Casey, Andrew and I decided to opt for the easy
transfer to Ilha Grande Island from Rio instead of doing it ourselves which
would consist of taxi, bus, taxi, boat, walk…. Easy Transfer picked us up from
our hostel and drove us for 2 hours to a cute little beach town where we
boarded an over packed motorized sailing boat. Another hour and a half later we
docked up right outside our next hostel.
Ilha Grande is a mountainous island covered in
lush tropical jungle. It reminded me a bit of Jurassic Park! Our hostel was
right on the water and literally 3 steps out our door your off the deck into
the water. Absolute bliss! To get to the small town which inhabits no vehicles
bar one ambulance, we had to walk 10 min over a beach. Such a hard life….
I enjoyed sitting on the deck under the palm
trees and watching the sun go down, the stars come out, and the town’s lights
glimmer on the water. There’s something about lapping water that is so
soothing… it made me feel so relaxed and so happy – a little piece of paradise.
We spent 5 nights on the island, keeping
ourselves entertained with long walks (1-5 – 2 hours each way) through the
jungle up and down hills and over rocks to stunning beaches. I had expected it
to be a bit more untouched but along the way there were places to buy drinks
and ice cream. Boats catered to hauling tourists around who didn’t want to walk
to the best beaches so they weren’t exactly quiet. Given that the islands so
close to Rio and Carnival had just finished… it probably contributed to the population
of the island doubling if not tripling. I hesitate to say the beaches were
packed though, because in comparison to the beaches in Rio, nothing could ever
match that.
We attempted snorkeling one day but
unfortunately the water was too murky to see anything. (Unfortunately at
certain times, this algae stuff would also come into the beaches which hampered
the swimming experience a bit.)But we enjoyed sunbathing, having picnics,
swimming and relaxing at 6 different beaches - and that was barely scratching
the surface of the islands gems. We walked past many others that we didn’t stop
at. The little towns sandy streets were full of cute shops and abundant with
restaurants and posada’s (accommodation). Little tourist offices offered boat
trips around to the other side of the island that would be too far too walk in
one day – I especially wanted to go to Lagoa Azul which would’ve been the
perfect spot to snorkel with its clear tropical water but unfortunately the
only boat trips on offer were full day excursions where you have allocated times
at a different beaches and didn’t have much choice in the matter…
We were in a 6 person dorm and the people
changed every day. The island was full to the brim with Australians and the
British, as was Rio. It was so nice having an ensuite in our dorm room after
the un-private showering experience at our hostel in Rio! Only downside was you
could hear everything, and one night one of our roommates was throwing up for
quite some time… poor thing! Casey got bitten by one of the abnormally large
ants on the island and she felt like her skin was on fire. Thankfully though, no
permanent harm was done.
We spent a lot time reading in the shade or in
the hammocks, having had our fill of the hot sun. One night we had a few drinks
at a party the hostel next door was putting on. At a certain time every night,
large crabs would run over the beach! Cool to see but had me a bit concerned
that id accidently loose a toe by walking too close to one in the dark! One day
I had these adorable little Brazilian girls trying to speak to me. We had a
broken conversation in the little bit of Spanish that we both knew. I so wish I
could’ve understood them better, they were so excited to meet someone from far
far away. Their infectious giggles really warmed me.
Sadly, we had to leave. I had gotten so
accustomed to the lazy way of island life! Got the easy transfer back to Rio
where we stayed in a hostel where nothing seemed to work. Said our goodbyes to
Casey and at the wonderful hour of 4.30am, Andrew and I went to the airport to
catch our flight up the coast to Salvador. Our flight was delayed so we went
wondering around the airport, only to hear an announcement in English
especially for us over the intercom saying “Final Call”. Woops! – This day was
a special day. 29th Feb, only happens once every 4 years! It also
marks the 150th day of our travels since leaving Canada… phew!
INFO (extracted from Lonely Planet): Brazil has
much to offer – 7500km of powdery white sand beaches, colonial towns, music
filled metropolises, tropical islands, majestic waterfalls, rivers, rugged
mountains, red rock canyons, and of course the wild incredible Amazon jungle.
Brazil managed to pay off its debts to the UN
ahead of schedule as well as a massive oil field being discovered catapulting
the country with the 8th largest economy in the world to being one
of the largest oil exporters. Brazil has one of the world’s widest gaps between
the rich and the poor and it’s known for its high crime rate (although
statistics put them on par with crime in the United States and Japan). Brazil
is going to be a happening place as they are hosting the FIFA world cup in 2014
and the Olympic Games in 2016. Brazil is the only country to have won 5 world
cups (in 58, 62, 70, 04 and 2002). Brazil is also the world’s largest catholic
country.
It’s estimated that the area of Brazil was
inhabitated by people up to 50,000 years ago which predates any other in the
whole American continent. The Portuguese landed in 1500 to a place where tribes
would capture enemies in battle and they would be ceremonially eaten. The
Portuguese ignored the tribes as their only interest was harvesting the red dye
from brazil wood. The natives offered them their labor and their women in
exchange for tools and liquor but eventually the newcomers took advantage of
them and turned them into slaves. The colonists discovered sugarcane and soon
the sale of slaves became Brazil’s second largest commercial enterprise. Most
natives died at the hands of the colonists and those that didn’t died from
introduced European diseases.
During the 17th century African
slaves replaced indigenous prisoners on the plantations. From 1550 to 1888
about 3.5 million slaves were shipped to Brazil. The Africans fought back and
many escaped starting small communities in the jungle. In 1690 gold was
discovered so the rush was on and slavery increased as they were shipped in to
dig and die.
When Napoleon marched into Lisbon, the prince regent
of Portugal moved his court to Brazil. When he became king in 1816 he declared
Rio de Janeiro the capital of the united kingdom of Portugal and Brazil making
Brazil the only new world country to serve as the seat of a European monarch.
The king eventually moved back to Portugal in 1821 leaving his son Pedro in Brazil
as regent. The Portuguese parliament attempted to return Brazil back to
colonial status. Pedro responded by saying “Independence or Death” and crowned
himself emperor. Portugal was too weak to fight so Brazil gained independence
without bloodshed. He ruled for 9 years and eventually had to give over power
to his 5 year old son. There was a civil war that raged until the boy was old
enough to reign, in which he did for 50 years. He went to war with Paraguay,
meddled in Argentina and Uruguay’s affairs, encouraged mass immigration,
abolished slavery and forged and state that would do away with the monarchy
forever.
During the 19th century coffee
replaced sugar as Brazil’s primary export, at one point supplying 3 quarters of
the worlds demand. In 1889 a coffee backed military coup toppled the empire,
sending the emperor into exile. The new Brazilian republic adopted a constitution
similar to the States and for nearly 40years military and civilian presidents
governed through which armed forced effectively ruled the country. The coffee
market collapsed in 1929 and a few different presidents ruled as the country suffered
from inflation until the military overthrew the government in 1964. Military
rule over 20 years was harsh, the favelas (shantytowns) grew but the economy also grew whilst borrowing
heavily from international banks. Things have been getting considerably better
since then.
Sadly, the Amazon is slowly being destroyed. In
between 2000-2006 parts of the jungle the size of Greece was cleared. The
Amazon takes up 42 percent of Brazil. Brazil has more known species of plants
(55,000), freshwater fish (3000) and mammals (520+) in the world, ranking third
for birds (1622) and 5th for reptiles (468). Brazil is the fifth
largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, China and the United States.
Brazil borders every other South American country except Chile and Ecuador. Its
8.5million square km area covers almost half the continent.
