Time for a new addition to our hall of fame and a worthy addition I feel. Wayne Bernhardson writes Southern Cone Travel, a blog that delivers detail and definite knowledge on the area.

The Southern Cone is literally the cone shape at the southern end of South America and includes Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and parts of Paraguay and Brazil. Wayne has spent almost 30 years travelling the region and is excessively well qualified in the art of exploration; just run your eyes down his about section.

Latest posts include the state of the Argentinean Airline, Aerolíneas Argentinas, what it is like to ride the colectivo (city bus) in Buenos Aires and the arrival of the Paris to Dakar rally in Argentina and Chile, odd but true, due to unmitigated circumstances that led to the suspension of the 2008 event.

Final word though to Wayne himself regarding his grasp of other languages,

“I speak fluent Spanish, less fluent German, serviceable Portuguese and desperation French.”

Desperation French huh? I know all about that…

Hacking through dense vegetation, mistaking snakes for vines, unearthing never-seen-by the-white-man tombs and avoiding cannibals is currently the modus operandi of Nick, because he’s heading South to the Jungle!

The blog covering Nick’s 2008 Brazil Trip is a veritable hive of South American based hipness, and his post on heading into the jungle is full of all the good stuff I listed previously… Well, the hacking through vegetation, by proxy, thanks to an appropriately named guide called Mr. Machete.

Should you ever, on your own travels, stumble into the deepest of dark jungles, then this post 17 Tips to Survive the Jungle Labyrinth hosted by environmental graffiti should help you right out. There is some seriously good stuff in those 17 points. One that immediately caught my eye was regarding the biggest killer in the undergrowth. You may think snakes, spiders, angry pygmy tribes or cerebrally accelerated baboons. You’d be wrong though. It’s actually falling trees and branches! Pick that spot where you intend to sup from the hip flask carefully…

Post written whilst listening to Guns N’ Roses - Welcome to the Jungle on repeat.

“The game tonight may be the most insane sporting event I will ever attend in my entire life.”

That was how John described his experience in the Maracanã as he watched Flamengo take on Vasco at the beautiful game. The rivalry between the two is exposed for all to see and got to see the gruff voiced dwarf of a rapper, Ja Rule. No photographic evidence of this, but you can read all the details of his evening on his blog O Gringo No Brazil.

Surf wise, we’re talking sister vs. sister, more rivalry, and more intense than that contained within the Maracanã? Possibly. Jacqui wanted to be a surfer chick, like her sis Mel, so set forth from Sao Paulo to learn the art and feel the source. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out like that in the waters of Florianopolis. She’ll try to tell you it was shark attack that broke her board, but the truth is rather is a little less dramatic.

When I said some sunbathing, I meant about 45mins, as that is all Sarah and Phil managed whilst in Rio. Thankfully their doomed sun worshiping is only a minor part of their post about what they got up to in Brazil’s second city. As taster I leave you with this,

“Tonight, we’re off to a samba club. Though, like the football on the beach, we’ll probably do more watching than joining in so the Brazilian don’t laugh at us….or at least until we’ve had a few capairinhas to loosen up….”

South America is our continent of choice for this post and Snowfree ~ Our World Trip along with the Turner Travel Blog are both sites run by families exploring the area.

Currently in Mexico, the family behind Snowfree - that’ll be Warren, Janice, Connor and Alannah - have been recently living it up in Puerto Escondido, surfing one instant and then infinity pooling it the next, very nice.

Run unsurprisingly by the Turner’s, The Turner Travel Blog was set up to keep friends informed of all they were up to without requiring the stream of usually overlong emails. Having recently been in Brazil, you can check what they got up to on each of the nine days they were there in posts labeled appropriately (Brazil Trip Day Six, for example, where they ate some shrimp pizza)

Enjoy the view of Rio…

Filed under ‘random yet sincere enthusiasm for cool buildings’, we have this outburst from UberNoggin – the blog of big brains and big ideas – who is loving the art museum in San Paolo, Brazil.

The guys and girls arrived in Brazil a few days ago and have blogged and tweeted about their experience with a detail and frequency that gives me and Molly that special, warm feeling late at night. Head over to UberNoggin to read about their experiences in San Paolo, and be sure to check out their short, entertaining video clips.

When you’re deciding on an itinerary for a trip, the simple, logical strategies can often get overlooked. I’m the worst for this. I get carried away thinking about making an impact with my first stop - dropping straight into a sunny cultural hot-spot to make sure I start on a high - rather than considering more sensible choices.

So I pricked up my silly little ears when I saw this Travellerspoint thread. Notting wants to visit South America but doesn’t care where he starts, so:

I just wondered which country has the cheapest flights. I’m easy going on which country I start in really.

There are a few suggestions over in the forum already, so check them out - but not before you’ve read Andrew’s take on it. He’s the latest expert loaned to us from STA Travel Birmingham; read his wise words here… (more…)

The amazing photos circulating this morning of an uncontacted tribe discovered on the border between Brazil and Peru provoke mixed feelings; the government claims they are proving their existence to protect their land from the threat of logging, but the flyover plane has obviously already begun their rude awakening to our all-conquering modern ways.

In the hope that the indigenous red-painted warriors will be left without Gap sponsorship and their own reality TV show, we’re focusing on bloggers’ other favourite discoveries from Brazil.

Sean and Dawn are spending a month in Rio and Sean has fallen hard for the beauty-boosting acai berries, especially enjoying them as a slighty-less-healthy ice cream shake smothered with nuts and honey. He’s also discovered some great live Brazilian bus theatre but remains determined not to adopt the ‘butt-floss and banana hammock’ swimwear look at 35, for which we commend him highly.

Lorie, an American living in Brazil, has also discovered that the climb to the top of the Cathedral is ‘well worth it for the amazing view. There are no covers on those little windows. It is all open air and you can see for miles’ - although she recommends not attempting it in heels!

Are you planning a trip to Brazil? What bits of local culture are you most looking forward to exploring?