Here's our latest installment, reliving beaches, speedboats and coconuts:

On Saturday (my Grandpa's 80th birthday!), we had to be up early so we could get our speedboat from Salvador to Morro de Sao Paulo. We were onboard for over two hours, and it was extremely rough, with large waves throwing us all over the place, and giving those unlucky enough to be sat outside a soaking (we even got pretty wet inside). Jo and I focused on the horizon and took deep breaths, whilst at least three other people on the boat were sick! We were definitely grateful to get off. We were met off the boat by an extremely friendly guy, wielding a wheelbarrow, who acted like a mini tour guide whilst he carted our luggage from the jetty uphill into the town and found us a pousada (guesthouse). There are no cars on the island, so the wheelbarrows are really handy. Unfortunately, the rain set in for the day, so we didn't manage to get down to the beach. There wasn't really a lot else to do here other than go to the beach, so we succumbed to various odd jobs, and then took a little tour round the island. We (or more like I) made the fateful decision to head up to the old lighthouse, on the hill overlooking the settlement. The rain had reduced the path to slime, and it wasn't long before Jo got her foot covered in mud, and then her flip-flop broke. Luckily it was ok, but things didn't get better when we reached the top and realised the lighthouse wasn't really worth it! The views over the beaches was very beautiful though.

Sunday was a much better day, and after some initial rain at 9 a.m., the sun came out and we were straight down to the sand. It stayed that way until the late afternoon. We lazed about on the beach for the whole day, trying to revitalise our faded tans, which haven't seen the sun since Sydney! We got some coconuts cut open for us, so we could drink the juice, kept cool by ice in the vendor's carts. It felt pretty perfect to kick back on the sand in the sun with a coconut juice. There was one downpour of rain around lunchtime, but luckily we had predicted it: we had just gone to a covered cafe on the beach for a drink! From here we could watch the volleyball/football hybrid going on. They were incredibly skilled, keeping the ball from touching the ground and getting it back over the net within three goes. I definitely wouldn't have been able to compete! They play football everywhere on the beach, with numerous impromptu games of decent skill cropping up in front of us.

On Monday we moved on from Morro de Sao Paulo to Boipeba, again via speedboats. I don't know what it is with us and them, but we just don't mix. To get on to the boat we had to wade out into water waist-high, with all our luggage. I ended up carrying one of the bags on my head! The ride on the boat was about as enjoyable as our last encounter with a speedboat. Instead of sea-sickness, this time I made myself sick with worry that we were going to capsize and lose all our earthly posessions! The water was really choppy, with huge waves; Jo summed it up correctly when she likened it to 'being on a rollercoaster without being strapped in'. There were whole seconds going by when we came completely off the water before landing again with an almighty thud which jolted every bone in your body. As part of our ticket from Morro to Boipeba we had a couple of stops for sightseeing included on the way. The first was a 'natural swimming pool', which couldn't have been further from the truth. It was just a spot of shallow water, cold because of the overcast conditions, and full of rocks! Both Jo and I cut our feet as we couldn't see where we were going! Our second stop was an optional walk across the Isla de Boipeba to the following stop in the town of Boipeba. Only the boat broke down, just as the clouds decided to empty their load right on top of us. Disastrous! We had to swim off the boat, waving goodbye to our luggage and clothes for the time being. The optional walk became compulsory, and luckily we had brought flip-flops. It was beautiful, despite our bewildered moods, and let us in on the way to get back to the perfect beach we'd broke down by, which we visited every day for the rest of our time in Boipeba. Eventually, the boat appeared in the town, being towed by another, and we were able to get our bags, clothe ourselves, and check in to a pousada.

The rest of our days in Boipeba have passed in a haze of sun, sand and sea (plus the odd coconut juice). We returned to the beach where our boat had broken down everyday, as it was just perfect. Jo described it as her favourite beach since we started travelling. It was completely empty, save the odd donkey, and curved round the sea in a perfect crescent of fine white sand, backed all the way along by palm trees. Even though it was hot, there was always a cool breeze which made sure you didn't notice it too much. We've certainly picked up the sun here, and both got much browner. The town of Boipeba is also postcard perfect, full of cobbled lanes, a pretty main square (converted into a football pitch), and lots of colourful flowers in people's gardens. I even spotted a hummingbird outside our room window. We've absolutely loved it here, from the beaches, to the buildings, to the friendly people, and will be sad to move on tomorrow.

We're heading to Arraial d'Ajuda, in the south of Bahia, next. But first we have to get there. We'll be spending most of our day tomorrow in Valença, waiting for an overnight bus to Porto Seguro. So hopefully we'll be in Arraial d'Ajuda by Friday!