Hotel Continental Canela

... key ring. We reciprocated with koala clip-ons.

The roads were quite good with the exception of the odd road which had buckled in the middle as if the sides had melted during the hot weather and formed a rolled wedge in the centre of the road.

The rain continued throughout the day during our 358km ride until we reached the Hotel Itapua in Santa Maria. (The love shack). We didn't realize it was another one of those pay by the hour ...

... for the European atmosphere, so that was OK. The towns receive a lot of Brazilian tourism during the winter, because they often get some snow, but it's spring here, so both towns were pretty devoid of tourists. The reason that I wanted to visit that specific region was mostly for the geology. The area is geologically diverse, with lots of varied terrain, and mountains(if you can call them that. Actually, they're called the Serra Guacha ...

Drive to Salto do Jacuí. Full day guided visit and visit to two different types of agate mines: open pit and underground mine. Geodes, chalcedony and enhidros, as well as a variety of mineral specimens are featured. Overnight in Salto do Jacuí.

September 19th - As soon as I got on the road, as before with my trip to Porto Alegre, I started thinking clearly and deeply. Leaving Santa Cruz do Sul was as if a fog was lifting from my mind and my vision. I was very much a child in Santa Cruz (Free from my past, learning a new language, a new culture and engaging in different social dynamics.) The further away from SCDS the bus got, the clearer my thinking became. I should ...

These photos are of me preparing to start heading North ... Update: November 12, 2008 - How could I ever say goodbye. Not going to happen. These are pictures of my family in Brazil. Never will I ever say goodbye!!! I will see them again!

... and will end. Nothing sustains. It is not my way to only taste life. For this romantic, I find the thought of this type of experimental way of living a damning way to be. How can you truly, spiritually, know and be a part of anything without the compound bonding that can only arrive through time. People, places, things, jobs ... I have known so many people, so many loves, so many jobs and the one apparent truth ...

... Brazil-Argentina border and into Argentina (sight-seeing and spending the night in another city). Less than 2 hours into our trip they realized that their car registration had expired a week earlier. In America, this would not be a big deal, but in Brazil they impound your car on the spot until you pay the fines and you can't pay the fines until Monday. Although South-Brazil doesn't have even a third of the police force ...

... with 8 kids about 8 years of age. They were intermediate English speakers and surprisingly had a good grasp of English language basics. They were soooo cool. Soooo much fun. They had so many questions for me. It was awesome. At the end of the class we all took a picture. I was pumped for the rest of the day. Stairway to Heaven - So Friday night I and some friends went out, you know, just to hang out, get a beer ...

Zondag 17 februari 2008 Heerlijk geslapen, helemaal knock-out. De vermoeidheid begint nu al naar boven te komen, maar ja, de afstanden hier zijn zó groot! Dat had ik voor de reis verkeerd ingeschat (en jullie kunnen dat volgens mij ook niet helemaal snappen tenzij je hier zelf bent geweest). Nu dus toch wat aan het twijfelen hoe ik de rest van de reis ga aanpakken. Ik ga Ushuaia overslaan en dus ook Antarctica, anders heb ik helemaal geen tijd om ...

Hi! Er paa hotellet i Santa Maria. Bor har sammen med 112 pensjonister fra Norge. Ikke saa mye aa fortelle egntlig. Eller, er jo det, men orker ikke skrive - er toerst;) Saa det faar bli med stikkord: Det er 36 grader. Vi loper orientering i Jungelen. 9min/km! Santa Maria er en kjedelig by, men ikke saa veldig kjedelig - bare helt normal. Brasil er varmt ...