Very tired and very early we headed off for our bus and boat ride. It took 2 hours on the bus and then we waited an hour and the boat took about 1.5 hours. We got to the island about half 9. We found our little hostel which was called Studio Beach and was run by a Brazilian guy who was so sweet and welcoming and spoke not a word of English. The day was gorgeous when we arrived so after some breakfast I headed to sit on the beach for a few hours and read... It was BLISS, just what I needed. A bit later on I headed to wake up Ellen and walk to the other side of the island. We took some pictures and wandered around. We bumped into some Irish girls I was chatting to in Iguazu falls so we agreed to meet up later that night at the Biertgarden for a few drinks. On the way we picked up some sweet popcorn with condensed milk it was really tasty. Our hostel cooked every night and we could get involved for 12 real so we did. Let me tell you it was the best decision of the trip. The meals they cooked blew my mind. On the first night we had chicken in a garlic and tomatoes, rice, beans, salad, and purple cabbage. DELICIOUS, Brazilian food rocks honestly.. so good. We headed later and met up with the Irish girls and spent a funny evening with them. The hostel bar was really busy that night. It was a good first evening on the island.

The next day after a very tasty breakfast (cereal, bread, biscuits, cake and fruit) it was another lovely day so we headed off to the beach Lopez Mendes on the boat which cost 20 reals. It took almost an hour to get there. Then we had a 20 minute walk as we were dropped on the other side of the island so we walked through a bit of jungle to get there. The beach was as stunning as we imagined and for the first few hours it was gorgeous. I even went in the sea and it was just perfect. It was great to sunbathe and enjoy the beach for a few hours. However about 3pm it changed and turned really quite cold and there were plenty of rain clouds up there so we headed back to wait for the boat back to Abraao. We made a little friend with a black lab and Ellen fed her loads. We got back and chilled out before dinner at 8. That night it was meat, mash, rice and salads and equally yummy. We headed to have a few drinks at the spot from the night before and then headed to Che Lagarto where 'Akon' lookalike was to be preforming. This was a guy who worked on the boat who had a soft spot for Ellen :) heehee. There was some live music. A mix of covering Nirvana and other bands and some were just Brazilian music. It has a very chilled out vibe and the decking was on the water front so it was a really cool evening.

The next day the weather was not great so went off walking with Michael to a rock pool and waterfall. It took a few hours to do both and get back. It was a slippery walk in flip flops, we did not set out expecting to go that far so we were a little ill prepared. It was through the rainforest and the pathes were pretty small at times. We saw some little monkeys in the trees and some beautiful birds and these massive bamboo trees. It even started to rain a bit but then luckily it stopped after a while. It was a brilliant walk and I felt so much better for doing it. I really enjoyed it. The waterfall was pretty and after a few pictures and a little relax time we headed back down. We also stopped at some ruins the Lazareto which was an old farmhouse and then turned into a place to separate people who had chlorea (there was a massive breakout years ago mainly from Europeans who came over) We stopped at a little beach and then carried on back to town. I tried the acai which is like frozen berries with banana, granola and syrup. It was really delicious and is something you have to try when in Brazil. I also had from one of the cake stands a chocolate peanut biscuit. There was a few of these where people have a stand with lots of different cake options and they look delicious. It's really hard not to try it out. :) All in all Brazil has lovely food options which do nothing to help the expanding waistline :) Later that night we all watched films after tucking into a sausage dinner with mash and all the trimmings. We all felt tired after our walking that day so a night of R&R was in order :)

On our last day there was some heavy rainfall from the night and the day was pretty grim :( It was such a shame as I wanted to get to some other beaches but the weather was not good enough. So I wrote this blog to kill some time :) We also watched a few films. One being Hot tub time machine which was pretty silly but all light hearted fun. We are going to enjoy our last tasty meal here tonight :) We are going to leave tomorrow morning and head back to Rio. The final stop on my world wide amazing tour. I cannot believe I have just about a week left. It's a really weird feeling and before I know it I will be at home and reality will be kicking in. When we get to Rio we meet back up with Shelly and Tracey who we met in Peru. We plan on going to a Favela party on Sunday. This is an area which is run by drug gangs and you can go and mix with the Brazilians. It is properly organised so its perfectly safe. The Irish girls did it and said it was good fun and its a bit like save the last dance with people dancing away to hip hop etc.. LOVE it..On Monday its Tracey's 30th so we are out for that celebrating and then its the last few days of Ellen and my trip so we will be busy sightseeing (hopefully tanning) and of course partying. We also want to do the usual Rio spots, the Christ statue, Sugar Loaf. We are staying in Ipanema which is the beach alongside Copacabana so I imagine we will have an excellent time :) I only have one more post to do now so stay tuned :) Also good luck to Ellie who is in labour with the second baby who is being rather stubborn, you go girl and I can't wait to meet the new one when I am home.