TAM Airbus A330-223. Photo by Flickr CCL/lrargerich

After months of waiting, I have finally been granted a permanent visa and now have a date for my return to Brazil.

From 10 May I will be living in São Paulo, a city that I’ve visited but never lived in. I will probably be located in the Butantã area, near the city’s world famous university, USP – often ranked the best in Latin America.

I will be continuing as a freelance journalist, with a three-month hiatus later on in 2013, when I will be heading to the southern part of the Amazon, in Mato Grosso state, to work as a wildlife guide at Cristalino Jungle Lodge – an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up, and one you’re going to hear lots more about.

Excitement from international news outlets for Brazil and news there is now growing even faster, with the run-up to the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. The FIFA Confederations Cup this June will certainly help warm things up.

UPDATE: My new local mobile (cell) phone number in São Paulo will be +55 (0)11 987778890.