Smile you're on camera

We arrived in Paraty yesterday to find ourselves in the midst of Brazil's largest photographic competition/festival.

Needless to say the town is buzzing with people and the streets are lined with Nikons, Canons and Sonys. This has not dampened but enhanced our experience of this quaint, historic town awash with beautiful churches, cobbled streets and curios.

Life's a beach

...So after a final party night out in Rio we moved on last weekend to Ihla Grande. This island is stunning, the  kind that are used in movies and we are lucky enough to have had a few lovely clear, warm days to enjoy.

Having met a few other couples at our hostel we embarked on a 14K round trip hike to see some of the beaches the island has to offer. Above is Lopes Mendes - the longest beach on the island and great for surfing. Unfortunately Mike had to keep his pro surfer skills at bay as the current was too strong for swimming that day. The walk back was a bit traumatic (not only due to my whining) but also as it started to get dark we nearly lost our way a few times. Luckily the island's dogs acted as our tour guide in return for a belly rub and a scrap of bread.

Her name was Rio

So we arrived in Rio a few days ago, surviving a 12 hour flight - in the middle seat (mike got the window), several movies (some painful), discovering the free BA tuck box (unlimited twixs) and breaking a brand new pair of headphones :(

Since then we have been exploring the city and taking in the iconic sights from our base in Santa Teresa, a historic, boho neighbourhood in the hills looking down on the city.

You can never have too many holidays

As spending a year travelling around the world is clearly going to be very taxing, we thought it best to have a quick holiday with the family to Spain before we left.