel double beds with your sibling!!!!
So yes, Im now with Marky. We met up in Rio on Monday night, he flew in from Lima, I flew in from Porto Seguro. After two days its going really well! Ask me in a couple of weeks how I feel.. ha ha. No, hes good value to travel with.
Its great having someone to talk to who knows me so well, tell them about my trip so far, have company for when funny moments arise.
We have had a great couple of days in Rio. We are staying in a very nice hotel between Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. We walked Ipanema yesterday morning, bought a couple of pairs of havianas and had a coffee.
Then we did a Favela tour in the afternoon. Very interesting. The one we went to has a population of 200,000 crammed into an area about the size of a small Canberra suburb. They are all run by drug dealers, but this one is safe to visit in a tour, because the gang that runs it refuses to sell crack cocaine, so there is no crime because of fewer addicts?!?!?! And the dealers dont want to draw attention to the favelas by having crime there, so the cops leave them alone. Except like a few weeks ago when there was a shoot out at another favela, and the dealers shot down a police helicopter ...
Theres not much running water or electricity. If you want to expand your home, you just build a cement block on top of your current place. But people like the sense of community they get from favelas. As our cute guide told us, the bloke who says hi to you in the favela is the one likely to mug you in Copacabana.
I took Mark back to my favourite churrasco restaurant in the evening, and we ate like kings.
Today we did a city tour, and guess what ... perfect blue skies!!!!! Oh my god we have some awesome photos. Went on the cable car at Sugar Loaf Mountain, went to Christ the Redeemer statue, had lunch in Santa Theresa. Great day with some of the best views youll see anywhere in the world. Rio is an amazing city, high rises and favelas squashed in amongst mountains.
We got picked up in the morning by Felipe, our guide, in his little Fiat. We then had to pick up another two people and as we were waiting outside their hotel, we were so excited about who the other 2 might be ... Mark was hoping for hot Swedish chicks, I didnt mind as long as they could fit in the little Fiat.
When they came out ... worst possible .. 2 Peruvian overweight guys who spoke little English. So we all squashed inside the car for the start of the tour. Except one of them had food poisoning .. and was breaking out into massive sweats and running to the bathroom at every opportunity...
He only made it half way through the day, before getting a cab home. Which was a blessing because then there were only 4 of us to fit in the car.
Top day, and now we are off to see a football game!!!! Its at the massive stadium where 210,000 people once crammed in to see a match. I think only about 50,000 are going tonight.

The one where Lynne finds a street party

I had a big day in Salvador. After rising early, I hit the cobbled streets of the Pelourhino. Its the old town where artists are on every corner, its filled with music and tourists and annoying men who give you unwanted attention. That tout who took me to the pousada seemed to be everywhere .. you want a beer? you want to go to the church?...
Salvador is a great place to shop. I suddenly found myself buying lovely earrings, paintings... money I dont really have, but 7 will hopefully have freelance shifts for me when I get back to pay for all of it!
I took a taxi to a suburb called Barra, its the beach part of town. Was bloody hot, and not quite what the Lonely Planet had talked up, but still a nice place to have an empanada and walk around.
Salvador reminded me of Havana. The skin is darkest there, music is everywhere, men are a bit annoying, you need to hold on tight to your belongings. Im glad I only had 2 nights there.
That evening I was having a drink at a basic bar, where the plastic chairs spill onto the cobbled street. I got talking to two local women, who I ended up realising were hairdressers and more interested in getting me to get hair extensions than talking about anything else.
I went to the theatre that night to see an hour long show of traditional Brazilian dance. My god it was unreal. So mesmerising, and the men ... wow .. think Olympic gymnasts, athletes all rolled into one. They were incredible to watch (and not just cause of their amazing bodies). The capoeira was awesome to see.
Id bought a plane ticket to Porto Seguro the next day. Enough with the 20 hour bus travel. It was expensive for an hour flight, but so worth it. Instead of arriving tired I arrived raring to go. I got a short ferry ride to Arraial DAdjuda. Its a small beach village with a 15 minute walk down to the beach, which is lined with restaurants. You could walk the entire north east coast of Brazil and just see nothing but beautiful palm tree lined beaches.
Im staying in a youth hostel. I usually avoid them, but this one is gorgeous. The double room is one of the best Ive had. And I met my first Australian in nearly 3 weeks!!!!
Can you believe I havent found any other Aussies in this part of the world??? It must be a record for travelling I reckon. Tim is from Melbourne. I was so excited to talk to another Australian, and so was he, thatwetalkedreallyfast because finally we could speak quickly and have someone understand our accent.
I had lunch at the beach and met a smooth talking Brazilian waiter called Fabio. Ah Brazilian men, theyre so forward its ridiculous. Poor Tim complains he has no chance with the Brazilian girls cause he isnt anywhere near as brazen (so I helped by playing wingman for him later that night).
Tim, a New Yorker called Dan, and I headed into Porto Seguro for a street party. Wow. These people know how to party. A huge free open air event. The main singer didnt come on till 4am! It was such a fun night. We were allowed into a VIP area above the thousands of people dancing in the street. When we got there they had a big band playing...um not really what we were expecting, but from then on it was a bit of everything South American.
We met a few local girls, and thats where I came in to help Tim. We all danced and watched the sun come up. God getting home was long and tortuous. Waiting for the ferry, getting a mini van back.
I slept in, then went for a long walk along the beaches.
I love Arraial DAdjuda. Its been one of those oh my god how good is travelling moments for me.

The one where Lynne returns to reality

So my two weeks in Brazilian beach paradise has ended. I ended up staying in Praia Da Pipa for 6 nights. I met some local guys and hung out with them for a couple of days.
On my final day at the beach I felt like a local .. saying hi to various people Id met over the past week. It was nice to just chill out this past fortnight in Jeri and Pipa. Go to the same places for lunch, get to see how the locals live their lives.
I met a surf instructor, Rodrigo, last Saturday in a bar. He spoke good English and we ended up hanging out with his mates. These guys live the most simple life.
They seriously live day by day. No bank accounts, no tv, no ipods, no email, phones with no credit.
I shouted them food and drinks. Yes, I know, I was sucked in by their stories of poverty. But it was also fun hanging out with them, learning a bit more Portuguese, seeing how locals live as opposed to just seeing the tourists side of Pipa.
Rodrigo took me to a lovely village to watch the sun set, and he gave me a surf lesson. I caught one wave! Just quietly he was a terrible instructor. I spent about 5 minutes on the beach learning how to surf, then he just pushed my board onto waves until I managed to stand, and eventually sort of catch a very very small wave, all the while giving me very little feedback! No wonder he isnt making any money from his job.
One night we had a pool party, sponsored of course by the Bank Of Lynne. They were nice guys, although by the end of it I was sick of reaching into my wallet.
So I decided I really needed to hit the road again. And hit it I did. 20 hours on a bus from Pipa to Salvador.....aghhhhh.
The bus was fine, and I got a lot of sleep, but after arriving in Salvador this afternoon, Im still tired.
And its weird being back in a big city. Noise, people staring at you, the need to hold onto your belongings tightly again...
Ive already got cranky with one tout who took me to a pousada, then followed me around the streets telling me his sob story about being homeless and can I buy him food and a drink. A week ago I wouldve helped him, but Ive done enough of that the past week.
Salvador seems nice enough. But a little seedy. Still its only been a couple of hours so early days.

The one where Lynne swam with dolphins

Its only been 24 hours, but I feel it necessary to update the blog after the last depressing entry!
I was quite sick yesterday, and shouldnt have been writing in that state. I slept through lunch, then slept through dinner, and through the night.
It still felt like I was swallowing razor blades this morning, but my body didnt ache as much as yesterday.
The other health problem I had yesterday was a sore on my foot, id hurt it walking in bare feet a few days ago and was worried something was in it, so used my tweezers and nail clippers to poke around. Remember the last time I poked around at a sore I ended up in a London hospital for 5 days while doctors operated twice to remove the absyss it had turned into ... you can understand my fears!
So this morning I dragged my sorry arse down to the beach, hoping salt water would lift my spirits and help my health.
I walked to the Bay Of Dolphins, because yes, dolphins like to hang out there, just like people.
I went for a swim and just as I was marvelling at the wonders of the ocean to make you feel better, a couple of dolphins popped their heads up a few metres from me. I smiled for what seemed the first time in 48 hours. Finally I was cheering up!
So I had a lovely day, washed away my sore throat and sore foot (it seems to be healing ok) while relaxing on a banana bed I rented, and going for swims with dolphins.

The one where Lynne hits the halfway point

Can you believe Im half way through the 3 month trip? 6 1/2 weeks down. In some ways I feel like `god its only been 6 weeks, but Ive done so much!`and other ways I feel `oh my god there are only 6 weeks to go before I go home!`
I left Jeri reluctantly... but was running out of cash so the time had come to end my total-relaxation-and-splurge week. Jeri is so remote it doesnt have any ATMS, so you have to take whatever cash you need with you. Id already spent 3 days longer there than planned. After meeting a cute Brazilian guy on my second last night I considered extending it further, but thought Id better hit the road again. And I have a feeling he stood me up on the last night of my stay there anyway (no one makes definite plans in Jeri. So when you say Ill see you tonight .. that could be anytime between 9pm and 2am. Needless to say there was only so much time I could spend on my own waiting at a bar).
So I left Jeri yesterday, and it took 12 hours of a 4WD, bus, plane, taxi to get to my next destination of Praia Da Pipa, further down Brazils north east coast. It cost a lot to do it that way, but otherwise I would have risked arriving in a big city not far from here late at night on a bus, with no accommodation booked. As a solo female traveller there are some things its better to spend money on, and getting somewhere safely is one of them.
It was a crappy day. I was feeling down, and getting sick.
So now Im in Pipa with a sore throat. Have stocked up on lozenges after using mime to show the pharmacist what was hurting. I would be getting a lot more out of Brazil if I could speak Portugese. English isnt widely spoken at all, and sometimes its frustrating .. but completely my fault. Im already dreaming up ways to learn the language, and be back here for the Football World Cup and Olympics .. either working or as a tourist. Because regardless of how down this blog entry seems, I still do really love Brazil! The people are really friendly. Like the woman in Rio who said to me ´welcome to rio´as I walked along a footpath. They are very passionate people who love their country. Its a lot like Australia, in terms of scenery, food, costs, lifestyle.
Pipa is another nice beach town, not as chilled as Jeri though. Its set on a cliff, and you walk down steps to the beaches. I took a long walk on the beaches today, saw dolphins in one of the bays, and had ice cream for lunch and afternoon tea. Sore throat is my excuse....
I also had a 3 hour nap, so I guess Im not feeling well!
Ive downgraded my accommodation after a week of staying in a gorgeous pousada in Jeri. Now im paying a third of the price, but the room is still ok.

The one where Im so relaxed I cant think of a title

So Ive been in Jeri a week now. A week doing nothing. What does nothing involve? Well a normal day would be to get up at 9am, put on my Jeri uniform of swimmers and denim cut offs, then have breakfast in the hotel. Thats fresh squeezed juice, a white bread roll, ham and cheese, coffee and cake. Brazilians love cake for breakfast.
Then Ill go for a couple of hours walk on the beach, then go back to the hotel to laze by the pool reading my book.
At about 2 Ill go to Casa Das Trufas, a nice place for lunch. That might be a hamburger, or chicken salad, or tuna sandwiche. After that its either another walk on the beach, or back to the hotel for a swim in the pool.
Then its nap time at about 4 or 5pm.
I struggle to occupy my time between about 6 and 9. No one has dinner before 9. Sometimes I use the internet, like now, other times Ill walk around the shops, or have a drink.
Steve has been kite surfing with a Kiwi guy called Vince. The other day Christina (Steves girlfriend) and I hopped on their buggy and went with them for the afternoon. The girls staying in the buggy watching the guys make their way downwind along the beach for a couple of hours.
We met up for dinner that night at a restaurant run by a South African, who wanted to stay in Jeri with his pregnant girlfriend for a few months. They found an empty shop front, and within a week had turned it into a restaurant! Imagine the bureaucracy if that happened anywhere else. They serve cheap food like chicken and potatoes and coleslaw.
Vince, his Canadian friend Mark and I then went to a bar that was having an open air party with a live band. So I stayed up past midnight for once! And I learned the wind dies down completely at night.
Sorry if this is a little less than interesting blog, but this week has been all about doing nothing! Is so good to not have to pack up that bloody backpack every couple of days, but at the same time Im also looking forward to hitting the road again and seeing what else Brazil has to offer.

The one where paradise is extended

The Lonely Planet says most tourists who come to Jeri stay longer than planned. Ive extended my stay to 8 nights. Its so remote I may never come back, so whats the point in rushing away?
The lovely pousada I was staying in the first 3 nights was booked out over the weekend. I think its a long weekend in Brazil. I spent a good hour wandering into every pousada asking in bad Portugese if they had a room for the weekend. I found another not-as-nice-but-still-ok place for 2 nights, then Im back to my favourite pousada on Monday.
Just to keep my dream like life in perspective, its not alllllll perfection here in Jeri.
For instance, switching hotels yesterday was a nightmare! There are no taxis in Jeri, its all soft sand. I thought I knew where my new pousada was, but got totally disoriented. In 36 degree heat, in soft sand, carrying 20kgs of luggage around, for half an hour. God I sweated up a storm...
And Jeri is so special, you want to share it with your friends, or a boyfriend. There arent many solo travellers here. Lots of couples, lots of groups of friends. I was getting a bit lonely. I wanted to go on a dune buggy or quad bike to see the surrounding dunes and lagoons, but it was going to cost heaps to hire a driver on my own. But I woke up this morning and thought, bugger it, just go do it, even though it would be quite boring on my own with a driver who cant speak English.
But just as I started walking through the village, I bumped into Christina and Steve, who id met on the first day here. They asked me to join them tomorrow on a buggy excursion, and we are meeting up for dinner tonight. Yay!!!! I have friends again. I couldnt find them last night when I went out for dinner (no they werent hiding from me....)
Speaking of nightlife, Im yet to really embrace the late nights here. No one goes out for dinner till after 9, and the nightlife doesnt kick in till after midnight. So far Ive been in bed by midnight every night! There are no real bars. Jeri is sooo chilled, the party place is a series of stalls on the beach, selling drinks. So everyone just stands around them. No toilets or seats. Am I sounding really old now???????
Oh, and I finally joined the Skype revolution. Everyone travelling here is on it, and I realise why now. Its amazing. So cheap. Spoke to mum and dad for the first time in 6 weeks, for half an hour for less than a dollar! Then called Jane, but naturally she doesnt answer calls from unknown numbers, so i had to email her blackberry, tell her it was me trying to call, then called her back. The wonders of technology. To think my first trip overseas in 1991 had no email, and the phone calls involved a horrible 5 sec delay!