Rio + Ilha Grande with Allan

Looks like the Sermon on the Mount!
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

Yes, I made it to the most famous Carnaval in the world! And to make it perfect, Allan came with me!! It was fantastic; electric atmosphere in the Sambodromo, great music, lots of dancing, amazing costumes and floats. I learned to samba reasonably well during the street processions (Bandas) and picked up quite a bit of Portuguese! The city is simply beautiful, and although we were unfortunate with the views from the Sugarloaf Mountain and from Christ the Redeemer (cloud appeared just as we got to the top!), we managed to see some wonderful parts of the city and some wonderful views. One of the best parts was a 3-hour guided tour of the city and nearby Parque Tijuca by our taxi driver, Marcelo. He showed us some fabulous parts of town, including one of the favelas.

Having said all of this, the best part of the trip for both Allan and I were the 6 days we spent in the coastal village of Paraty and on the island Ilha Grande, 2 hours south of Rio. This was the closest to paradise we have both experienced. We spent 3 days snorkelling in clear waters and lagoons with a colourful array of tropical fish, squid, turtles, sea snakes, crabs, sea spiders and jellyfish (got stung a couple of times!).

So, click here for the photos. N.B. because of high crime in Rio at Carnaval time we bought disposable cameras for the city, but Allan managed to smuggle my digital camera past the many pickpockets outside the Sambodromo (hairy experience!) and therefore have some great photos of the Carnaval, although not from the best seats. I made many videos - click here, here, here and here for Rio Carnival procession in the Sambodromo and here and here for Paraty and here for Ilha Grande.

Typical Pampas

Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

Roadtrip through the Argentine Pampas to Peninsula Valdes in Patagonia

On my return from Uruguay (with just over one week before Allan was due to visit) I was invited to join my flatmate, Marco (a marine biologist writing his doctorate at the University of Buenos Aires) and 2 of his German friends on a ‘roadtrip’ to Peninsula Valdes (after collecting mussel samples for his research en route). This was a trip I couldn’t miss! In addition to the many animals photographed (see link below) we saw a skunk, flamingos and a Patagonian grey fox. We travelled almost 4,000km in 7 days!

Click here for photos.

My reason for going to Uruguay

My reason for going to Uruguay
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

So, finally an update! Uruguay.

After my first week in Buenos Aires I went to Uruguay for 3 weeks to stay with my friend, Sacha (right). I met Sacha and Gus in Barcelona 18months ago while visiting Albert Arraut and we hit it off immediately. I promised to visit when I arrive in Buenos Aires and I’m so glad I did!!! I spent just over a week at the glamorous beach resort of Punta del Este at Sacha + Rosita’s (his mother) home, lazing on beaches by day and by night eating asados and going out. I spent 4 days in Cabo Polonio, a remote and tiny village without electricity and running water with beautiful beaches and dunes and a sea lion colony. I then went to the capital, Montevideo, where I stayed at Sacha’s beautiful apartment overlooking the River Plate and the beach, watched the Llamadas (carnival) and got to know the city a little.

As beautiful and exciting as the country and these places are, the people will always stand out in my mind as the warmest, funniest and most friendly I have ever met. I look forward to returning as soon as possible. Thank you Sacha for everything!

Click here for photos. For videos of Cabo Polonio click here and here. For videos of the Llamadas carnival procession in Montevideo click here, here and here.