Island Paradise
Day 9 Tuesday Sept 7, Rio/ Ilha Grande (Villa Abraao)
Another (free) breakfast at the hostel with fruits, fruit juices, bread and cake. It seems like a Brasilian thing, cake for breakfast! I have been trying out all the fruits available to me, mostly in the form of fruit juices. Acai, with granola, has been my favourite so far. It is thick and heavy, but delicious, made of a purple berry from the Amazon.
10:30 and it is time to wait for the van to take 5 of us to Ilha Grande, an isand about 140 odd kms from Rio. It is where the Brasilians go on their holidays.
The van driver shows up at 11:00, bundles all of us in and zooms off. I managed to nod off; with his crazy driving, I wasnt quite sure if we would survive the ride – I quite fancy the idea of dying in my sleep! Woke up in time to see some beautiful scenery unfold around me – green mountains around a big lake. A ferry ride drops us off in Villa Abraao.
After checking in at the hostel (in a jungle setting), I wandered around the village and went on a 3 km hike. Praia Preta, fisherman’s cove, an aqueduct and a waterfall. I quite understand why Brasilians come here for their holidays. The weather is bad, with overcast conditions, but I can surely see how it would be heaven in sunny weather. A jungle island with lots of hiking and pretty beaches and no cars or motor vehicles in town.
Head back in the rain to the hostel and indulge in a dinner of rice, beans and salads. Sit around the table and chat with some folks. I am happy and content.
Day 10 Wed Sept 8, Ilha Grande (Villa Abraao)
9 hours of sleep to make up for the previous night. Breakfast was a lovely spread. The ubiquitious Brasilain ham sandwich is again on offer (no thanks!) as are fruits, juices, granola, cereal, chocolate cake, bisuits, peanuts in chocolate, salty crackers, coffee, bread. Having resisted the lure of cake at breakfast a week, I finally cave in. I’ve never been able to say no to chocolate cake!
A couple from the UK wondered if they could join me on my planned hike. We are crazy enough to head out on a hike in tropical rain. It isnt the Seattle variety. It had been pouring down all night and hadnt relented even by the time we headed out (our group had grown to 4 when another girl joined our group)at 10:00.
It was a lovely hike, in the rain forest, along beaches, stopping at a waterfall or two – throw in the odd bamboo trees. I had never before in my life hiked in flip flops, holding an umbrella! The path was challenging at times. Going uphill is easy, but walking down was tough in spots, the rain making the trails slippery. There were some parts where I managed to gather enough mud for a hut or two. Washed my feet in cold water in a running stream as I rejoiced in nature’s offerings.
Saw a monkey, which resembled more a koala, heard the birds call out to each other, were followed by 3 dogs for a while. Beautiful scenery to drink in made it worthwhile to brave a hike in this rain!
2 hours found us in a deserted beach, where we had some fruits to energise us and headed back home. 4 hours of hiking is plenty in th rain. Of course, the rain did subside by the time we got back to the village to a late lunch of fish, rice and beans.
The village is small and the hustle and bustle of Rio seems s far away and ages ago! Time does seem to stop here.
The Hostel Holandes is in a very nice setting, away from the beach into the jungle. Hammocks a plenty. I am in a 6 man dorm. It is clean and the staff are friendly, though communication has been interesting!
Chat around the table with more travellers. I have lost track of names and nationalities. I have been takn for a Brasilian so many times that my ego has grown the size of a football field! Off to bed at 10:00 for 8 hours of sleep, while it continues to pour down buckets! The forecasts predict Thursday to be a tad bit better and Friday to be sunny. I might extend my stay another night or two. I want a glimpse of paradise in sunny weather.
Tags: Travel
Damu