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24-Hour Party People: Up All Night In Rio
We are now just about to commence the long trip home after the news of Michaela’s father’s death. The following post was due to be next up before we received that news. There is one more Rio post to come after we arrive home….. Well, we’ve done it. We weren’t sure how we would react to partying all night, but we arrive back at the hotel while breakfast is being served and dive straight into the caffeine rush of Brazilian coffee, grab a couple of hours’ kip and then force ourselves to wake before lunchtime to start the day and avoid any jet-lag style slump. By the middle of the…
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Rio Carnival: Pageants, Parties….And Pickpockets
I am so angry with myself for letting it happen. We came to Rio knowing everything about its high rate of petty crime, knowing it’s a centre of the theft universe, came here knowing we had to take extra precautions, be doubly careful, and yet we only reach Day 4 and it’s happened to us. As you will see. But first, the Maracana….. There’s still around 90 minutes till kick-off as we enter the stadium, plenty of time to watch both sets of supporters fill their respective ends and make a start on creating an electric atmosphere. They do just that, and they do it in style – the whole…
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Captain Fiendish & The Whirlwind Of Rio: The First 48
In my mind’s eye there is a British Airways employee, let’s call him Captain Fiendish, whose job it is to sneak behind a curtain just after all the passengers are settled in, and twist the AC control until it reaches the setting with an igloo logo as a temperature guide. As a result of his actions, the cabin quickly descends to unbelievably freezing and has every last passenger reaching for a combination of sweatshirt, hoodie and BA standard issue blanket, or, in some cases, all three. We understand the need for the comfort of AC but why oh why is it necessary to make it this bloody cold? Captain Fiendish…
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Countdown To Rio
It’s that time again. Never mind counting the days, we’re just arriving at the stage where we’ll be counting the hours until we lock the doors behind us and head to Heathrow to start our next great adventure. The exotic, vibrant city of Rio de Janeiro awaits, one of the world’s greatest carnivals about to begin, romantic sounding locations like Copacabana, Ipanema and Corcovado soon to be on our doorstep. It’s a little over a week until the journey begins. After waking up on New Year’s Day many thousands of miles from home in each of the last two years, this feels like a late start for us and the…
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264 And Counting
Being just a little bit addicted to making lists, we have kept a note of every city, town and village outside of Great Britain where we have stayed since we started travelling together in 2011. Not a list of everywhere we’ve visited, that would be too long a list, but a list of every place where we have stayed overnight for at least one night. One night, though, is enough to qualify. The number currently stands at 264 at the end of the year, so we’ll be hoping to push it beyond 300 during 2024. Putting the 264 into alphabetical order, the list runs from Acton (California) to Zermatt, in…
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Concluding Cape Verde
We’re so pleased that we’ve taken the option to walk to the taxi rank rather than arrange a pick up. Carrying our backpacks makes it obvious we’re leaving town, and as we make our way down Avenida Pescadora the walk becomes a succession of farewells which almost makes us feel like we’re leaving behind a lifetime’s friendships. “I take this”, says one of the crew who is always pushing out or hauling in the fishing boats, as he takes the garbage bag off our hands and carries it to the street bin. Next there’s the guy at the craft shop on the corner, then Mustafa the artist, and the girl…
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Return To Boa Vista: Playing Crusoe, Eating Tuna And Exploring The Island
And so we’re back in the little fisherman’s cottage in Sal Rei, back where our Cape Verde time began, to conclude not only this trip but also our travel adventures for 2023. Boa Vista is the desert of Cape Verde, an island of sand dunes and no natural water supply, so different from the sister islands which have their verdant valleys, green mountains and plentiful supply of fresh fruit. An island where it hardly ever rains and where digging out the sand drifts is a constant challenge. Sal Rei is a great little village, rustic and just a little rough, home to those locals still dependent on fishing for a…
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Cidade Velha: Where Cape Verde Began
Darkness has long fallen as we reach our next home, Michaela is in desperate need of rest after the ordeal of the ferry crossing from hell and curls up in the foetal position on the bed, a sure sign she needs recovery sleep. Of course, we haven’t eaten since breakfast: Michaela won’t be in the mood to face anything – I’m empty but don’t feel I should leave her alone so it’s just a handful of Pringles for my dinner tonight. While she sleeps I go to catch up on some admin and to research our new place – but the wifi is as dead as a dodo and stubbornly…
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From The Land Of Fire To The Waters Of Hell
Our last post left us at the point of boarding the ferry from Sao Felipe on Fogo for a 4-hour crossing back to Praia, our enthusiasm a little dampened by the sight of a moody Atlantic threatening a less than joyful journey. The ferry has no outside deck, we have no choice but to take our seats indoors. “I don’t like that boat”, our host had said as we were checking out of our room, “on days like today it’s a horrible journey and people can get sick”. If that isn’t enough, the girl at one of the ticket checks at the port gives a disturbing little chuckle as she…
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To A Land Called Fire
Having from breakfast time till 4pm to make our way back down the island, we take a leisurely scenic drive down the east coast before turning inland across to Praia, rather than retracing our steps through the mountain ranges. Just before we leave the coast, we take a short break in the very appealing town of Pedra Bodejo where a great looking restaurant on the clifftop makes us wish we needed more than just a fruit juice. And so by mid afternoon we’re back in Praia, car returned to the rental company, ready for the earliest morning start of the whole trip for the dawn ferry to our next island,…
