Brazil! Time to Paaaaaar-a-ty!!

12 weeks in...we have a confession to make. We must be the whitest people ever to travel South America for the length of time we have!! And we are not happy about this fact.

So heading further into Brazil, home of eternal sun, it's about time for some proper sunshine, a prolonged period of gorgeous weather...or so we thought!

For those of you who are aware of our route, we were planning on heading to Florianopolis, east of Foz do Iguaçu on the Southern Brazilian Coast. However after much thought and discussion, we decided that we were tired of long bus journeys and going to Florianopolis for only 2-3 days would've meant two 16hr long bus journeys close together and three in the space of 5 days. As such, we decided to head straight to Paraty and just relaxing in the same place for 5 days taking in the many white sand beaches that surround the area.

Our bus took us via São Paulo (16.5hrs) where we had decided to carry on through to Paraty rather than spend a night, so another (6-7hr) bus journey was on the cards with only a brief wait at the station. Two couples we had met previously told us that there was nothing really in São Paulo for tourists so we heeded that advice and moved on. It turned out to be a great decision as looking out of the bus window on our departure through the rain at the grey skyline, we decided it looked more like Birmingham than Brazil! We were also happy to be leaving the rain behind, or so we thought.

Did we heck as like...just wishful thinking. We arrived into Paraty in the late afternoon and it was still raining, head! But this didn't dampen our excitement at being out of a city and able to see the sea! Not the North Sea or the English Channel, an actual ocean! We had not seen one of these since day 1 in Lima! Where have you been?! And with it, we could see white sand. We were in for a good time...if it would just stop p*ssing it down!

On arrival at our hostel, which was a nice little converted house with plush green gardens, a horse(!) and a 20m laned swimming pool (I was a little excited), we dumped our bags and took a seat at the bar next to the pool in need of large ice cold cervejas (Portugese now - so confusing!). With our mood in a state of limbo about the weather, salt got well and truly rubbed into our wounds when the woman working on the bar said that it had not rained there for over a month prior to yesterday with temperatures around 50C! As such, they were all very happy about the rain - we were less so! On that note, we took our leave and crashed out in our dorm, absolutely exhausted from the long day travelling. Tomorrow would bring a new day...

The next morning brought more rain, though much lighter and we were buoyed by the fact that the weather was due to improve the next day. Taking a more positive attitude, we worked out that the weather has generally been good to us so far wherever we have been and so we figured it was only raining here because it [the weather] thought we were in Florianopolis at the moment. So when it gets to the day that we were actually due to arrive in Paraty, the sun would duly appear. Yes, that's it. That's what was happening. Just a slight miscommunication with the weather over our itinerary that's all.

So waiting for the sun's late arrival, we decided to take a brief stroll in the historic centre of Paraty. Paraty (pronounced Par-a-Chee) is the southern-most city in the state of Rio de Janeiro which lies on the Costa Verde, a lush, green corridor along the coastline. It sits in the Bay of Ilha Grande which is populated by many tropical islands and amid jutting peninsulas and secluded beaches with a backdrop of steep, jungled mountains. It is also a preserved Portugese colonial (1500-1822) and Brazilian Imperial (1822-1889) town as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As you can guess, we immediately loved the place. Aspects of it, particularly along the rivers, reminded us of South East Asia with the narrow brown-coloured rivers, the low-profile schiffs and the overgrown and overhanging palm trees and vegetation. What made you instantly realise that it was Brazil however was taking one look at the fisherman's boats, which were so brightly coloured, it was like seeing La Boca again, only this time on water! The historic centre is a beautiful maze of cobbled streets, the cobbles so big, you spend half your time looking at your feet and not where you're going (a bit like Bow Quarter). But, if you manage to look up every once in a while, you will see fantastic looking white stone buildings lining the streets with brightly coloured doors and window frames. Being a Sunday, and also that it was raining, meant that many places were closed, so we just casually wandered the streets soaking up the scenes before heading to our new accommodation and where we would be spending the next 4 nights, Pousada Bambu Bamboo.

This Pousada (hotel) is owned by an Englishman, Ben, a very friendly and amiable chap who immediately and without asking gave us an upgrade! Woohoo! If any travelling couples or holidaymakers are thinking of coming to Paraty and are thinking of staying in a double room (rather than a dorm) then I cannot recommend any other place. For only a little more than a hostel (only 20 R$), the difference is huge and worth every single penny! Bambu Bamboo is a small place, just a 15-20 minute walk from the town centre, in the forest and next to the river. Our room was a minimalist looking, white room with a mezzanine level as the bedroom (reminiscent of our Bow Quarter flat) with ensuite and a second bathroom downstairs (I know!). With a free form pool and breakfast area next to the river, you couldn't ask for a better place to relax. This is the best place we have stayed so far and also the best breakfast we've eaten! Cereal, fresh fruits, yoghurt, toast, eggs, different cakes, juices etc. Amazing. Ben had just returned from the UK and brought back with him a load of Tetley's (and English magazines much to Han's delight) so a brew was the first thing on my breakfast table. I would've felt bad if I told him we drink Yorkshire Tea these days. Mmmmm...

After a hearty breakfast, our first full day was spent trying to lounge around the pool, reading (I'm on my third book, the most I've read in 2.5 months in a long time...that's not a legal text!) and sleeping, but sadly it rained once again so we found a nearby bar and drowned our weather-born sorrows.

Deciding enough was enough, the next day we chanced the weather and caught a local bus to a nearby beach area called Trinidade, known for its white sand beaches. We headed to Praia do Mayo, a small bay with white sand beaches with a rainforest backdrop and blue/green waters lapping against the shore. It had all the makings of a great beach but the weather did not play ball. Clouds soon filled the sky making the sea look grey and not that inviting. As such, we didn't stay too long and decided to head back. However, in true style, Han had other ideas. Trying to climb a rock, she slipped and scraped her right knee right down the rock, removing a good chunk of skin from it! Not quite as bad as her arm in Peru, but enough to make her feel faint and leave another nasty mark! So Trinidade was topped off with a quick trip to the chemist to tender her wounds before we were back on the bus!

Our last day in Paraty. Today was the day that the weather should have caught up with our amended itinerary. Thinking there would be no more miscommunication, we booked a day trip on a schooner to visit some other beaches around Paraty and it's many Islands. The weather offered a humble apology and duly brought out the sun. Woohoo! Finally!! The day went much better, chilling on the deck with a beer/caipirinha in hand, snorkelling in the blue waters around the boat and when the speedboat took everyone to shore I decided to swim there instead. I wanted to see how much worse I'd got...(not too shabby I thought - winter 'hot weather training' not going too bad). All in all, the best day in Brazil by a mile! This was more like we expected.

With the good weather finally arriving, we were a little reluctant to leave Paraty but we were due to head up the coast to Ilha Grande. Arriving in Angra dos Reis just in time to catch the next ferry, we took the hour and a half boat to the village of Abraao on the east side of the island, the main settlement on the island. Ilha Grande is one of the most pristine remnants of Brazil's Atlantic rainforest, one of the richest ecosystems in the world, and a hotspot for biodiversity and conservation. The island is largely undeveloped (it has no roads) and noted for its scenic beauty, which includes tropical beaches, luxuriant vegetation and a rugged landscape. The entire island is a protected area with a large part of it not accessible to the public and is solely reserved for scientific study.

But what about the weather you ask? AMAZING!! Scorching sun finally! Woohoo!!

Our first three nights were to be spent in the town, taking in its nightlife, it's many restaurants as well as the many walks and boat rides to idyllic beaches such as Lopes Mendes, a beach voted as one of the top 10 beaches in the world. And we did exactly that! The highlight? The $5 Real (£1.25) Caiprinhas from a mobile bar which was basically a man walking along with a cart full of spirits and mixers, a cocktail shaker and blender. They were the best Caiprinhas we've ever tasted!

Our second three days were spent in Praia Vermelha (Red Beach) on the far west of the island, completely away from everything else. It was so remote that the only way of getting there was to get an expensive taxi boat from the main village or take the ferry back to the mainland and then get a smaller local boat to Praia Vermalha which only went at certain times and certain days. In true 'thrifty' traveller style, we took the latter option. On the boat across, we saw some HUGE crow-like birds circling above us. I don't know what they were waiting for, but I got a couple of decent shots of these massive creatures...

As our schiff was approaching our final destination, we saw a tiny little cove to our left and immediately wanted to know where it was and how we got there from our lodgings. It turned out, our pousada was a 1 minute walk away. Hence, we immediately went straight there, strolling through a bamboo forest and it was more idyllic than any beach we had seen so far and it was all ours. Not a soul around!

Our lodgings, Pousada Lagamar is built into the trees which cover the entirety of the island from coast to coast. Our 'chalet' was built on stilts almost into the canopy itself, overlooking the intensely blue and turquoise waters peeking through the lush green leaves. And my favourite perk, a hammock right outside on the balcony.

They even had regular visitors from the forest who would come down and say hello and chew on a little snack...

The next day, we joined some of other guests at the Pousada on 2.5hr picturesque hike to Lagoa Verde, a shallow(ish), natural and tranquil area of water between the main island and a smaller one - and in between - a floating bar! This area is one of the best places to find many species of fish and if you're lucky, turtles and dolphins. Sadly we didn't see either of them but saw plenty of colourful fish! What made it even better was that there was nobody there either! Just the barman who duly served ice cold cervejas and agua. Not fancying the 2.5hr hike back, we decided to get a taxi boat back to Praia Vermalha and our Pousada, only to find the whole area had lost all electricity. Dinner by candlelight...very romantic.

For our penultimate day, we decided that there was to be no hiking, no boats, just pure relaxation on the little secluded beach we found on our first day in Praia Vermalha. That was until our hosts Luciana and Ezequiel said that there was a boat trip going that day back to Lagoa Verde but also Lagoa Azul for more snorkelling and also another place where there were frequent sightings of turtles...sold! On the boat we got. I didn't really think it could get much better than the day before but I was wrong once again. As soon as I jumped in, a massive shoal of fish swarmed around me so much so that I couldn't really see anything other than a wall of fish!! It may have had something to do with the fact that the Captain had just dropped some food right in front of my mask as I jumped in, not that I'm just a magnet for fish sadly!

But I am a magnet for turtles it seems! Again as I jumped in, they just kept swimming right up to me. It immediately dawned on me I know nothing about turtles other than that they can be quite big. I had no idea what they ate (found that out pretty quickly!) or how they react around people. Save to say when one was approaching me, I freaked out a little at first. I then realised that my GoPro camera was glinting in the sun making it look like tasty fish food. Whilst filming one turtle and taking my eye off it for a second, another decided to sneak up behind and bite at my camera, which was in my hand. Although startling, it was incredible to be so close to these magnificent creatures and see them in their natural environment. Despite my right hand looking like the speciality of the day, I was able to capture some great shots of the turtles! Han practically wet herself with excitement on seeing them and it was truly the highlight of our time on Ilha Grande.

Our final day on Ilha Grande was spent relaxing at the Pousada, reading and sleeping (especially me as I had been up until 5am with two great guys staying at the Pousada, drinking too much, trying to right the wrongs of the world and work out the meaning of life - as you do when you've had a few!). Han was also not on her best form so was happy to chillax also. Not only because she was feeling a little rough from the night before, but also was yet again in the wars!! This time, Hannah had managed to pick up some sort of rash on her back and neck, which appeared to be spreading and getting angrier everyday. Frustratingly, we were on a small island, in a remote area with no amenities around at all and no means of getting to the mainland until the day we were leaving. Having tried every cream, spray and tablet available to us (with the help of the Pousada and all of its guests) nothing appeared to have done the trick.

So, the next day, an hour and a half boat ride and yet another three hour bus journey later, we would arrive at 'River of January' where our first port of call would be to the doctor...then the Havaiana's shop(!), then the beach!