Here it is, our very last video diary.

Not only does it have a clip of me on horseback (unawares), it also shows more of the estancia in San Antonio de Areco, some truly fabulous tango dancing, and clips from the Carnival in Gualeguaychu!
Irresistible!

Check it out on YouTube, or simply watch it below:

PS: We’re home! So happy!! So tired…

Six months ago, I thought that itchy feet were a genetic disorder, doomed never to go away, no matter how much I travelled.
I’ve always had itchy feet. I’ve always longed to travel.

But now, after nearly six months of being constantly on the go, living out of a suitcase, not spending more than 5 nights in one place and not knowing where I’m heading next, I can officially report: Itchy Feet Can Be Cured.

I’m ready to go home.

Yes, Real Life has a lot of admin to deal with – bills, work, shopping, washing up, cleaning, hassle. And of course I’m not excited about any of that. But Travelling also has a lot of admin, just of a different flavour – figuring out places to stay, trying to find the right kind of food (three times a day), finding out how to get from here to there with the least amount of hassle and the smallest cost, searching for an ATM that accepts international cards and will give you the amount of money you’re asking for. There’s a lot of inconvenience about travelling – you have to do things now because there’s no option to wait until later (even as I type I’m thinking that we have to go for dinner soon and I don’t have any food on me). When you run out of cash, there’s nobody to borrow from. When you need to get somewhere, there’s nobody to give you a lift.

I’m really looking forward to the ease of being at home. People speaking my language. Food that I recognise. A bit of good old-fashioned stability.

And yes, we will miss the adventure… It has been the most extraordinary adventure imagineable. But I think there are small adventures to be had in real life. I’ll keep you posted on that.

For now, I have to go and pack my suitcase (for the 1657th time), find some dinner, and go to bed early. 4.30am wake-up call tomorrow, for our 33 hours of travel till we reach Cape Town. We’ve just recorded our last video diary, so that will go up soon, and there are a few more moments to share with you.

But this is the Last Real Blog Post. After six months! Crazy…

Seriously.

Yesterday we flew in a HELICOPTER over Iguassu Falls!!

It was incredible.

Thrilling.

Awe-inspiring.

Without doubt, the ten most exhilarating minutes of my life.
And a Dream. Come. True.

I have ALWAYS wanted to fly in a helicopter, and it didn’t disappoint!

Here’s the Best Moment of the Day we recorded as soon as we landed (we weren’t allowed cell phones in the helicopter, but I took some amazing video footage – well, I think it was amazing. I’ll let you know soon once I’ve had a chance to look at it properly!)

Also check out the Iguassu Falls I keep talking about, and take a look at the charming town of Paraty we spent a few days in last week.
Most excitingly, though, is the fact that I flew in a HELICOPTER! You can see so much from up there, it really is the closest thing I’ve ever felt to flying….
Wow. Still kind of in a suspended state of disbelief.

Alas, sad news.

We realised last week, in a flurry of addition, that South America is about three times as expensive as South-East Asia, so our budget isn’t going to last as long as we’d hoped. In fact, it looks as if we’ll be heading home to South Africa in about a month.

At first, I was really disappointed. We’re in Brazil at the moment, heading to Argentina next, but we’re going to have to miss out Peru and Ecuador, and I’m not going to be able to see my dear friend who’s working in Ecuador at the moment. We’re also not going to be able to stay the full length of time, which is such a shame.

But in the same breath, I have to say that both Mark and I feel so LUCKY to have been able to have this opportunity: to travel together, to discover so much about travelling with diabetes, and to have had so many extraordinary experiences.

As if to prove this point, we spent 22 hours on a bus yesterday to bring us to Iguazu Falls, the most extraordinary waterfalls you can imagine – 275 individual waterfalls all in the same area. It’s mindblowing. Amazing. I’m going to take some video tomorrow to show you how incredible it is… And we’re staying at the simply wonderful Hotel das Cataratas, which is inside the National Park and a TWO MINUTE walk away from the Falls.

So really, who am I to complain if we have to come home a little early? We’re feeling like the luckiest people in the world right now.

Here’s hoping this is an extremely lucky week for you too!

So here’s the first of our South America video diaries (we skipped out a week of video diaries while we jetted back to South Africa for insulin- and family-time, so we’re now on Week 17).

I must admit, the beginning of our time in Brazil had me feeling a little discombobulated – mind in one place, emotions in another, body somewhere else entirely. I suppose that’s what you get for trying to visit 3 continents in 1 week! And now? You’ll have to watch to find out…
As well as to see some of the truly amazing sights that we’ve been lucky enough to see since we got here.

Really cool. I promise.

Some of the best, in fact:

First of all, we saw the sun rise over Cape Town, as we were about to catch our plane (at 6am, yawn!)

Then we visited the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro… Wow.

Caught some amazing views on top of Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio…

And finally, my favourite, we discovered a slice of Brazilian forest heaven in the mountains near Petropolis. Take a look:

And finally, in case you’ve been curious about the amazing hotels we review for Just the Planet, we’ve started a new kind of video – Luxury Hotel Moments.
Here’s one from Copacabana Palace, the fabulous hotel we stayed at in Rio:

And click through to this one from the lovely Green Bridge House.
All in all, a pretty special week, I’m sure you’ll agree!

So we’ve been in Brazil for a week, and I feel as if we finally have enough of a taste of it to make a few observations…

But first, an update!

We arrived in Rio de Janeiro after what can only be described as a week of madness. South-East Asia to South Africa for a whirlwind in-and-out visit to pick up fresh insulin and say hello to our families. Then off to South America, another 5 hour time difference, and a whole heap of jetlag. We were in Rio for 3 nights, right on Copacabana Beach, luxuriating in the delicious glamour of it all and soaking up a few sights (mainly the beach and the beautiful Sugar Loaf mountain, where you swing between two incredible vantage points on cable cars).

Then we headed off to the mountains surrounding Petropolis, to a wonderful little hidden gem known as the Green Bridge House, home to some remarkable views, stunning nature, and delicious food. Really delicious.

After our two nights of peace we headed back to Rio for a night, mainly to check out the Corcovado (or Christ the Redeemer, as he’s also known) – the most famous landmark of Rio, and to buy some extremely cheap Havaiana slops.

And then we boarded a bus for Paraty, where we are now, a charming little seaside town that’s been declared a UNESCO National Heritage Site, and feels to me like a little European village – it’s all cobblestones, horse-drawn carriages and charming cafes.

So now! A few brief impressions:

* Brazilians are reallllly confident. Everybody walks around in skimpy outfits (tiny tank tops, miniscule shorts, crop tops, you name it), no matter what their body looks like, or how old they are. I like it!

* Everybody is really tanned. Seriously tanned. Chocolate doesn’t even begin to describe it. I feel pale.

* It’s crazy expensive. Obviously we’re still in a South-East Asian mindframe, but everything seems to cost at least three times as much as it did in Asia, and more than it would at home.

* It is so beautiful. The bus rides double as scenic journeys, even if you’re only going an hour (as we did on our way the mountains around Petropolis).

* The food is dangerously delicious, and full of carbs. I mean, everything is a carb – loads of white bread, deep fried pastries, deep fried snacks, meat and cheese. I’ve had to hold back (a lot) on the diabetic front, or I’d be gorging myself and taking massive doses of insulin… I’m already on far more than I was in South-East Asia!

More observations tomorrow, I promise. Sorry for the long gap in communication – internet has been a little tricky to come by of late.

To make up for it, here are some views from the last few days…

In Rio de Janeiro. Brazil. South America.
Not sure what day it is.
Hell of a long journey to get here.
Woke up at 4.30am, got to bed at 2.30am. Went through passport control (long long long lines) 3 times between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro alone. Six times altogether. Exhausting.
South-East Asia, South Africa and South America all in one week.
Yikes.

A little tired.
As you can imagine.
But now staying in the simply glorious Copacabana Palace (till tomorrow).
Yup, you guessed it, right on Copacabana Beach. In Rio.
Quite surreal.
Especially seeing as I have that song in my head on a constant loop.
You do too now, don’t you?
Co-pa-ca-ba-na!

South America already feels more familiar.
Potatoes. Meat. (Beans). Fruit.
Loving it!

Will report more coherently when the fog of tiredness lifts completely.
I’m guessing tomorrow. Or the next day.
10 hour time difference between today and where I was a week ago.
Enough said.