Nothing much to report from our day of travelling except our bus to Angra and then a ferry to Ilha Grande. J managed to slice open his toe whilst taking Emma to the chemist - highly ironic! Arriving at the island Emma and Laura went for an exploratory stroll after checking in and leaving the boys to play a game of pool. Arriving back at the hostel armed with information about every restaurant including prices and having consumed the best hot chocolate of the trip, we left the decision of where to eat to the boys. Finishing our Italian food we found another self-service ice cream bar with more choice than Paraty and made us all very excited!

Running to catch the 10.30 boat to Lopes Mendes beach then hiking 2km in flip flops through the jungle, supposedly to see the most beautiful beach on the island, we only realised the entire sky was cloudy and grey after laying out our towels, applying suncream and finally getting comfy! Laura sitting for the remainder of the day in a cardigan and shivering whilst Emma braved the water, we were all pleased when the boat returned at 3 to take us back to the mainland.

Deciding to split up for our evening meal, Jamie joined us for dinner. En route we stopped at a wine shop where Jamie checked every bottle before buying one to accompany his food. Choosing a pizza place overlooking the sea we sat down to a sophisticated meal where the waiter opened J´s wine and managed to snap the cork into the bottle. Staying calm, J went back to the shop returning one hour later with an infuriated face. It turned out the shop would not exchange the wine and an argument had ensued with Jamie demanding they open another bottle, only for it to have the same fault! Laura, not quite so sophisticated, ended the meal by projecting her mouthful of water all over the table and Emma as she laughed at Jamie´s re-telling of the argument.

We were delighted that despite the mess we had made, Jamie´s food was left off the bill and he therefore cheered up realising he had spent nothing the whole evening! Meeting up with Dan and Emily for crepes on the beach, Laura be-friended a stray dog that begged Emma for her food, but his plea was refused. Following Jamie´s freebie Laura felt she was entitled to some free food and not being asked to pay for her crepe, took advantage of the situation and managed to get her free dessert!

The weather the next day once again not clearing, we strolled around the island in search of a pretty beach. Finding a volleyball net and a suitable wall for Laura to lay on, a competative game of football and volleyball followed. Emma and Emily finished up with cuts and grazes not realising how aggressive their boyfriends can be and how seriously they take football!

Strolling further still in search of a beach, our ball managed to roll off a cliff but instead of just leaving it Jamie saw this as an opportunity for adventure and climbed down after it, over rocks and jumping into the sea, swimming against a current to retrieve it! Watching from above in hysterics and taking photos, Laura discreetly disappeared with severe stomach cramps and returned claiming she had the big D! A landmark event took place - Laura went in the sea for the first time even if it was only to wee whilst Emma once again stood guard in the sea a little close for comfort!

Pre-dinner involved caprinhias and the Olympic highlights before revisiting our favourite pizzeria, Emma chose the most expensive fish option on the menu and was astounded that upon receiving the bill the entire figure was just the cost of her meal - they had left both of our meals off the bill meaning another cheap night out!

Bumping into Sara our tour guide from Bolivia, we became animated eager to hear the gossip from the remainder of the tour!

Loving the beach from the previous day, we returned as the weather was amazing. The boys, leaving before us as we needed some girly shopping time, chose an idiotic rock on which to sit which was big enough for possibly two people at a squeeze and after scrunching up to fit, the tide came in just enough to soak only us! Emma was ecstatic at her purchase of a coconut which she happily imbibed with a straw, having moved position on the beach to a more sandy patch. On our way back to the hostel we found a random porter roaming the streets and Emma made Laura ask if he could return to carry our bags to the ferry. Marching off ahead of us we caught a ferry to Mangaratiba to take a bus to Rio de Janeiro, our final destination of the trip.

Getting into Rio fairly late we were pleased to see the hustle and bustle of a city once more and reached our hostel in Ipanema early enough to eat some revolting food close to the beach. We also met Tracey - we will mention her later but will just say now she works for The Mango Tree (our hostel) and is possibly one of the most annoying people in the world, making us feel we had entered a prison or joined a cult as we were not allowed to ask questions after 10pm!