Leaving Rio for Paradise Lost

Ilha Grande

08.11.2007 31 °C

Our last few days in Rio proved quite eventful. The numero uno tourist attraction Christ the Redeemer was absolutely stunning, better than we had hoped for. We travelled up in an organised tour to see him at sunset. Fortunately the weathr was clear and the temperature was still high in the 30´s. Numerous photo´s were taken and the views over the city itself was spectacular. We were able to piece together all the places we had visited and put them into context.

Our last 2 days in Rio weren´t quite a sunny as we had gotten used to which was a shame in itself as that fell on Ali´s b-day. Mind you, the mood wasn´t dampened too much as we bumped into monsieur Cantona again. Electric storms followed and the sky lit up with lightening but it passed away and we were able to go out for a fabulous meal although we are going to have to cut back on the salt sooner or later.

We left Rio on Monday and it was a nice feeling to finally be moving on to somewhere new. Rio hadbeen a raging success and now we´ve left unscathed we reflect on it fondly.

A few hours later on the bus and we arrived in Angra dos Rios where we caught the ferry to Ilha Grande. Some of you will have seen pictures as I banded them around some while back. The place is every bit as stunning as the pictures make it look. The feeling is very much laid back here and as much as I like that it can be somewhat frustrating if you need something done in a hurry (or at all!!). We´ve hiked over to Lopez Mendes which is arguably one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The surf there is superb although neither of us tried our hand. Swimming in the waves was hard enough. We´ve also gone on a boat trip around the island dropping us off in some amazing beaches for a beer or two. Snorkling is amazing and great fun diving into the lagoon.

From here on in not a lot is planned so you´ll hear when you hear. Paraty is the favourite at the moment, basically an onland version on Ilha Grande.

Posted by tricky 09:33 Archived in Brazil Tagged backpacking