"No one speaks Portuguese* here" laughed Paula, and I tried to verify. It was true in fact - we had arrived in the 'Goa' of Rio de Janeiro state - Ilha Grande. Full of foreign tourists, there were barely any Brazilians here. Ilha Grande is a large island (180 km square) off the coast of Brazil. Its an ecological reserve, so there are no roads or motor vehicles on the island. What it does have is very diverse flora and fauna, dramatic scenery, exotic beaches, and of course hordes of foreign tourists. (* for the unitiated, Portuguese is the language spoken in Brazil - Brazilian Portuguese to be precise) I met some Irish guys at the hostel, shared boats with folks from every continent, and played some really cheesy Hindi songs for a gang of Israeli
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