Sol

I have finally found the sun. It has been hiding above Ilha Grande, a former pirate mecca off the coast of Brazil two hours south-east of Rio. While I caught glimpses of it on Monday during my last day in Rio, the highlight of which was a trip and swim at the relatively deserted Ipanema Beach, I have only been able to truly relax and enjoy its warmth here on the island. I am only here for 2 days and nights, leaving tomorrow morning to meet up with Paula again in Paraty, a quaint colonial town between Sao Paulo and Rio, but could easily stay much longer.

Yesterday entailed catching a bus at 5am from Rio to Mangaratiba, where I caught the day´s only ferry at 8am to the island. Spent the afternoon on two beaches, one much like Vancouver Island´s Long Beach and the other more like your typical tropical island slice of sand. Think Lost. Today was spent on a boat trip that included plenty of swimming and a taste of snorkelling and was finished off with a refreshingly cold 1 litre beer at the end of the day as our group enjoyed the sun´s last rays before it descended below the island´s hilltops.

Internet´s darn expensive here, so that´s all for now. Fly home on Sunday.