The Travels of Päivi and Santeri

We have settled down in Buenos Aires and will stay here as long as it feels good. We have a nice apartment, new friends and an easy-going lifestyle so there is absolutely no need to hurry onwards. Besides, our New Year promise devotes us not to develop ourselves in any way and travelling further might compromise that promise somehow. And there is a lot to see in Argentina itself.

Visiting Cape Town and travelling around Winelands, Cape peninsula and Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

After one month Argentina seems to be the total opposite of Brazil: people are honest and friendly, and there is no cheating.

So long, Brazil! Our very last day in Brazil: 9.2.2004. 02:00 Two beggars asked for a cigarette in Copacabana, Rio. Santeri said no as usual. The beggars started to behave aggressively and grabbed Santeri's hand. We escaped unharmed.

The last day of Samba Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The value for money was too satisfactory and the spectacle is was over marketed.

Salvador de Bahia is Brazil's most African city. As the Carnival time is drawing closer, you can see it in the photos.

We just spent three relaxing days in a lovely beach village Gaibo which is situated some 30 kilometres south of Recife. The trip to the place was not enjoyable, though. We used four vehicles: bus, metro, diesel tram, and another bus. It took us half a day to get there from Recife.

Santeri´s forewords: oh well, after reading this text made by Päivi I remembered again the Finnish way of being happy with someone else's problems and drawbacks. Hope this text makes our Finnish friends happy. Frankly I have to add here that we have had hell of a nice time here in Fortaleza and enjoyed every moment wholeheartedly.

We have a new home, at least for next 2 months. We rented a condominium from Fortaleza, a 2.1 million people city in the North cost of Atlantic ocean. Before that wandered around the north coast visiting cities and fisher villages, some better and some worse.

Visiting our friends Pedro & Rosana in Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil. Our first day in Brazil. Pedro and Roseanne took us to a sightseeing through monumental city. The best part of the tour was - of course - a stop at a lovely restaurant by the lake Paranoa. We started to learn Portuguese by ordering "dois picanhas sangreados". The first round was well cooked but the next one succeeded.