Getting away with it all

Trip Start Sep 06, 2006
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Trip End Sep 01, 2007


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Flag of Brazil  ,
Wednesday, September 13, 2006

If you really want to get away from it all, Ilha Grande may well be the place to go, well so says our dear old 5 yr out-of-date Lonely Planet however we decided to take their advice for once. Its a small island off the coast of Rio and is mostly tropical beach and forest. What really attracted us was the 3 hour hike across the island through steamy mosquito infested rain forest to the most stunning beach in Brazil, where you will be bitten by the deadliest of blood sucking flies. Wow, I just couldn`t wait, as most of you know i react well to insect bites, remember the lyme disease incident? A long the way we managed to set off a bee nests, disturb a red army ant colony and bump into a real life version of Crocodile Dundee complete with crocodile tooth around neck, knife, gun and a man friend named William Wallace, an ex-guide from the Pantanal and crazy as f*ck. Just when we were sitting down to a well earned half way break across the island, Nick was tackled from behind by Pantanal man and put into a head lock for an hour Lopez Mendez beach
Lopez Mendez beach
 . For the next few days the four of us were inseparable, we had picnics on board Croc`s boat, played on the beach with Tyson the dog, we went through some pretty emotional stuff man, including Nick being kidnapped into an internet cafe by an intoxicated Patanal man for 2 hours practically at gun point to translate a love letter in Portuguese to a Kiwi girl who had left him broken hearted.

However, we did get to the most beautiful beach in Brazil and it totally lives up to its name. If you ever happen to be near Rio, please find the patience to hang around the port in Abraao and take the 2 hr ferry to Ilha Grande, you never know, William Wallace might invite you to his jungle home, put hammocks up and cook you a proper Brazilian feast too.

P.S It is good to know that if you are travelling along the highway between Sao Paulo and Rio it is best not to carry any suspicious substances as random police checks with sniffer dogs are the norm. If you are stopped and checked to make the whole process run alot more smoothly you can just pop a large note into your passport as i guess abit of a bribe some might say - the policeman is under no obligation to take this of course but if he does you will probably on your way again very quickly. Good to know.
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