On Monday morning myself and two of the crew made our way to Ilha Grande (big island – sounds better in Portuguese). We got a bus with Easy Transfer which took roughly 2 hours to the port. The boat itself was slow and rocky but at least the sun was out. I checked into Biergarten hostel and went straight in for the nap. When I woke up loads of people had arrived in the dorm and it was great to hang out together that evening. I enjoyed a dinner of grilled fresh fish and shrimps, and my 400th Caipirinha of the holiday. It’s low season at the moment so not too busy on the Island, but in some respects makes it the best time to be here.
The next morning I met up with my Rio gals and we took a very unofficial boat taxi around the island. Our first stop was Lagos Azul where we went snorkelling and saw a turtle, followed by Praia Freguesia. The weather was absolutely amazing for a change (recently been cloudy all the time) which made the cold sea more inviting. We stopped for lunch on Japariz beach where once again I enjoyed grilled fish and rice. I also tried the traditional Brazilian food Feijoada which is essentially mixed black beans (it’s ok). We then crossed the sea to Praia da Crena where we hired a paddle board. Shortly after we returned the girls headed back to Rio and I joined my other Swedish friends for dinner at Lonier Garoupas. Free Caipirinhas at the restaurant got us in the game for a night out and so we ended up at Aquario.
Woke up for hostel brekkie (backpacker life) before going straight back to bed until 1.m. I then wandered around the beachfront with my friend and enjoyed a brownie at Atelie cafe. That evening I headed out with pals from New Zealand, Canada, and Brazil for Empanadas. NZ fella and I vowed we’d get an early night for once but after irresistible 2 for 1 cocktails that went out the window. We all had a top night but the best part was the little doggo that walked all the way home with us (named her Rachel after NZ lass). Stopped at an questionable vendor for a hot dog at 3am and headed to bed!!
Although the next morning was a massive struggle we managed to hobble over to the boat back to the mainland and headed over to Paraty…
