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Day 1
As it was arrival day we made our way down to the hotel lobby for our initial group briefing. With 13 other travellers in total, 11 girls and 2 boys (3, English; 4, Austrailian; 1, Scottish, 1; German; 2 Danish; 1 Canadian; 1, American) we were all excited to get to know each other and were sure we had a good group! After the briefing we heading out for dinner, walked around the night time markets then a few drinks on Copacobana.
Day 2
This morning we all woke up and packed up ready to head over to the island - Ilha Grande. This was a short bus ride then a ferry. The Island is very romote, its has less than 1000 inhabitants, doesn't allow cars (expect police, fire brigade, ambulances), has no cash machines and power cuts are frequent! It is known for it's white sandy beaches, snorkling and jungle treks! When we arrived at the island the sun had just set but with the little port of the town (Abraao) lit up we all had a great first impression. As the island has no cars the little village maintained alot of traditional character with sandy paths between the few shops, bars and resturants it looked really peaceful and romantic but still with the latin american bustle and night life. After checking in at our hotel (Mata Nativa) which was a 5 minute walk from the seafront we headed straight out for dinner. We ate on the beach with candle lit tables. As a vegetarian I didn't try the seafood but apparently it was amazing, I had my mushroom pasta and salad! Which was a welcome break from the food in Rio! We stayed here for quite a while and enjoyed chatting to each other and getting to know everyone abit better! As I had a severe headache I headed back with a few of the group to try and sleep it off and a few others stayed out in a couple of bars!
Day 3
After a very painful night (worst headache I have ever had!) I woke up ready for the 8:30 am meet to walk across the jungle to Lopez Mendes, which apparently is one of the top ten beaches in the world! With an overdose of numerous forms of pain killers we all set off. The trek was pretty intense (even for a pro like myself!) but after walking up and down, and up and down, and up and down...we made it to the beach 3 hours later. The walk through the jungle terrain and the various beaches that we came across we all beautiful and despite nearly passing out we all enjoyed it! However we had definitely decided to get the boat back! At the beach itself there are no boats allowed and as a result no bars or cafes so we all had brought a packed lunch. The white sand and blue skies were definitly welcome after the walk across and we all laid down to soak up the sun! On the short walk back to the harbour where to boats could get to we had a few experiences with the natural wildlife - 3 little monkeys sitting in a tree and the biggest earth worm I have ever seen (I'm still insisting it had to be a snake but apparently I am wrong, it was around 2inches diameter and couldn't see the full length! But we all made it through and got the boat home safely to the Abraao.
After a shower and de-sanding we all met for dinner. We went to a nice little pizza place where we sat outside on the sand streets under a terrace. After we had a few drinks at a corner bar then went to a hostel party with some of the locals the group had met yesterday and on the beach. As there aren't many people here you quickly start to bump into people you know like 3 or 4 times a day, even the dogs! So off we went where they had live music and lots of dancing and of course caprihinas! After a few different sets the party closed and we all headed to the beach for a bonfire, more music and drinks. Here most of the party came including all the musicians and we carried on till late. All the locals knew each other and they roate the parties round the 3 hostels or so as they do not have a big club venue. We all had fun and I saw my lookalike at the end of my travels...dredlocks, leathery skin and we were wearing the same shirt (shame he was a 60 plus year old man we had names Snoop Dog!). After we walked back to the hotel and got some rest ready for the next day!
Day 4
After having a lie in I headed down to the beach to get a water taxi to another beach on the island. We all jumped in and the driver took us to a seculded little bay with only five or so other people. It was surrounded by rocks with the calm, clear, blue sea, white sand and the jungle behind. Here we all chilled out with a picnick and chatted. As I put my ipod on the first song was Coldplay, Paradise...summed up that moment well! We stayed here for a good few hours and the taxi driver just waited on the beach, what a job! When we were laid down we heard a voice and it was one of the islanders we had met over the past 2 days. He was at work trekking through the jungle clearing and maintaining the path. It was crazy that we had rode all the way to the other side to a random, quiet bay and still managed to bump into someone we knew. This is when we realised just how small the island is and what a close knit community they have! This continued when we got back to the village and walking the 5 minutes up to the hotel bumped into the musican from the party, the bar man and another guy we were with! After taking some photos and buying a little braclet souvenir we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the BBQ. In the hotel another group from G adventures (our tour company) had arrived that day so the hotel put on BBQ with all you can drink caiprihinas! The food was soooo good, even as a vegetarian! With lots of different salads, pastas, rice and eggs and things. I was very happy and full! We then all headed out to the village as we had been invited earlier to another hostel party at Che Lagarto. Here it was a dj, not a live band like the previous night, playing Brazillian and English music. Obviously as we were now 'locals' we knew alot of the people there and had a great time dancing and chatting. I also introduced the 'creep face' to the group, where if there is a creep and they won't just go away all you need to do is turn around, look them right in the eye and pull any crazy face you can, the craziest infact, and just stare. Eventually this freaks them out sooo much they basically run away from you! Works everytime and is kind of necessary sometime, especially when travelling with language barriers! At around 3- 4am though the party was literally cut short with a major power cut. It was totally dark and we were out on the waters edge so every used their phones and wind up torches to guide us down the path back to the beach to walk back! As we were heading to have another bonfire suddenly there was shouting and people running, a big fight had broke out! Unlike England when if you're not involved you are ok if you just avoid it here apparently it very quickly becomes a mass brawl so our guide quickly told us all just to run! So running through the darkness on the beach we finally made it back, with alot of the other locals who had fled! All back safely we headed to bed as we had to leave at 8:30am the next day and it was definately not wise to go back to the beach! But hey, a night wouldn't of been complete without bit of adreniline and drama!
Despite that little incident the island was amazing! Noone wanted to leave and I was considering staying! It really is like a little paradise and would recommend anyone to go! The locals really embrace the visitors and you get a really sense of the culture and the communities way of life which is so refreshing rather than just been a typical tourist is a big city. We just hope the next place is as good or if possible better! Roll on Paraty!
- comments
Mum Anna - this is really good & interesting! Soooo impressed and can't wait for the next installment - please keep it up! Lots of love XXX