Ilha Grande

Keeping up with the typical tourist trail in Brazil we went next to a small island ironically called Ilha Grande. This place is known for it´s beautiful beaches and surrounding nature. We stayed in a lovely hostal run by a really nice woman who for a cheap price made homeade meals for everyone at dinner time. The first night there we had some much missed homeade food and then headed out to find a bar for a caipirinha to celebrate our new destination. We had just got there and were realaxing in some deck chairs with our feet in the sand when suddenly the rain started to fall. We quickly dived for cover in the beach bar. It wasn´t long before there was a power cut but it really was like one of those typical traveller´s tales of paradise....stuck in a bar, forced to drink caipirinhas sat in the candlelight. It was the best power cut I have ever experinced.

Unfortunately a few days later we were also caught up in another storm which didn´t have quite the same calming affect!
During the day as it was raining and there wasn´t a lot to do we thought we might as well take the opportunity to do another hike aorund the island as it wasn´t so hot. Well I had been told that it was more or less flat and could be done in flip flops, unlike the day before which had been very rocky and I had done in my walking boots. Whilst it started off easily enough my God by the end I just wanted to turn back. It was up and down hill constantly and because I only had my flip flops on and it was all muddy, I literaly could not get up the slopes. I nearly gave up at one point and turned back but part of me was kind of worried that I would probably break my ankle on the way back and be stuck alone.
So we carried on and after a few hours finally got to the waterfall. I would love to say it was amazing but unfortunately it wasn´t. Half the group didn´t even want to swim beacuse the water didnt look that clean. I however, decided I had not done the worst walk of my life to not at least have a swim.
As predicted the walk back - downhill, was even harder than climbing up. Thankfully I found a huge stick which helped me as everybody kept falling down. I thought I would do ok with my stick but lo and behold I managed to fall down right at the point when I was being filmed. I´m told it will be put on youtube...
Managed to make it back in one piece although one girl had a huge bruise from falling.