07.50 My hair is wet, our things are scattered, and our pillows are thin. It's a typical morning this summer. We're in Uberaba, Brazil. Almost ready for a new day.

09.08 Mysterious things can happen in such simple places as a breakfast room. Christer helped himself to some juice and put the glass away temporarily. After he took the bread, the juice glass was gone without a trace. A moment later A lady on staff was seen carrying a juice glass. Was it Christer's glass? If that's what it was, why did she take it? How was the breakfast otherwise, well, a good selection but nothing solid, substantial and filling. Now we're going to fill up on fluids before a short sightseeing trip here in the city.

We spent the morning taking a look at Uberaba.

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Avenida Getúlio Guarit, Uberaba.

10.15 There wasn't much sightseeing. This is probably mainly because the city doesn't have that many attractions. However, we did see Nostra Senhora das Dores church and walked both up and down this hilly city. It's breezy today but it's still warm.

10.57 We're back in the room. We had trouble getting into the hotel. The front door was locked for some reason. Now the shirts will dry and we will cool down. After that we will head towards our departure point.

11.18 The place has been reached. Just before we entered the bus station, we were offered we took a taxi. Did we make a mistake by ignoring it and walking the last ten meters ourselves? When we were about to leave the hotel, the door was locked again and it was locked behind us. Was it because the reception was not fully staffed or did they want to keep people away until then that all the rooms were cleaned? Just wondering, are all the rooms cleaned every day? Or are they only the ones that have been occupied?

Igreja de Nostra Senhora das Dores.

A typical workday for this horse in Uberaba.

11.42 We have refilled with new fluid and will soon be getting rid of the one we drank yesterday. After that we board our bus. It is estimated that the journey today to Belo Horizonte will take seven hours. The bus company we will be traveling with is called Gontijo (http ://www.gontijo.com.br).

12.29 We are sitting in the third row of seats on the bus, the right one to be exact. In the first, left row of seats, there is a man holding the curtain. Why not just pull the curtain ?

12.56 The curtain has been drawn, the bus has stopped, now the air conditioning has stopped too. Outside the bus is a huge field. There are brown, dry stems with a light green top. The air conditioning is back on but we are at a standstill. It is a roadworks and only one lane is open.

Beautiful green fields east of Uberaba.

Roadside swidden farming.

16.14 New stop, new queue for waiting for oncoming traffic, new roadworks. It's really dry out there in nature. We really need some rain here.

Beautiful trees at the bus station in Araxá.

Cattle grazing on dry grass in Minas Gerais .

16.41 I wonder if the most common job in Brazil is road worker. We stand still and wait once more. A certain part of the journey time consists of waiting.

17.09 The view here is adorable , captivating. There are green rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Can't the bus stop here instead so that good photos can be taken? The mountain range here is called Serra Dacanastra.

17.47 It's time for another quarter-hour break. We are in the city of Luz. The sun is setting and I tried to capture it all. A break is good, but I want to get to BH .

Our bus has taken a well-deserved break.

Sunset in Luz.

18.22 We just crossed the São Francisco River. It grows and becomes large before it reaches the sea further north in the country. Here, however, it is small and spare. For us, there are around 200 kilometers left. We probably won’t arrive by 19.00 as the timetable says. We have to thank all the roadworks for that, among other things.

21.29 The joy is high. We have arrived in Belo Horizonte, Brazil’s third largest city. Christer is looking for a place to eat here at the bus station and I try to chat with a local man. Yes, he is the one who is mostly curious and eager to talk.

21.44 Christer found several places to eat. I said hello to my temporary friend and we went to Cortina d’Água. Here we have each ordered a sandwich and a drink. Our table is covered with a rubber tablecloth with countless holes in it.

23.22 We were full and paid for ourselves. We quickly went to our new home, Hotel São Bento (http://www.hotelsaobento.com.br). After some writing from the two receptionists, we went to room 320, a Basic room. Here I showered and washed today's clothes. Now it's time to rest. Evert Taube's power is broken. Now it's Cornelis Vreeswijk and "Deidre's samba" that are humming, that can be heard in the head.

23.48 The Copa de Brasil is over for this year. Santos are the cup champions. They have just beaten Vitória from Salvador. We saw the end of the match on our TV. Now a fight song, a tribute song, is playing. It feels like it was a while since it was recorded. They sing about Santos being the champion and it is played on wind instruments (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6ANFRIIvdI).

Thursday 5th of August

08.19 First morning in Belo Horizonte. Here you get the feeling of spring with birdsong and stream-cold water. The room is largely covered with furniture. There is only a small area to stand, walk and place yourself and things on.

09.28 We are back from a well-balanced breakfast. A gentleman in red studied some of what I was doing with a curious look. Did I do something different? Did I do something wrong? Do I look like someone he knows? We firmly believe that a Finnish couple lives here at the hotel.

Hotel São Bento

Belo Horizonte

10.45 We have been out in the city and have unsuccessfully searched for an internet café in the large shopping mall Shopping Cidade (http://www.shoppingcidade.com.br). It is +29 C today and lots of people are moving. In addition, the streets run diagonally and you never really know which way you are going. It is easy to get lost here in the city center, to say the least. We have also seen a mounted policeman guarding an intersection.

11.40 An internet café has been found near our hotel. There are a lot of people on the city streets right now. If you stop, you will beggars.

12.09 We are back home for a short stop. Bus tickets need to be written. Then it's the bus station. The Marmitex that we wondered about the other day when we had lunch in Uberaba could be a buffet plate that was picked up by the staff.

13.43 We went on a postcard hunt and searched in wild despair. Finally we managed to find some in a kiosk. Now we are back in Shopping Cidade. Here we will have lunch at the restaurant Pomodoro. We wanted to sit inside the restaurant section but were shown to some tables outside. Aren't we dressed nicely enough?

Christer walks on a well-populated sidewalk in Belo Horizonte.

Peter and a temperature reading showing 29 degrees.

Traffic is flowing towards a yellow-checkered intersection on Avenida Afonso Pena.

A quiet oasis in the pulse of the big city, Parque Municipal.

15.11 It was good and needed. Now we have bought bus tickets for the coming days. Now all that remains is a little strolling. Apparently we are not the only ones doing it. On the way between the hotel and the bus station we saw an elderly lady who fell at the curb. Most people dropped everything and rushed to her aid.

15.38 Now it would be good to have a drink. We are sitting on a park bench and are surrounded by Parque Municipal. In front of us is a small pond called Lago dos Barcos. In it there are rowing boats, ducks and Ilha dos Amores which is reached by an arched wooden bridge. On the way to the park we saw a lady with a cane who fell over a grate. It is dangerous to be an old lady here in the city. However, she was quickly helped by people who encouraged her.

16.15 A new park, new bench, new break. This walking feels good, especially when it is sloping uphill. Praça da Liberdade is the name of the park. There is busy traffic to our right. People are jogging around the park and work is being done on an octagonal building. Here in the park there are also beautiful trees with yellow and red flowers, colorful! We have now reached the affluent part of the city, Savassi.

Red flowering trees on Praça da Liberdade.

An avenue of palm trees on Praça da Liberdade.

17.16 We are back in our room. I think we have the highest room number in the hotel. Christer has bought a drink and shower gel. I have bought a drink and a Ralador para Pés or in plain Swedish, a foot file. All of this was purchased at one of the city's pharmacies.

18.51 We are thinking about, if, where and what to eat. We don't have the same TV selection as the "finer" rooms. That's what happens when you choose Basic.

20.13 We have shopped at Supermercado BH. When Christer wanted to pay for himself, the clerk instead started sorting the money in the cash register. Now we head towards the mall for food. The place next door to the hotel that offers food is basically full. It is not a big place and fills up quickly.

21.39 We were far from alone in the mall's food court. The noise was so loud that we needed earplugs. We had food from the restaurant Parrilla. I chose spaghetti Bolognese and Christer took grilled meat with strips and rice. At the table behind Christer sat a guy with something like a nail screwed into his left leg. The leg was completely stiff and fixed. At the restaurant, two girls paid with cards and a 20 real bill. Was it a split payment, partial payment or a tip? Some of the vagrants on the city streets had gone to bed. Outside one of the city's banks, a lady was getting ready for the night. Imagine the contrasts there really are.

23.18 The radio and the station Rádio Guarani are being listened to. Spanish is spoken interspersed with Portuguese. A few bars of Cornelis Vreeswijk's "Deirdre's samba" were just heard. Who borrowed from whom? Imagine that it was that particular song. I've washed my sandals. They were dirty and gave me black stripes on the tops and bottoms of my feet.

Our room key.

Friday 6th of August

07.30 Morning has gold in its mouth. As far as we're concerned, there's not much more than the usual in our mouths. Soon, however, breakfast will be added. It's excursion day again.

08.25 Walking shoes on, the small backpacks are packed and we are ready to go. Wait, I have to sniffle! Christer was just wondering if anyone has compared me to Elton John this year. It has happened before. However, it has not happened this year. By the way, we have seen rooms with higher room numbers than ours here at the hotel.

08.44 On our way to the bus station, we stopped at a busy road. Along this road came police cars with sirens and flashing lights. Not two, not three, but nine police cars in a row. Here at the bus station, there are gentlemen selling snacks and drinks. One has a brassy, metallic voice and he calls out; água, água, água! Next to me is the couple we suspect are from Finland. It sure sounds like Finnish when they speak. Soon the bus will be heading towards Ouro Preto. Today we travel in a green bus from the company Pássaro Verde (http://www.passaroverde.com.br).

Slowly, slowly, we make our way out of Belo Horizonte.

10.55 After two hours on the bus, we are now at the bus station in Ouro Preto. For once, we have arrived by bus to a bus station without the big backpacks. Nor will we have to write a bus ticket. We are going to see a city that grew and flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries. The city is one of Brazil's biggest tourist destinations and in 1980 became Brazil's first World Heritage Site on the UNESCO list. The city was the center of the gold rush in Brazil during the 18th century and in 1789 it was the starting point for the Inconfidência Mineira, a failed attempt to break away from Portugal and form the Republic of Brazil. Ouro Preto was the capital of the state of Minas Gerais from 1822 until 1897 when it was changed to Belo Horizonte.

11.15 We have walked from the bus station and are standing at a church, Igreja São Francisco de Paula, looking down at the city we are heading towards. Here we will soon have to walk down a steep hill. Down there, among other things, we will try to find a post office to get our postcards from Belo Horizonte sent.

11.23 The streets here are really steep. There are also uneven, bumpy cobblestone streets. How some private cars and taxis still get through here is truly a mystery. We have now passed a hostel and a cemetery. Hope they are not connected.

11.41 The postcards are posted at a small post office and we are standing in the sun and the blowing wind on a square in front of the Museu da Infonfidência. The square, yes it is called Praça Tiradentes, he is back the old tooth puller and revolutionary. It is a beautiful, powerful square.

View of Ouro Preto.

Igreja São Francisco de Paula.

The streets in Ouro Preto are steep to say the least.

12.38 It takes energy to stroll around Ouro Preto. You either go downhill or uphill and there are cobblestone streets with large stones. We looked for a suitable lunch spot and finally chose Máximus where we are now sitting upstairs with a view of the steep main street Rua Direita. Here we have enjoyed a buffet that was weighed and paid for. At another table there are four police officers, a lot of police officers on the move today! Before we got in, a dark-skinned gentleman said to me, "Hello mister Elton John!" and laughed. He thought I looked like Elton John and wondered about my name and origins. So it has happened again.

13.04 To my left we now have the Igreja São Fransisco de Assis from 1766. The church, like the whole city, is absolutely incredible. The city is not entirely surprising to be on the UNESCO list. Below me is a wall and behind it a free fall of several meters into the cobblestones.

Rua Direita, Ouro Preto.

Museu da Infonfidência.

Christer in the main square Praça Tiradentes.

Market with local arts and crafts.

13.26 A new break, a new wall and a new church, Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo. It's hot! Time for the Malaysian wet wipes that were purchased in 2008 to make an effort. They cool nicely but are starting to get a little too dry now.

13.50 A young guy sat down next to us and said something while patting his stomach. Did he want to sell his t-shirt or did he want food? Now we are at the Igreja Nossa Senhora das Mercês Misecórdia. It is shady, cool and deserted here. It is absolutely perfect. A bug just ran right over what I have just written. Now I see a lady carrying a basket on her head. It is almost time to return.

14.19 Now we have sat on the top of a staircase that is on the top of a hill below the Igreja São Francisco de Paula church. It felt like walking uphill. We are at the same church that we were at at 11.15. It felt like walking the steep road up here from the central parts of the city.

14.52 After buying drinks at the bus station, we are now back on the stairs. More people have arrived. Ice-cold drinks on a warm body hurt your chest.

15.34 The church stairs were abandoned in favor of the bus station. Here we have blown our faces off and now we are waiting for our bus. At the church we saw a discarded cigarette packet. Brazil also has horror pictures on cigarette packets. What we have seen now warns of gangrene with a delicious photo attached.

15.55 On the seat cover you can read, among other things; Nâo é permitido fumar cigarros, cigarilhos, charutos, cachimbos o qualqueu outro produto fumigero no interior do veiculo. Why do they list all the different smoking devices that you are not allowed to smoke. Isn't "Smoking prohibited" shorter and simpler?

The buses were much nicer back in the day.

Igreja São Fransisco de Assis.

Getting up this hill was a test of manhood. It's steeper than it looks in the photo. We promise!

Christer at one of the doors of Igreja São Francisco de Paula.

17.44 It has been a fantastic day in Ouro Preto, one of the highlights of the trip so far. What a lovely city! Unfortunately, it is a pain to walk around and is not recommended for the sick and elderly. We are now back on the outskirts of Belo Horizonte. This is something we are not alone in. I hope that the rush hour traffic does not slow us down too much.

18.32 It went well despite the traffic. It also went well to take food and have it weighed in Cortina d’Água. So we are back at the bus station restaurant and try their buffet.

19.12 Well-balanced, nutritious and downright delicious. Now we have been to a pharmacy and bought an evening drink. It is nice to come home after a long day of sightseeing.

21.17 Now it is time to plug in facts about tomorrow's destination, Rio de Janeiro. The city has a lot to offer.

23.10 Good Times is played on the radio, a mix of hits from the past. Most recently it was “Captain of her heart”. The hosts translated the English lyrics into Portuguese.

Saturday 7th of August

06.59 It's almost seven, I told Christer when he asked me what time it was. Seven is also the estimated number of hours it takes to travel to Rio de Janeiro from here. Seven is also, if you count this, the number of mornings left here in South America. Seven is also today's date.

08.07 Well, we're getting ready to leave yet another place to live. This has been a good place. What awaits us in Rio?

08.48 It's not the most luxurious bus we're going to be on. It doesn't have seat belts and my seat moves backwards at the slightest contact or touch. From outside we hear the Água man we heard yesterday. He continues to rave about his water.

09.06 The lady in front of Christer was helped by the bus attendant to fold her seat back completely. This resulted in Christer, in order to make room, having to squeeze his legs into both sides of her seat. Our bus is about to taxi out of the station building for the long journey south. Today we are traveling with a company called Cometa (http://www.viacaocometa.com.br). There have been quite a few different Brazilian bus companies on this trip.

11.47 The road bends and the bus leans. Now we meet a car with a container that says Hamburg Süd on it. According to a road sign, there are 224 kilometers left on this bus journey.

Our strange bus has to rest for a while. It's lunch break.

12.26 There will be a half-hour lunch break at Graal Silvio's. It feels good to have fresh air and to be still for a while. We don't really know where we are right now, but we should be about halfway there. By the way, haven't we stopped at a Grail site earlier this year? The sign looks familiar.

13.03 The break is over. Thankfully, the road seems to have straightened out. There are now about 2-3 hours left until we have to leave this strangely uncomfortable bus.

14.23 "Grota de Jacob" was just written on a sign. There are steep, green sides on both sides of the road.

Sometimes you don't know where you are. "Outside the bus" is probably the best description of where this is.

14.39 Wow, what views there are wherever we turn. We have entered the state of Rio de Janeiro and have just left Petrópolis behind us. We see a deep, green, hilly valley. It is times like these that you wish you had driven your own car and been able to stop at all these fantastic places and views. Taking pictures through the bus window is never a good idea.

15.34 Yes, I am sitting at the Novo Rio bus station in Rio de Janeiro. Christer is looking for bus tickets for the trip from here. We will be staying far from the bus station so we have to fix it now. On the way here we have seen both Sugarloaf Mountain and the Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado. We will see these again in the near future.

15.49 Christer is again with gloomy news. He has not found any office that runs to the next town, Paraty, nor any exchange office or any restaurant that offers buffet food.

16.11 It is getting light. Christer just went one more turn, found another floor and returned with purchased tickets to Paraty.

16.50 We arranged a taxi through a taxi service at the bus station. Usually you pay before departure in such services. However, the girl there just got out of the service and joined us with the taxi driver. We took the taxi to the accommodation. I gave the driver 50 reais which is a lot more than the cost. He then said thank you, stomped on the gas and drove off. I was left without change. Now we are living in room 307 at Surrealismo Art Hostel Rio (http://www.arthostelrio.com). It is time to settle in. The beds have names like Bacon and Dali. We have two of the beds in a four-bed room. One of the beds is empty. In the last one is a German hidden behind a Brazilian flag.

17.57 It is time for food again, dinner. Although we haven't eaten since breakfast. That was ten hours ago. Now we're at Pizza & Grill and eating a weighed buffet (per kilo). We live in the Flamengo district and the restaurant is one of many along the main street through here.

18.14 A little further away there seems to be a children's party going on. Is this the new trend? In the past, we used to run into newlyweds every now and then. Of course, after marriage comes children and with them parties. Now we're going to check the subway and whether the store nearby will accept us and our backpacks.

The patio at our accommodation, Art Hostel.

Peter studies the information board at Art Hostel Rio.

19.19 We found the metro. It was, as it usually is, hidden underground. The grocery store welcomed us without our backpacks. Then we headed towards the accommodation. There we asked if we could borrow padlocks to lock our backpacks in our lockers in the room. However, they had run out of locks and we were given tips on where they were sold. No place with locks was found at first and when we did find some, they were too rough. The backpacks were locked in the store's locker and now we have shopped and are back home.

20.00 Our 15 minutes of free Internet are used up. Now we are sitting in the living room, on the patio or whatever it is. Here we are writing postcards and drinking beer. Soon we will plan tomorrow.

21.19 Tomorrow is a great day planned. We are going up to Sugarloaf Mountain. Now we are looking at the easiest way to get to the base station. We are leaning towards the metro and then the connecting bus. But now plans and reality have not always gone hand in hand in the past.

21.57 There are new orders for tomorrow. We are going to Praia do Flamengo street and jump on bus 107. It will take us directly to the valley station.

It is nice to rest after a long day of travel.