From Brazil.

It's a wet evening in Brazil. I'm sitting in a small internet cafe under a Walmart. I'm at the end of a row of computers but there is a crowd next to me conferring in Portuguese about something on the screen. I have no idea what the interest is about.

So I've been feeling pretty down. Mexico is now in the past and it was a pretty difficult week. I was dropped pretty early from our activities and so set about trying to enjoy what I spent the rest of the week doing. And actually I did. Although I'm finding it more and more dificult to get on with the other guys I'm with. There is a lot of pressure to be competitive too, which is something I have never really been.

I'm missing home more than ever. I reconmended to a friend yesterday during an email conversation that if or when he decides to gain his independence and go travelling to do it in small chunks bit by bit, rather than doing four months away having only been away for a maximum of two weeks before... do'h. Everybody is telling me how lucky I am to be doing this and actually I can see that if I was with my normal group of friends I would be having the absolute time of my life, but as it is I have never felt more alone. I'm using every free hour I get to come to this internet cafe and contact people by email. At the moment it's the only thing keeping me going.

So my current location is Brazil. Tomorrow morning we fly to our final shoot location for this, our fourth 'challenge'. No idea what we will be doing but I really hope I can just get into it and keep my mind busy for a week. After this one is complete we will officially be half way through. Knowing the amount of time left is less than has already passed will be a really good feeling.

I keep thinking about what other people would do in my situation. In particular Pat and Cliff, two people who I have known all my life, inspire me and have taught me a huge amount of what I know. I think I'm having to learn what they know first hand.

Until a week or so that's it. Wish me luck.