Milky Way shortage

I don't think Santa cruz was built for tourism, you can't buy a milkyway (mars bar) anywhere. I don't even really like mars bars, but if you know me you know how much I like sweets and there isn't a haribo or normal chocolate or any normal sweets anywhere in Peru or Bolivia. All we've been able to find are snickers, peanut m&ms (sweet nuts, yuk) and milky ways, so they've become my new favourite thing. I was desperate in Santa Cruz as it was soooo hot, and I needed energy to stop me from wanting to stay horizontal all day. Can't believe the weather difference between Samaipata only 3 hours down the road. 

I had high hopes for Santa Cruz based on lonley planet but it was just hot, humid, expensive, massive and really spread out. Despite it being Bolivia's biggest city, lonley planet could only find 5 places to eat, we couldnt find anywhere else so we tried 2 of them. One was ok, and one was shit, so that says it all. 

The people look so different which surprised us, there were less traditionally dressed folk, and they were darker skinned and skinnier. Infact finer bone structure, as we've noticed everywhere else they are all short, quite big boned and rounded faces, maybe it's altitude. Santa Cruz also likes to think if itself as more Brazilian, so they kind of act different too, a bit more streetwise and cooler than other parts.

Not many tourists come here, we didn't really see any, but our reasoning was to go the less travelled route into Brazil via the pantenal, a vast pampas wildlife haven, then keep going till we hit the coast. However we suddenly realised we have less than 6 weeks left in SA, and 3 countries to visit! We had a long think and realised we have to sacrifice something, and a weeks worth of travelling via the pantenal drew the short straw. With Xmas approaching we can't move flights, but ideally we could do with another couple of months here, it's so damn big.

So... Rio here we come! I am currently sat on a flight we booked yesterday to Sao Paulo. I love the spontaneity of it! There were no direct flights so we are taking a 6 hour bus to Rio, we will come back via Sao Paulo on our way to Buenos Aires.

Stay tuned to our next blog as well because we have opted to stay in a Brazilian couple's spare room rather than a hostel, as Rio is so expensive, so this could be interesting. It's in Copacabana beach, now this is the famous one, but weirdly I learnt today that it actually took it's name from then little Copacabana in Bolivia, or cop out cabana as I described it.

 I'm also trying to persuade Greg to get a back and sack wax for fun, as I can't wait to see how my Brazillian by a Brazillian goes! I think he'll be too pussy though.