Holá blessers.

This post is being brought to you courtesy of terrible South American wifi, a plush hotel bed and by a writer powered by the BEST chocolate in Bolivia (a little chocolatier in Sucre called ‘Parati’). You are welcome friends.

So I’ve just hit the three week mark of my break up inspired, midlife crises induced, ‘I am woman hear me roar’ solo mission to my all time bucket list destination of South America. I left Perth bound for Brazil, Bolivia & Peru with no real idea of how it would all pan out or whether or not I was capable of such a challenge. Turns out, I’m doing aight. I wanted to check in on the blog & sprinkle a little Incan love whilst I still have wifi & also to stretch out my metaphoric blogging legs. Side note – both metaphorically & literally these ‘legs’ have felt cramped, achey & crazy fatigued thus far.

Many people have asked ‘why South America?’ when first hearing about my travel plans. Now the inflection and tone of the question changed a little depending on who was asking. Friends asked ‘Ooooo why South America!?” with excitement and intrigue. My mother asked “Why oh why south America!?” with terror and certainty that this trip will be my demise. South America has been the dream for a good five years. Something about the vibrant colours, the passion of the people, the culture, the landscapes …. It called to me. Then, like a good little hippie, I did some research on the spiritual significance//history of this incredible continent & turns out that its home to one of the worlds chakra points. Lake Titticaca is the energetic centre of the globe’s sacral chakra point, which is all about passion, sexuality & creativity. Boom.

Rather than reeling off a word for word account of my travel journal (which is bulging with words, and accidental pressed bugs), I thought I would do a little highlights post & share some of the most significant experiences or places of the trip so far.

FLORIANOPOLIS – Sweet baby Jesus. Add this untapped gem to your bucket list immediately. Have you ever visited somewhere, either local or abroad, and been struck by a sense of connection, familiarity & comfort? That is what Floripa offered me. The beaches were gorgeous, surf was pumping, acai was literally available on every bend, drinks were cheap, food was magnificent & the people were some of the nicest I have ever met. Almost got caught up in the ‘I have to remember this forever’ nature of a holiday that I was all but in the tattooing chair before deciding it might not have been my wisest move. Easter Sunday, as I did a few yoga stretches on the beach with the sun setting over the dunes of what was my favourite beach in all of Floripa, the sky turned a brilliant shade of fairy floss pink and pastel oranges, and I have never in my life felt more aligned & fulfilled than I did in that moment. There’s a reason that Floripa is known as Ilha de Magia (Island of magic). It suuuuuure is.

FOZ DE IGUASU – All I expected of this spot was a few waterfalls & some time in nature. What we got was the most amazing of days spent exploring the Argentinian side of the falls, being swarmed by beautiful butterflies of all colours & sizes, a boat ride that took up to the base of the falls with THOUSANDS of litres of water smashing against us from all directions and, what can only be described as the BEST goddamn barbecue any of us had ever been to. We were welcomed into the family home of Antonio, a friend of the tour company, who offered us an epic feast of salads, vegetables, meats and some delicious fish for yours truly. Oh and unlimited caprihinas (the nation’s infamous cocktail). During the night, girls dressed in traditional Brazilian clothing came out & performed an incredible dance//show for us. We spent the night laughing, drinking, eating, dancing & spent the following day … Hungover as fug.

PANTANAL – The Pantanal is the worlds largest wetlands and spans an incredible distance, offering homes to creatures great and small. We stayed at an incredible ranch with authentic gauchos (Cowboys) who lived & breathed the wild. We saw all kinds of wildlife – blue macaws, Cayman (an alligator like thing), horses, cows, bats, frogs, capawheiras (weird pig like things), lizards, snakes, piranhas … Amazing. Highlights here were definitely the horseback excursion across the wetlands, it was just phenomenal, and the communal hammock room where we slept. Such nature, much fun.

SUCRE – I don’t know what exactly I expected of Bolivia. Something along the lines of short, large bottomed women in full, colourful skirts with happy round faces & black pigtails; bright coloured textiles & maybe a llama or two. Well the reality is a lot more a) impressive, b) culturally appropriate & not just a naive Australian girls silly stereotyped view, c) magical. Sucre is the capital of Bolivia & is home to almost 194000 people. The people are beautiful, big smiles & big hearts. An unmissable sight include the Parque Cretacico – the dinosaur park that boasts the largest collection of dinosaur footprints in the world! Now, I am in no way a Jurassic girl, but this was amazing. Walking in & our of the quarry in high altitude however? Not so amazing. Damn you altitude, you sneaky mother effer.

So that’s all for today my darlings. I am sending you all bucket loads of love, adventure & blessings.

Blessings and wanderlust x