Blogs from Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, South America
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Angra Dos Reis and Ilha Grande
Published: May 12th 2013South America » Brazil » Rio de Janeiro » Ilha GrandeFriday 10th may we arrived in Angra dos Reis. Little town famous for its many islands, Ilha grande is the biggest. It took us 4 hours to get there by bus and taxi (150km). Nature is amazing over here but the people are not really our cup of tea, having a tattoo is almost standard and the smiling, friendly brazilians are rare.... Also the prices are out of proportion, especially when they notice you are a 'gringo' (= foreinger). They try to rip you of every time again. When we bought fruit (3 pieces) on a local market, the guy asked us 30 reales (= 13 euro) haha, no thank you. We slept 2 nights in a 'pousada' (= relaxed hostel) at the seaside, Guillermo (on old little brazilian diver) was there to guide us, he ... read more
We reached Ihla Grande by a (relatively!) short bus journey and 1h on the ferry. I was surprised that it was actually quite a big island, although only has one small village which is pretty laid back with palm trees and sand-strewn streets. There are some pretty big forested mountains through the centre of the island. We stayed in a nice little hostel place - it was my turn for the double bed so my room-mate got stuck with bunk beds again! The weather wasn't great on the first day with thunder and rain, so after lunch at the bakery we had a few beers at the hotel, and then indulged in the steam room which was pretty nice! Dinner was a very good fish stew which we ate down by the harbour - it came ... read more
Ilha Grande - It's a totally tropical taste :D
Published: March 27th 2013South America » Brazil » Rio de Janeiro » Ilha Grande11th March We got picked up from our hostel in Botafogo between 11am/12pm by the transfer company we had booked online with Easy Transfer Brazil . It felt good to leave!! Nearly everyone in the van was from the UK or Europe, it felt good to actually have a conversation with someone, got chatting to a guy Matt, who was actually staying in the same accommodation we had booked, url=http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g303472-d3248142-Reviews-Studio_Beach_Hostel-Ilha_Grande_State_of_Piaui.htmlStudio Beach Hostel. Off we went in the van, suppose to be about a two hour drive to the ferry port. Driving further and further out of the city of Rio it became to look more rough, still favelas in the hills but all along the side of the road as well. We had pulled up so the driver could refuel, as he stopped a lot of ... read more
So after are very boozy, busy and mental week in Rio we were really looking forward to just chilling out for five days in Ilha Grande and that's exactly what we did. Ilha Grande is Brazils third largest island and is beautiful. As soon as we stepped off the boat onto the pier we knew we were in for a heavenly time. Green palm trees, clear blue water and white sand. There were no cars on the island, no banks/ATM's and not much noise either, apart from the birds. Yes pleassssssse! We went to the tourist office to call our Poussada to let them know we had arrived and they told us to wait and they'd be there shortly to help carry our bags. About 5 minutes later a little Brazillian man arrived, who never spoke ... read more
After the craziness of Carnaval and rushing around seeing the sights of Rio, it was time for some relaxation on Ilha Grande, an island off the coast of Rio. Ilha Grande really is a place to get away from it all. As the whole island and the waters around it are protected for conservation, there are no cars allowed on the island and you can only reach the island by boat. As a result it is perhaps unsurprising that the island is full of hippies, jocks, British gap year students, and Aussie backpackers. A paradise away from the harsh realities of real life - Brazil's version of The Beach. The first thing I notice as we leave the pier and walk through the dirt roads of Vila do Abraao, the main village on ... read more
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Ilha Grande - Paradise Isle
Published: February 24th 2013South America » Brazil » Rio de Janeiro » Ilha GrandeOur journey to Ilha Grande wasn’t the easiest of trips, in part self-inflicted lack of sleep and in part a driver who not only got us lost leaving Rio – at one point we were still 3 blocks from our hostel 1.5 hours after being picked up – but also drove so erratically that he had us reaching for our seatbelts and crossing our fingers that we’d arrive in one piece. But arrive in one piece we did and it only took over 5 hours to do a 2.5hr journey, not bad by South American standards! Thankfully the boat transfer hadn’t left yet so it was a quick hop from the minibus of doom and on to a catamaran for a trip across the sea to Ilha Grande or as it has been rechristened by us, ... read more
Finally some amazing beaches!!
Published: February 9th 2013South America » Brazil » Rio de Janeiro » Ilha GrandeAfter a few failed attempts at trying to get my head around Portuguese I decided that rather than try to navigate my way from São Paulo to Rio that I would buy a hop on hop off bus pass to get me from A to B. The bus pass consisted of transport from São Paulo to Paraty, a boat cruise while in Paraty, a van and a boat transfer to Ilha Grande and then a boat and a bus transfer to Rio, finishing up with a favela tour while in Rio. When I arrived at the pier for my boat cruise in Paraty I wasn't really sure what to expect due to such little information being provided about it beforehand. What it turned out to be was a five hour boat ride around the islands that ... read more
Day 93 Yesterday, we arrived at our hostel on Abraao beach at around 5pm and, unfortunately, were greeted with rain. Nevertheless, we headed down to the beach in our rain jackets and managed to have a very pleasent night under an umbrella with a fish dinner and a few caipirinhas whilst listening to some really cool live music. This morning, hoping to catch the best part of the day before the weather turned bad again, we took a speedboat to Pouso beach, then took a 40 minute walk to the beautiful Lopes Mendes beach. Despite the overcast, and showery weather, it was still 25-30 degrees and we had a nice day at the beach. Around 3pm we headed back to Abraao beach, this time by foot. It was a beautiful, but exhasting trek through the rainforest, ... read more
A Holiday Within a Holiday - Ilha Grande
Published: November 11th 2012South America » Brazil » Rio de Janeiro » Ilha GrandeDay 388 Friday 2nd November Yesterday we had checked out the timetable at the bus terminal and we came away with Shelley thinking we could get a 10.20 bus and me thinking we couldn’t get one till 11.10. So this morning after our fantastic breakfast, I proceeded to pack slowly knowing we had all the time in the world while Shelley went at it like a woman possessed. Our hotel had been fabulous so I couldn’t understand why she was in a hurry to leave, but we were up at the terminal by 9.30 where we then had to sit and wait till 11.10 for our bus….I think she is starting to enjoy sitting around terminals. Because we were moving onto a town that doesn’t have any banks I headed off to get some cash while ... read more
Not so great is how I always manage to be hungover when traveling to a different place. Makes sense in a way because the last night in a place you want to make a big one. So after a couple hours sleep I got into the mini van that would take us to Ilha Grande. We drove round several hotels and hostels to pick people up. There were about 12 of us in total, 4 of whom were hungover. There were 3 English guys who got in, didn't think it was possible but I think they were more hungover than I was. Everyone on the bus was really friendly and got on really well. Took us about 2 hours to get to the ferry which would take us to Ilha Grande. Another great experience with a ... read more
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