Carnival in Recife, Brazil

Carnival in Recife, a rough town in the north of Brazil, promised to be something different - the temperature seemed higher, the prices doubled and a frenzy swept the place. We didn't know what to expect.

Against the odds, we had managed to meet Solenn, a friend of Albane's, with her boyfriend, David, and their friend Stephan, a French lorry driver. Carnival brought a certain pattern to our activities - we would eat, sleep and relax until 4pm before taking the bus to the centre of old Recife. From then on, it was a matter of eating (sticks of cheese melted over charcoal and skewers of chicken and beef), drinking (cold beer and lethal caiparinha) and following the music.

There were a number of stages around the centre with different themes - African, Fantasy, Electonica - and groups of drum-beating musicans marched through the streets sucking in dancers and groupies along the way.

We managed three days (well, nights) and enjoyed seeing this famous part of Brazilian life, but we missed the floats and gala shows of Rio de Janeiro, though we could see them on the TV. I guess that our expectations had been shaped by the Rio image and we had not expected what was in effect a huge street festival. We left Recife at 2 in the morning on a flight to Rio from where we would take two more planes and a couple of buses to reach northern Peru three long days later.

Thanks for the photos, Stephane.

Fernando de Noronha

The little plane circled the island of Fernando de Noronha - former pirates' lair, leper colony and prison; present day untouched tropical paradise - and urgently slowed to a stop on the short runway which seemed to take up most of the length of the southern part of the island. A buggy - think 1970s kitsch beach buggy - took us to meet Jainina, a local who had agreed to rent us her house for the week.

The island and its coast are protected. Surfers, honeymooners and rich Brazilians all come to enjoy the wildlife, waves and romantic beaches. We were two of only 4 "backpackers" who got off the plane - our budget for the week was a thick wad of notes in the wallet. Albane pointed to all the activities that she wanted to do and I had to wonder if our trip was going to end a few months early!

One morning we went to a tidal pool and snorkelled with schools of tropical fish, went mask to tentacle with an octopus and watched a small moray eel protect its cave. It was like swimming in a fish tank. At high tide, we would invariably swim 15 minutes across a bay to snorkel with Hawksbill turtles grazing on the coral. It was incredible to watch the wise reptiles with their beaked mouths swim beneath and around us, their front fins flapping like wings. On one occasion we saw 7 together, a feeding frenzy conducted at a sedate pace.

At low tide, we would walk the coves on the west coast, idyllic palm-fringed curves of white sand and clear water. We would swim, dry off and then walk to the next beach before doing the same. In a couple of hours, we walked a roll call of beaches - Borde, Americano, Padre, Baia do Porcos (named after its Cuban namesake) and Sancho, the most beautiful beach in Brazil.

On a boat trip, we anchored on an offshore reef and snorkelled over rocks occupied by shoals of parrot fish, small yellow-striped fish and tiny shiny purple aquarium fish. The sandy bottom was 20 metres below us, but we watched a stingray flap far below us as if it were within reach.

For the last two days, we rented a motorbike, a 250cc Honda dirt bike, and rode the dirt trails to remote beaches where the turtles laid their eggs at night. One small crash on a slippery morning dented my riding skills more than ourselves.

On one afternoon, we hung onto small boards attached by a rope to a speedboat and were dragged through the sea. A small tilt of the board downwards and we slipped beneath the surface to fly through the water. It was great fun and we were soon swooping and arcing through the deep blue like the Spinner dolphins that we watched one morning at dawn from a cliff.

And like all good boyfriends, I bought Albane cold caiparinhas to drink at a beachside bar as we watched the sunset. Who said that romance is dead?

Rio to Recife, Brazil

We arrived in Rio de Janeiro from the rain and cold wind of Patagonia to step off the plane into the heat and humidity of Brazil. For the next 3 weeks, there would not be a single moment, day or night, when I would not be sweating. Dressed in shorts, flip flops and a vest, we would also not open our big rucksacks until we reached Peru at the end of the month.

Put simply, Rio was too hot for us and 2 days after arriving - Copocabana beach (bereft of the Brazilian beauties that we (well, I) had expected to find) and Sugarloaf mountain seen - we left in an air-conditioned bus. Our destination was Porto Seguro, far to the north, where we spend a few days by the coast. It was a pleasant spot with palm trees, blood temperature water and self-service restaurants where you paid for your food by weight.

The highlight was the infamous Alcohol Alley where, each evening, perhaps 30 stalls selling fruit cocktails open and bombard strolling holidaymakers with the virtues of their drinks. I ordered a caiparinha, THE Brazilian drink, and for less than a pound got half a pint of strong sugar cane spirit (cachaca) mixed with crushed ice, sugar and chunks of lime. I only needed one!

From Porto Seguro, we took another bus to the surfing village of Itacare where we spent 5 days trying to adjust to the heat and tempo of Brazil. Each morning, I would surf at 5.30 am before, waking Albane, and eating mango, papaya and banana for breakfast. A swim before lunch, a siesta in the hammock and back to the beach for a sunset surf. The true Brazilian beach lifestyle!

After Itacare, we bused north to the city of Salvador, reputed to be one of the most dangerous places in Brazil for muggings of tourists. With a huge African influence - the result of slaves being brought by the Portugeuse to work in the sugar cane fields, we saw a very different type of culture - African music, belief in a wide range of Nigerian gods, ornate costumes and the famous capoeira - a mix between a dance and a martial art developed by the slaves in anticipation of a revolution.