Giggle

Now we're in Montevideo, kind of dirty but really nice! Everyone is friendly and nice, and I can understand what they are saying, which is nice for a change. My portuguese isn't really up to par, I can read it but when they speak, I'm lost. We went out partying like mad with the group yesterday, Emma and I were back at the hotelroom at 4:30. Yay! We had free entrance, amd the drinks were, as almost everything here, very cheap. You have to forgive my bad math here, I have lots of currency rates in my head right now and might be wrong, but I figure three large drinks went for 10 US$. Thank you! Emma is terribly hung over right now, but I feel fine, I think I have a fast absorbation (is that even a word?) or something like it.

I get very pushy when drunk though, so I made some moves on Ole. Don't know if he is that interested though, we'll see, but Trey said that he thought Ole thinks I'm cute, which is something at least. We went out for some air and he held my hand, which was terribly cute, but not so much to build up hopes for. But he said earlier that he always takes it really slow when going into relationships, and we danced a lot, so maybe, I don't know. I'll take it easy on this one. I can still like him as a person, he is so sweet and nice.

Our club was fun! Great music, mostly salsa and such, I loved it! I hate to dance to techno, it bores me to death. The guys can move for sure, but I found no one cute on our club, sadly. Danced with one who was nice and a great dancer. Out on the streets there were lots of hotties though! The kept whistling and screaming after us when we walked through town, I guess it was the blonde hair. :)

My camera has been dead for soem days, we've been on bus and then I forgot to charge it, bare with me!

Salto

Howdy folks. You'll have to excuse me, I promise this is the first and only time I'll type a blogpost while drunk. Okay, not THAT drunk, but I've had two vodkas with 7 up so now I'm "funny", in the words of Ole and Raimo, his friend. :) He's sitting by the computer next to me btw. Malin is not just funny, but happy as well!

We're in Salto now, which is basically a hole in the ground on our way to Montevideo. The hotel is not much to be glad about, but its only for one night and tomorrow we head for Montevideo and the party! The bus trip was okay, I ended up sleepign using three seats on my own. Credit for that. I have no pictures to show right now, basically because there hasn't been anything fun to photograph yet. Pomise to come back with party pictures or something like it later, like, tomorrow or the day after.

We went to a spa today, it was okay but kind of shabby. They had termal baths, but who wants to bathe in 55 degrees when its 37 in the air? Just no. No no no.

I spent my night with Ole, Raimo and Trey, from Australia. We drank beer (The guys) and vodka 7 up (me) and had a great time. Talking about guys/girls differences, can it be funnier?

Argentina

It's a beautiful day...

It's been great weather for days now! I love it. The day before yesterday we went to Paraguay, before the Iguassu falls, forgot to mention that. We were there only for a couple of hours, but I figure I can put in on my list of countries where I've been. We went to some sort of market, it was greta, but lots and lots of people practicallt throwing themselves on us to try and sell stuff. Mainly socks, which was odd since it was hot, hot, hot outside... No one would have wanted to put on thick socks, surely?

Anyway, I bought an amazing, draped, blue dress, quite short, but it will be great for partying! I got a discount as well, don't know how that happen but you won't hear me complain! ;)

Yesterday we went to the Argentinian side of the Iguassu falls, it was very nice, wandering through rainforest and looking at waterfalls. today we leave for uruguay, Salto to be exact. not looking forward to the bustrip, just hoping we will have a similar bus as the last one...

Iguassu Falls

Iguassu from the air!

Our helicopter

From left: Me, Malin Hug, Tove, Emma

The bustrip went much better than I expected. Didn't get to sit next to "my" norwegian, but maybe thats the best. My best friend (Emma, btw) was quite ill yesterday, nausea, so I took care of her. Not a hard choice to make. I wouldn't ´put some "maybe" guy over her, never.

We had a nice bus though, large, comfy setas and some sort of support for the legs. Felt first class! I didn't sleep like I would have in a bed, but it was okay and I wasn't as exhausted as I were after our flight here.

The hotel standard till now has been very high! I imagined shared dorms, but we've been staying in real hotels, and driven around in a van with air-con. Not so very adventurous, as I thought, but oh how I like it! I'm very fond of anything comfortable. :)

Today, we visited the famous Iguassu falls, which gave name to this blog as well. It was spectacular. Stunning. I can't find proper words to describe it actually. Emma and I payed for a trip over the falls in a helicopter. I've never been in one, and the flying itself were as exciting as the view! :) We got to sit in front with the pilot, so cool!

And almost even more exciting, guess what? I took a picture of my Norwegian for you all.

He is called Ole, pretty huh? Lives in Oslo, 29 years old, works as a Business manager. He is lovely, I don't know if there is something, but at least, he always lights up when he sees me, which makes my heart melt. He is nice, easy to talk to. He listens! Imagine that. And remembers. I've talked about that I want to be a lawyer before, and when we were supposed to fill in forms for the bus trip, someone joked and said that everyone should fill in "doctor" or "lawyer" in the "profession" box. He told me that I should pick lawyer then. Tiny detail, I know, but guys usually don't listen that carefully when you're just blurting out things because you just want to talk for as long as possible, right? I might fall, sigh.

To the right...

Picspam from Ilha Grande

One of the cute beaches

View from the jungle! That is some lovely colour. :)

Our "Pousada", view from the chalet

Dining area

Our chalet

We've moved to Paraty now, and tomorrow we head for Iguassu falls, 24 hour in a bus. I WILL sit next to "my guy". No matter what. The norwegian... Yesterday was just lovely. I sat head to head with him at the resturant, and at night, we sat in a sofa watching Rush Hour 1 and 2 till half past two in the morning. And talked. About everything. He is just lovely. I might fall for this one. This morning, we shared a chair at breakfast because there wasn't enough space. He felt so warm...

I refuse to talk about that, or him in general with my friends though. I don't want to jinx or ruin anything.

Sunshine

Sorry for the lack of photos, the computer on this island won't accept the camera, sorry. Will be back with photos when we leave then.

Today it's been hot and sunny, we left our chalet in the morning and headed out in the jungle in search for abeach. Had to climp through some quite rough terrain before we found a cute little beach. (pictures later, promise promise)

I got terribly sunburnt of course, but luckily, it doesn't hurt much.

Yesterday we went out on a restaurant with the rest of the group, I sat face to face with the cute norwegian guy, he was really nice, but my friend ruined everything for me when she said "God you're so obvious!" After that I almost didn't dare to speak to him.

The entire group was going on a boat trip today, with barbecue and caipirinha, but none of my friends wanted to go so I ended up not going either. Pity, HE was on it, and when I ran in to him just now he was really drunk. I could have made a move. But thanks to that, not going on that trip, I felt depressed all day. Have barely said a word, and my friends thinks I'm behaving really bad. I just don't know what to do. I feel so terribly lonely. I want someone as well. Someone who cares for me, that I can feel the same way about. But it seems kind of hopeless. I even miss my asshole of a boss. Or, at least being close to him. Feel secure for a while.

Ilha Grande

We've moved again, surprise surprise. :) Ilha Grande is a paradise island, for sure, but it just won't stop raining! Not that fun, but what to do? Life gets quite boring here though, not much to do beside sunbathing and swimming, neither feels tempting right now. Sigh. This island disappoints me! No just kidding, its really beautiful, and we got this awfully cute chalet, which I will post photos of later. I forgot the cable to the camera. Good girl Malin.

It was quite cold tonight, one of us claims she "sweats like a pig" and so the air-con were on fullt blast all night. I had one practically see-through blanket, and when I woke up, my friend, who I shared a bed with (cozy cozy) was practically covered in every other blanket we had. I guess she thought my blanket was warm. WRONG. My how I'm gonna cuddle her tonight, if it will remain this cold.

The norwegian remains awfully hot though. Perfectly highlighted, messy hair, nice body, cute smile, tanned skin, and some stubble. Just grrr. Sadly, we don't hang out much with the rest of the group. I'll fix that!

We have some more days here, I hope for some sun! But my friend and I will return, pray for better weather! Its so very rainforest-esque.

I saw the vid of Nando in the Sportman cologne ad btw. I almost peed my pants on the spot. My Iker he is hot...
"Feelin' hot, hot, hot..."

I'll post pics of me with water to my knees on a street in Rio, Copacabana later. Worth to see!

Rainy!

Right, nothing here is done by half it seems. I wish the baby diseases of this trip could just END and let me have a good time. Is that really too much to ask? Lucky its only been like three days and we have lots to go! We moved to Copacabana today, to a lovely hotel, with real beds and a lovely bathroom, it is pure heaven. BUT. Our group of four were separated. Not two in each, NO, we have three people in one room and my best friend was left alone with a girl we haven't met yet in another room. And I feel totally insecure and left alone! She is like my safe spot, that i can hold onto when theres downs. I'm such a baby. But of course, its only for one night, and she'll stay till bed time.

I love this place though. Right now, its pouring. Raindrops the size of footballs, and yet its not cold! Lovely! We have walked to an internet café, and I'm soaking wet, but whatever really. :) I love how tropical it feels, and it feels like we've been here forever already. My food problem is sort of solved, I do have problems with nausea at home as well, due to stress. Makes me grumpy when I can't keep food. But I try to avoid the things I know makes it worse, like milk and too much sour things and such.

Tomorrow we will leave for our three week trip, it feels exciting and fun! The reason we moved to a real hotel is because the trip takes off from there. Some of the people we will travel with are already here, I laid eyes on a hot guy, and guess what? He is Norwegian. Sigh. So much for the exotic brazilians huh?

I look forward to Ilha Grande, I have a feeling it will be calm and nice, to sooth my nerves a bit. This 'best friend has a boyfriend' gets to me more than I want to. He keeps leaving comments on our shared blog, and it makes me want to scream at him to leave us alone. I feel so stupid for this, that I can't accept him, my friend thinks its because its A guy, but to me, really, its because its THAT guy. It feels so wrong that he is so much older. And a selfish part of me thinks he takes her away from me. He seems sweet though, I hope it feels better when I get to meet him, for the sake of my friend, I don't want to hurt her, and she gets sad when I don't talk about him, or ask her questions and so. I'm working on it, it just takes some time to get used to the thought. Its been only me and her for so long now.

Tonight, there will be a meeting about the trip, it will be nice to see who we are travelling with!

When we arrive to Argentina, we will try to get some football tickets as well. Our aim is deffo Boca Juniors vs whatever really. I'm very fond of Boca Juniors, they bare my colours and my beloved spanish techer, who also sort of got me into football, with his love for Atléti, have talked about them a lot. I hope to get to see them.

The pics, which I do not know how to put together nicely, is from Botafogo, where we lived at first.

Ipanema

A few pics from yesterday, when we frolicked our white skin at the Ipanema beach. ;)

Maracanã

Today was better, at first, with some downs, like when I got furious and left my friends at a restaurant, running back to our hostel. We hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast, and when we finally found a sandwich bar, that wasn't good enough. No, we had to have something warm to eat. So we wandered around some more, until we found an actual restaurant. By then, I was exhausted and hungry. We couldnt understand the menu though, it was in portuguese only and the staff couldn't say a word in english to save their lives even. I just panicked. Felt so embarrased lately of course, since my pride was a bit to big to say I behaved wrongly. Feels like I'm venting everything here. Sorry.

The morning was nice though, we walked trough a part of Rio called Urca, very pretty, with houses in bright pastels and lots of old marble. Its really hot here! And Humid, you swat like pig. Sigh. Not looking so very pretty! ;)

But then, My best friend and I went to Maracanã! Just... wow. We watched Flamengo vs Palmeira, and Flamengo won 5-2. It felt nice to see a game where you didn't have your heart with any of them, we could cheer for anyone. We were in a veritable SEA of black and red though, so we decided that Flamengos were our team! It was insane, 70000 people and nowhere near full. They played like crazy, defenders running all over and cheers from the stand as soon as anyone in Flamengo was even an inch from the ball. They sounded like they had lost someone close to them when the team missed as well.

Bad rehearsal...

Finally, I'm here, but right now, I just want to go home. It started on our way to the airport, they called from Air France to tell us our flight was cancelled, not postponed or delayed, cancelled. Two of us got rescheduled at once, to Amsterdam instead of Paris, and then on to Paris from there. My best friend and I though, they booked us wrong, and for quite some time, we didn't know if we would even make it to Rio that night. I spent a few minutes outside the terminal crying, thinking that it was over before it even started.

But this time, we had some luck, at least. We got two last minute seats on the same flight as our friends, and after some serious running trough the corridors, and more tears, we we're finally on our first flight. Of course, our problems weren' solved that easily. Before departuring to Amsterdam we had been told that we would need to get new tickets for the flight to Paris at the transfer desk at Schipoll. When we arrived, three of us got our boarding pass from Paris to Rio, and the fourth didn't. she was told that after arriving in paris, we would have fifteen minutes before boarding to get her pass. And the flight was late. We ran off the plane, and straight into the arms of our guardian angel, one of the flight attendants at Charles de Gaulle. She had got a message form Amsterdam that we had one passenger that lacked a boarding pass, and that we were in a real hurry. But the guided os through two terminals, and got us a boarding pass almost on the run.

You could think that now it was the end of troubles, but no. The flight was almost 12 hours long, we had been going since five the same afternoon, and when we landed in Rio, I had had a total of one hour sleep since I woke up in Sweden. I was exhausted, and I still am. At the airport in Rio, one of our bags did not arrive, of course, one could imagine huh? One selfish part of me just felt relieved it wasn't mine, and the other half wanted to cry because we had had enough trouble now. Luckily, the bag has been found and will arrive to our hostel tomorrow. Fingers crossed now!

I still feel terrible though. I'm heavily jet-lagged, a great deal of nausea invovled, and my friends, who are tired but maybe not quite to the same extent as me, since they could sleep at least a little, wants to explore now. So we've been to Ipanema beach, which was beautiful, warm and nice, but very crowded, mainly by people with a lot of , ahem a*s, and veeeery teeny weeeny bikinis. Lots of flesh!

The water was cold as hell, but looked nice, at least. Since the sand almost could give you blisters, it was a nice relief to walk in the brim and feel the (huge) waves swirl around your toes.

I promise to come back with pics, we have some, but right now, I'm like the worst person ever to talk to, since I'm trying to stay awake until tonight, so I won't ruin the other three peoples rhythm...

Rio is pretty though, with lots of palmes and lush trees, and right now, perfect weather. I just want to feel rested and nice so that I can enjoy it properly.

Later then!

Calm before the storm

So this is it. Everything is done. We can't fix anything more now. All we can do now is wait. For tomorrow, when the car will come and pick us up and drive us to the airport. It feels surreal. This trip has been planned for so long. At times, I didn't know it it would actually happen. It felt so far away. And now its here. Weird.

Today, it's been a "farewell" day, which feels odd in itself, since I'm not going to die or move away. Two months is a long time, but not forever. I guess I will figure out if its too long or too short soon. I'm almost curious to see how it will be. When we apporach the end of the trip, will I want to stay or will I be dying to go home?

Well, as I've said as a joke for months now, maybe I'll get married and stay forever! Ahem.

Bugger

This isn't going so well actually. Time to throw in the towel and realise I'm not so good with packing, and organising and such. No. But I have done some productive things, at least:

• I've worked to save up money
• I have the tickets, a valid passport and an actual room to stay in when we've arrived
• I've been through a reeeeally painful vaccination session. Two, actually. Three injections in total. I'm terrified of needles and cried like a baby through both. Luckily, I had my best friend with me so I could hold her hand.
• I've fixed an insurance.
• Borrowed the backpack. The one that hates me and refuse to have space for everything I want to bring.
• I've been out shopping aaaall the boring stuff you need to bring, like a mosquito net, and travel sheets, and medicine against diarrhea. Mmmm...
• I've written a neat list of what I need to bring.

But I'm still unable to sort out what clothes I should bring. Right now, the situation is escalating, and rapidly. My entire bed is covered in things, ad my biazed eye can't see that I could take anything away. Nope. To me, they're all essentials.

I think I need some help.

And BREATHE

Okay, so this trip keeps coming closer and closer. Right now, all I want to do is curl up and hide underneath my quilt... Just stay where everything is safe and familiar.



But at the same time, I want to go.

I don't want to stay here, where I work my ass off, get pressured to start study NOW, even though I got accepted to Law and my future is almost safe and there is nothing to complain about really.

I don't want to stay here where my best friend just got a new boyfriend, who I hate although I have never met him (he's 18 years her senior), 'cause now she has almost no time for me, and all we do is fight because we are both loaded with pressure and anxiety. She's the one I'll be travelling with, btw.

I dont want to stay here when my grandfather died yesterday and my grandmother lives in our house now, heartbroken. It kills me to see.



I sent away my horse, my baby, to a friend to take care of when I'm gone. I miss him so much it hurts. Physically. I saw a picture of him a few days ago, at my other best friends birthday party, and I broke apart, crying.



I have to get away.

Longing for sunlight

I'm not so satisfied being in Sweden right now actually. Winter is here, and brrrrr its cold. Not, to quote Eddie Izzard "F*ucking freezing" but enough for me to put on the Canada Goose parka and complaing about not feeling my ears. But then, I'm the type who thinks anything below +20 C is "winter".

But oh how it helps to imagine where I will be in less than a week!

*Sings Barry Manilows 'Copacabana'*

This is Ilha Grande, an island located outside Rio de Janeiro, where I'll be spending Christmas.

Oh My God!

Hello, hi, Malin speaking.

So, you've found my travelblog. Good for you! Makes me happy.

Anyway, I started this blog, err, today actually, and it's meant to be a help for all my lovely, foreign friends to keep up with my upcoming trip to Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. Only four days left, and to be frank, I'm trembling.

I've just started my packing, to be honest, I tried a few days ago and it didn't go so well. Normally, I love to pack, it gets me so excited, but this totally brings me out of my comfort zone and I'm terrified. See, I can't travel with my cabin bag, you know, the ones with wheels that you just pull, really classy, nice stuff. No, this will have to be with a backpack. I don't own one, instead, I had to borrow one. Its hardcore that backback. Feels like it hates me really.

I can't bring the stuff I usually do either. That would be my beautybox. Never have I been on vacation without a beautybox loaded with make up, hair tools, all sorts of creams and gadgets that takes up more space than the actual clothes. I can't bring 6 pairs of shoes (mainly high heels and various sorts of pumps) because now I'm supposed to walk. Wander even. It scares me. But at the same time, this will be the best thing I'v ever done, I'm sure. I just have to find out what I should wear. Thats all, really!