ISLAND LIFE

Just a short 3hr bus ride from Rio and then an hour and a half boat ride is Ihla Grande, home of some of Brasil's most beautiful beaches. The 3 of us headed out there and were unfortunately greeted with miserable cloudy weather and a skanky hostel. But the next day we checked into a nicer, cleaner place (albeit with a shower that gave you electric shocks through the taps!) and spent the day catching up on sleep and had a bit of a wander waiting for the sun to come out. Sarita & David joined us that evening and we had the 'best pizza in Brasil'.

The following morning we woke up to sunshine and jumped on a boat to the beach. A short trek across the island, checking out the weird little monkeys on the way, and we found ourselves on the picture-perfect Lopes Mendes beach. Much frisbee, body-surfing, sun-bathing & beer consumption was had until we took the boat back into the sunset...