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.

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!

First off, for those of you who’ve been asking for more photos so that you can actually see what we’ve been talking about – check out Mark’s Visual Journey of images here. Most of the photos up at the moment are of Thailand, but he’ll have Cambodia pics up in the next week or so.

If you’re interested in living the high life vicariously, be sure to read our Just the Planet luxury reviews (of all the incredible places we’ve been lucky enough to stay at so far). These are also constantly updated, so check back often if you’re keen to plan a luxury South-East Asian journey.

And lastly, be sure to watch our latest video diary, of Week 6&7… We’ve figured out the Cambodia conundrum a little more, and are somewhat in love with the place we’re staying in at the moment – the tiny town of Kampot, on the Mekong River. It’s full of delicious baked goods, river sunsets and charming French colonial architecture. What’s not to love?

And lastly, how cool is Just the Planet, the online travel magazine we work for?
Here’s a quote from the home page of their website:

“We support a global consciousness that recognises the importance of sustainable travel and the responsibility we bear to explore the opportunities it presents for every community a traveller visits. We believe that luxury travel should have and can have a conscience.”

We stayed at the One&Only in Cape Town last week (the night before my birthday – best night-before-birthday EVER!) and it was extraordinary. Lavish, luxurious, amazingly comfortable, discreet, beautiful, I would run out of adjectives before I ran out of enthusiasm for it.

Mark and I haven’t really stayed at many 5 star hotels. Our travelling style up till now has been more self-catering cottages than really fancy hotels, but I can tell you right now that I am more than ready for the switch! Of course, we won’t be in fancy hotels the whole time we’re travelling, but if luck is on our side we’ll have a night or two at somewhere incredible in each country. We’ll be reviewing the hotels for Just the Planet – the luxury travel magazine for independent travellers (check them out at www.justtheplanet.com).

For now, we’re just learning the ropes of how best to review hotels, and getting a feel for what is expected at a 5 star place. The review of the One&Only will be up soon – I’ll keep you posted… It was such a treat, really, to be in a place that was entirely focused on comfort, and beauty. The bed was so soft and comfortable, the bath was huge and heavenly, the room looked out over Table Mountain. It honestly felt like a different world.

And yes, it’s a bit of a strange balance to strike – travelling for a cause, to spread the word about diabetes and show that just because you’re diabetic doesn’t mean you can’t follow your dreams – while at the same time staying in these beautiful places and writing reviews of them. But it’s a balance that I think we can strike. Because the whole purpose of this trip is to share the experience of it – and that experience will be wonderful and challenging, luxurious and difficult.

Life as a diabetic is never a smooth ride. You have great days, and awful days, you feel fantastic, and then you feel unwell. Life as a person is like that too, I suppose! And that’s what this trip will be – an illustration of life at its best and worst.
I like that.
I hope you’ll join us on the journey…