Beaches Beaches Beaches

After leaving the mountainous region of Ouro Preto, we headed for the coast and spent a week beach hopping - going from one idyllic beach to the next. These beaches are completely unknown to western tourists but are considered some of the best beaches in the world. The Brazilians are very happy to keep them a secret from the rest of the world. The sand is practically white and goes for miles. The water has quite a current to it, making it very difficult to swim in but it is excellent to wade into and ride the waves back to shore. It is so much fun sitting in the shallows trying to stay upright whilst the waves try and push you over. It is impossible to be in the water without continuously giggling! The beach week came as a welcome break for some of my fellow travellers. Not everybody started their trip at the beginning of January as I did. In fact some of them have been living on the truck since the 17th September. They joined in Quito, Ecuador and have gone all the way round South America, through Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina before I joined them in Rio. So relaxing on the beach, having a cocktail or two and watching the sunset revitalized everybody.