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This morning (Thurs 11th) we left Rio, much to my dissapointment, and headed south towards Ilha Grande (Big Island). We have really enjoyed staying in Rio, there is a really nice feel to the city and it is so pretty but we have to move on if we are to make it to Belem by the 18th. (Sarah has finally booked her flights and is meeting us at the base of the Amazon! Hurah!).
We caught a bus from Rio to Angra dos Reis and then a ferry across to Ilha Grande. When we bought the bus tickets we wanted the 12pm bus but it was full so we had to get tickets for 1pm. We really didn´t think we´d make the ferry because it was due to leave at 3.30pm and the bus takes 2 1/2 hours, so we had our fingers and toes crossed. When we arrived in Angra we pleaded with the taxi driver to get us there and we arrived at the dock with seconds to spare! They were literally pulling the metal boardwalk in as we were crossing it. The boat was jam packed, we had to stand in the walkway amungst others with all of our bags for an hour and a half. We had only just learnt that this weekend was a public holiday and everyone was heading for Ilha Grande!!!
We found our hostel pretty easily as there were loads of reps from other hostels telling us where to go. The hostel was only a five minute walk from the beach and was really clean. We went straight out for dinner as we had skipped lunch and found a really nice restaurant right on the beach.
On Friday we had another lazy beach day, the beaches here are really nice but the island feels really over crowded and it´s hard to feel relaxed!
On Saturday we decided to walk to Lopes Mendes (apparently the best beach on the island) rather than getting the boat. The supposed medium level 2 1/2 hour walk (i swear it took a lot longer) was up and down hills or along beaches all the way. We were relieved when we finally made it to Lopes Mendes and stayed there for a few hours. The beach was really pretty and there were some really good surfers! The walk back to the hostel was just as bad if not harder! On Sunday we have to leave Ilha Grande. The island was really nice although i think we were a bit dissapointed with how busy it was, next time we´ll check for public holidays!
We left Ilha Grande this morning and arrived back in Rio this afternoon. Tomorrow we are leaving for Belem on a hardcore 52 hour bus journey. Can´t contain our excitment!
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