It’s been about 2 weeks since the start of my Very Big Adventure. I am starting to write this in a random, but beautifully air conditioned, library in Paraty. We have a lot to catch up on…

The journey started in Brazil! In Rio de Janeiro! For Carnaval! If you know me, you know that this is a long standing dream come true for me. I have been obsessed with Brazil for as long as I can remember and going to Carnaval has been top of my bucket list for the longest time too. It feels low key surreal to have actually experienced it and ticked it off.

I stayed in Ipanema, right by the beach. My hostel, (El Misti), was super well located and very social but the rooms were not giving. It didn’t matter hugely though because I was OUTSIDE! At blocos, (well, one successful bloco), the Sambadrome which was even more incredible than I could have imagined. The costumes, the colours, the dancing, the drums, the music, the vibe, the fireworks: everything was magical. The level of detail that goes into the floats is mind blowing. I had an almost spiritual experience on a night out at Casa Black Rio which honestly had me shaking ass so hard, I swear all my stress and strife melted away. This was immediately followed by a hike up Dos Irmãos to watch the sunrise over the city.

I met so many people from all over in the hostel. I met Bugzy Malone (!) at a bloco. I met a lovely girl in a random bikini shop – it was honestly such a great way to start my trip and opened my eyes to the magic of travelling. (Bruh, that sounds so cliché but it’s true!). It was a little lonelier than I was expecting as a lot of people will come to Carnaval with a group of friends/partners/etc, but I think there will be peaks of troughs of company/no company as the trip goes on.

Anyways, after daily açai and tapioca it was time to head to Ilha Grande…