We arrived in Ilha Grande on the 2nd of July, just off the coast of Rio State, A tropical island that was very peaceful due to the fact there were no cars on the island and the village only had a small population. We didn´t have great weather but we just relaxed, took some walks and enjoyed the laid back lifestyle, I did a walk to Lopez Mendez beach which was nice but tough I left Deb with her book and the beach. It was a weekend and there was a small festival with music, barracas (stalls) and even a bit of dancing by a group of young Brazilians which was great, they really make us gringos look like we have not an ounce of rhythm. We became aquainted with nearly every dog and even knew ... read more

Well we arrived in Rio feeling fresh, we had been lucky enough to score some business class seats, after we were told we had to sit apart for the flight as everyone else had booked in online, I suspected the check-in lady noticed Deb´s quivering lip, anyway after Deb mentioned that it was our honeymoon she said she would see what she could do. After a while Deb heard our names over the announcer and not much longer after that we were flat out horizontally enjoying the extra comforts. Flight was delayed but we didn´t mind as I tried most of the drinks in the lounge. Love that whisky. Had to reschedule in Sao Paulo (travel agent in London was a div) and arrived in Rio to overcast skies, our first impressions in the taxi was ... read more