In the morning we got a bus back from Kollam to Trivandrum and then a train from there to Varkala. The train took forever to even leave the station, we were sat on it for nearly 2 hours so were a bit annoyed but we finally arrived and went to a nice cafe where we had food and then sat chilling out right by the beach. Varkala is beach resort set ontop of a red cliff. Later on, we went for a couple of beers which was funny because bars and restaurants in Kerala (except 3-5* hotels) have been banned to sell alcohol, so they serve beer in large mugs. The waiter told us that the owner pays the police and it seems every other bar and restaurant must do the same because they all serve it in mugs and you are just asked to put the bottle on the floor by your chair!

The next day, we had a bit of a lazy morning before heading to the temple here. Again, we were only allowed in the grounds of the temple and not inside and we didn’t think it was the nicest temple we have ever seen. Afterwards, we went for lunch and then spent the rest of the day on the beach. Jonho also had his hair cut which was an experience to say the least. The guy cut his neck, gave him an aggressive Indian head massage in the process and put some minty gel on his hair, making his eyes water and he came back to the room and absolutely stunk of the stuff!

We went out for some more curry in the evening but had an early night as we had to be up at 5.30am for our train to Kollam…

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We arrived in Kovalam and checked in. The accommodation is SO cheap. We can get budget hotels/guest houses for £6-£8 a night for both of us! Kovalam used to be a fishing village but is now a beach resort. There are 3 beaches here, the main one is lighthouse beach. We had a walk to see all three, had a curry over-looking the 3rd beach which was very nice and then walked back to lighthouse beach. We walked up the lighthouse which was a good view of the beach and then Kerry used her bartering skills to get us a couple of cheap sunbeds for the day (she’s pretty good at it). We chilled out on the beach for the rest of the day and went to a restaurant in the evening where Kerry ordered a creamy spinach curry…. which wasn’t what we were expecting (see photo).

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Nightmare with the bags over, we headed to our hotel room and slept from 10am-7pm. We woke up and went straight out for our first curry which didn’t dissapoint. We didn’t do anything else in the evening as there isn’t really much to do here!

The next day, we woke up and had an indian breakfast. We both got a dosa which is a bit like a pancake (but better) dipped in different sauces – coconut flavour and spicy. After this, we went to a temple but just around the outside as it was a Hindu only temple. We were absolutely sweating in our leggings and jeans as our bags had still not arrived so we headed back to the hotel and they arrived shortly after. We were so Jet-lagged, we both ended up falling to sleep and only waking up for food again! (Luckily there is nothing more to see in Trivandrum).

The next day, we woke up and had breakfast before heading to get the bus to Kovalam.

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It was a long flight as we didn’t sleep atall. We finally arrived in Madrid at 09:30am and took the metro to our AirBnb. The AirBnb was ‘self check in’ but when we arrived there was no key in th box. We were absolutely shattered and Kerry especially, was very angry. The host finally showed up and we had a sleep for a few hours before popping to primark to stock up on a few extra’s to replace all the things that have been shrunk or dyed a different colour by the laundrettes in South America. We met Jonho’s mum and Paul at their hotel a little later on and it was so nice to see them both.. we had a few drinks and then went out for a meal and told them about our adventures!

The next day, we met up again in the morning and got the metro to Retiro Park. We had a nice walk around the park before stopping off for a hot chocolate.. which was actually a cup of melted chocolate! After this, we all tried the famous calamari butty (we both wanted to try this last time we were here but didnt) which was very nice! Next, we headed to the San Miguel market and had a little look around before it all got too much for Jonho’s mum and Paul and they needed a rest! In the evening, the four of us went to Lamiak tapas restaurant and had the best tapas ever and some drinks! Later on, Sarah, David and Oscar arrived after a nightmare with getting a taxi due to there being strikes. Kerry could not possibly wait until the morning to see them (well, Oscar).  So, we got some drinks and headed to their Airbnb and spent a couple of hours chatting and having cuddles with Oscar.

The next day, Kerry met up with Sarah, David and Oscar and first of all went to San Miguel market, where Sarah enjoyed the olives and wanted everything she set her eyes on haha! We all had a few tasters of the cakes and a walk around and then we went to Sala Equi bar which was one of the things David had on his list to do. The bar is an old theatre and was a cool, quirky place! We had a drink there before having a little wander around. For lunch, we went to Lamiak tapas restaurant as it was so good the night before! Jonho, Jonho’s mum and Paul spent the day doing the Royal Palace tour and then also headed to Sala Equi as we told them it was good. In the evening Kerry went for some food with Sarah, David and Oscar and Jonho went for food with his Mum and Paul and it was the poshest tapas Jonho has ever had in his life and very nice! Later on, we both headed back to our new apartment we are going to be staying in with Kerry’s family, waiting for them all to arrive! Kim, Lewis, Billy and Meg arrived first in their taxi and it was so good to see them all. We got started on the beers and didn’t expect Kerry’s Mum and Dad to be much longer as they got in a taxi around the same time, with Liz, Vin and Isabella. However, they had trouble with the taxi driver as she wouldn’t drop them off near the apartment and left them all to get out in the ghetto of Madrid where there were rough sleepers and people drinking out of bottles in paper bags. Luckily, David went out to find them and brought them back to their AirBnb where Liz, Vin and Isabella were staying anyway. This meant that Kerry and Jonho, along with Kim, Lewis, Billy and Meg had to go and collect the parents to take them to the apartment. Once we got back, the 8 of us had some drinks in the apartment which was a good laugh… (Cheers, to Tommy).

The next day, Jonho’s Mum and Paul had a trip out of the city planned to go and see some sights so we both spent the day with Kerry’s clan (There was 14 of us). First of all, we got to Sarah, David, Liz and Vins AirBnb where Kerry rushed upstairs to see Isabella. It was so good to see her looking all grown up, its crazy how different they are after 5 months!! We all went for breakfast together and filled the cafe. After this, we all got the metro to Retiro Park which was fun with two prams and no lifts?! Once we finally got here, the park was closed due to strong winds so we were gutted. Instead, we headed to an Irish pub for a couple of drinks and then decided to walk back to save the hassle of the metro. Sarah, Liz and Co headed back to their Airbnb whilst the rest of us went to Sala Equi bar. After our first drink there, Vinny and David were caught sneaking a cheeky pint in whilst they told Liz and Sarah they were going to the shops (Haha). In the evening, Jonho’s Mum and Paul and all of Kerry’s clan met up at Spanish restaurant for food and a couple of drinks (yes, 16 of us.. we made a reservation). Afterwards, we said our goodbyes to Jonho’s Mum and Paul for another seven months as they had to leave for their flight the next morning. Liz, Sarah, Vin, David all headed back to their place and had a couple of drinks whilst the kids were in bed and the rest of us went out to a bar in the La Latina area. Everyone got a bit tipsy and Kerry’s Dad started with his silly games of getting everyone to do the limbo under a light over the table in the bar! We had a really good night.

The next morning, us staying in the same apartment all got up and went for breakfast together and then visited the palace which was nice. We met up with Liz, Vin, Isabella and Sarah, David and Oscar and headed to the Rastro market which was really busy. It was a bit different to regular touristy markets as they had a lot of antiques and things. After here, we all headed to a bar and sat outside whilst the sun was shining and had a couple of drinks. Liz, Vinny and Isabella had to leave after this as they had a flight to catch so we had to say our goodbyes again. Later on, we all went to a pub to watch the City game before Jonho and the lads and Meg went to the Bernabeu stadium to watch Real Madrid v Alaves. Madrid won 3-0. Kerry, Kerry’s mum and Kim went out for tapas and some drinks and then took some Cava to Sarah’s Airbnb to have a drink with her there. Afterwards, we all met up in a bar.

On our final day together we started at San Miguel market before making a second attempt to visit Retiro Park. We got there and this time it was open so we all had a walk around there and on the way out, were shocked to see Jonho’s Mum and Paul again. Jonho’s mum had a nightmare and never made their flight home as her passport had been stolen from the hotel room. We said our goodbyes, again, to them before heading to tapas with everyone else. And finally, we walked to the bus stop to say goo bye to everyone as they had their flight home. We had the best time with everyone and were sad for them all to be leaving. But It’s time to continue our adventures! Next stop… INDIA!

We had an early get up (2.30am) ready for our 6am flight to Frankfurt where we had an hour stop over. We got to the boarding gate in Frankfurt and were asked to present our Indian visa which we did, then they asked for proof of leaving India in 2 months time, which we didn’t have as it didn’t say this was required when we applied for our visa. We we’re given 5 minutes to book a flight and get on the plane which was a bit stressful but we did it… from Frankfurt it was 6 hours to Muscat and when we got there, we had a 6 hour stop over. We were knackered by this point as we didn’t get much sleep atall. Our final stop, Trivandrum (India) only took around 3 hours. We arrived here… but our bags didn’t. To begin, we were a bit panicked but the staff were so nice and helpful and they soon told us that the bags were in Frankfurt and would be put on the next flight.

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We originally booked an Air Bnb here to stay in an area called Santa Teresa, but the more we spoke to people, the more we were told it is dangerous as it is surrounded by favellas and it wouldn’t be safe for us to walk the streets at night without being robbed. So, we cancelled and booked another place one block from Copacabana beach!

We arrived and the host met us and checked us in. We went for some food and then straight to copacabana beach for the rest of the day. The beach is huge and not very peaceful at all. All you can hear constantly is people walking up and down shouting whatever it is they are selling, for example… “Agua Agua Aguaaaaa”. At one point, Kerry took a video as there was 8 of them around us shouting things. In the evening we went to a bar which was recommended to us by the air bnb host and was very popular online. We wasn’t sure why as there were just plastic tables and chairs outside and everyone stood on the street, but it was a good atmosphere and it was cheap. We met a gay couple and had a laugh with them!

The next day, we walked to the lake and then spent the rest of our day at Ipanema beach. This was similar to Copacabana beach, but cleaner. In the evening, we went to a bar called Bip Bip for a ‘bossanova’ night. None of us knew what this was but basically there was a band on, playing instruments and singing and everyone was stood and sat around joining in and then when they had finished each song, rather than clap, they clicked their fingers. The system in this place was strange. There was an old sweaty, bearded, grumpy owner sat at a table in front of the entrance and a fridge of beers at the back. You went and got your own beers, gave the owner your name and he tallied it up until the end of the night.

The next day, we had a walk around Copacabana and then headed to the beach again. In the evening, went back to the same bar we went to on night one.

The next day, we went to Sugar Loaf mountain. We picked a pretty bad day for it, as it was the only cloudy day in our whole time here and when we got to the top, it wasn’t the best view (although it did still look good!). On our way up, we saw marmosets in the trees. Once we got down, there was a huge storm. We have never seen rain like it, there were huge puddles in the streets and we got drenched! In the evening, we went to an area called Lapa which is the party area and we both got very drunk danced to a samba band. It was a really fun night!

Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon was a bit of a write off. Rio 1-0 Kerry and Jonho. We think we are getting a bit old for the drinking. We stayed in the apartment all day and didn’t do much. In the evening, we went to the samba school performance as they were rehearsing for carnival. This was good to see as we won’t be here for carnival 😦 There were lots of dancers wearing next to nothing and huge feathered headpieces and a samba band.

The next day, we went to Christ the Redeemer. It was a really sunny, hot day and clear skies so it was much better than when we went up sugar loaf mountain. We both thought this was a better view of the city. After this, we went to Lapa to see the arches which is what Lapa is known for, and to see what it is like during the day time. We also went to the famous staircase which leads up to Santa Teresa. It started to get dark so we didn’t go much further than this, as we were told it can be dangerous. In the evening we went back to Bip Bip to see the sweaty old man again. There was a samba band on and everyone singing along again.

On our final day in Rio, we went to the botanical gardens. These were nice to walk around, there were some lakes with fish and turtles in and we saw more marmosets in the trees here! Afterwards, we went to Copacabana beach again. In the evening, we went to one of the beach bars and had drinks there.. The beer is so cheap here (£2.50 for a litre).

The next morning, we got up and packed. We are currently waiting to check out and head to the airport for our flight to MADRID…

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The bus took two hours, then we had to get a ferry to Ilha Grande which took 1 hour 30 minutes. The island Is covered by Forrest, 102 beaches and has no cars etc. (We wish we skipped São Paulo and spent more time here). When we got here, we went out for lunch, had a walk around and then to the black sand beach.

The next day, we took a boat and went to Lopez mendes beach which was very nice and probably our favourite beach yet! We went out for food in the evening and then bought some beers from the shop and sat by the beach.

The next day, we took a boat tour to Lagoa Azul and two other beaches which were all very nice. We got back to the town and walked to some natural pools where everyone was jumping in from the rocks. The water was freezing as it wasn’t the sea water, which is warm! After here, we went to the black sand beach again and on the way back from there we saw marmosets in the trees! In the evening we sat by the beach again with some beers.

Next stop… RIO DE JANEIRO

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We arrived late in the afternoon so we set up our tent and went for a wander around. It was very nice here, a small historical town with cobbled streets and a harbor with lots of colorful boats. We went out for some food in the evening and a couple of beers, sat outside on one of cobbled streets.

The next day, we took a bus to Trinadade where there were 4 different beaches. One of them was like a natural pool with rocks around it so we stayed here for most of the day as it was more chilled out to swim and not get hit by the huge waves. We got the bus back to the campsite later on and three ten year olds came over to our tent trying to talk to us practicing their English that they learn at school. Five minutes later, they came over again with a plate of meat that one of their dads had cooked and offered us some. Before we knew it, the dad invited us to their tent for tea, so we had spaghetti in sauce and barbecued meats and sat chatting with them for a while before heading into the old town again.

The next morning, the Brazilians invited us for breakfast so we were happy! Brazilian people are so nice and so kind! They had a huge tent with a living/ kitchen area and each had their own bedrooms in the tent. There was two families, 4 adults and 3 children. In the day time, we went on a boat trip where it stopped at two beaches and two islands and each stop, we jumped off the boat and went for a swim. On one of the islands there were lots of tropical fish swimming around us which were cool. In the evening, we were of course, invited for tea. They cooked us a traditional Brazilian meal and also did a barbecue. There was so much food, and they just don’t stop until you say! They made us cocktails and gave us different beers to try and we stayed here for the night listening to music and chatting with them all.

On our final morning, we went for breakfast again before we had to get our bus. When we got to the bus station, we were stood waiting and the three brazilian kids came running up to us with cake, a carton of juice and two plastic cups for our journey. They were so sweet!

The night bus here was awful as there was a storm, so the bus was in standstill traffic for hours. It was supposed to take 11 hours and took 14! We went to Beco do batman, which is an alley full of street art on the walls and then to Paulista avenue which is the Main Street in the city. We were told this is the best place to have pizza (as all the pizza we tried in Peru, Bolivia & Argentina was awful) so we went out for pizza… amazing… and then for some drinks but it was very quiet as a lot of places are closed in a Monday.

The next day we got up early and first of all went to the Museum of football, then to Paulista avenue again to go to the top of the ‘sarc’ building for a view of the city and then we got a bus to the big park here and hired bikes to ride around it, this was fun. After this, we walked to a hotel which someone recommended to us, to go for a drink at the sky bar. We got there and it was the poshest place ever, we looked so out of place as everyone was dressed up and it was SO expensive so we literally went up to the sky bar for 2 minutes and came back down. In the evening, we stayed in the hostel and watched Netflix with a Canadian girl and 2 English girls.

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We arrived 15 hours later and checked into the hostel, went for lunch and Jonho had his hair cut (surprisingly nobody has given him a skin head yet). Afterwards, we went to a beach called Mole beach which was really busy, packed with so many people, umbrellas and people selling food, drinks, beach wear and sunglasses. We chilled out here for the rest of the day. In the evening we went to a place called lay park which was outdoor seating with bars and food places around it. They had live music on here, on guy played the guitar with his mouth!

The next day, we went to another beach called Barra da Lagoa. This again, was very busy. Probably because it’s the holidays here at this time of year. We had grilled fish for lunch on the beach and stayed here for the day before heading back to the hostel for BBQ night! It was an all you can eat BBQ and it was so good. In Brazil, the food just keeps coming until you say stop! We stayed at the hostel for the night having drinks and chatting to a couple of Brazilian guys who were also staying here, Thiago and Rafael.

The next day we went to Joaquina beach for the day which was similar to the first two but there were some sand dunes, so we went sand boarding whilst there which was fun!! Later on we chilled on the hammocks at the hostel and headed out for a wander down the Main Street and went into a bar for a couple of drinks.

The next day we went to a beach a bit further away called Campeche beach. This was a bigger beach and a lot more spaced out, so you weren’t sitting between about 10 umbrellas. It was nicer than the other beaches. In the evening we went out with people from the hostel and stayed out quite late.

The next morning, Thiago came and woke us up to go out for the day with him. He had a car, so he drove us to the Natural pools of Barra de Lagoa. This is sea water surrounded by lots of rocks which stop the waves so it is like a pool. You could jump in and swim there and was pretty cool. We had lunch and then all went to a small beach here, where we all fell asleep as we were knackered from going out the night before. In the evening, we didn’t go out. We chilled out in the hostel on the hammocks.

The next day, we went to Barra da Lagoa beach again but this time walked further up to another beach called Mocambique beach. Here, there was hardly any people around and nobody trying to sell us things. There was another BBQ at the hostel in the evening so we spent the night there.

On our final day here, we got a boat to a small fishing village called Costa da Lagoa where they have the best sea food. We went to a restaurant where everyone was up dancing and singing to the band in the middle and some people even got the microphone and started singing with them. It was really a good  atmosphere here and we didnt want to leave but we had to get back for our night bus to São Paulo.

We arrived here via public bus. We had to get off at the border to get our passport stamped and get back on another bus the rest of the way. We had a bit of a nightmare finding our hostel as we asked the bus driver to tell us when to get off and he never did, so we ended up going way too far and having to go all the way back the  same way. This was annoying and meant that we arrived a bit later than expected. We checked in, went out for our first ‘pay by the kilo buffet’ which are very popular in Brazil and then chilled out by the pool at the hostel. We had a couple of beers at the hostel and cooked tea later on.

The next day, we got up early and got the bus to Iguazu falls. Originally we weren’t going to visit the Brazilian side of the falls as everyone said the Argentinean side was so much better, but we are glad we did! There was a trail to follow and along the trail was more of a panoramic view of all of the waterfalls which was cool as we didn’t get to see this on the Argentinean side. As we got to the end of the trail, we got up really close to the waterfalls. They are so big and powerful, it was like it was raining.

After we visited the waterfalls, we went to a bird sanctuary. This was for birds that had been harmed previously and cannot return to the wild. We saw flamingos, parrots, toucans, macaws and lots of others. There were also some reptiles there.

Later on, we had a overnight bus to catch. Next stop Florianopolis… BEACH TIME!