After a final morning in Paraty we were all packed and ready to leave for the paradise Isla Grande…but true to South American form, our transport didn't arrive. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem as there's always a public bus somewhere you can jump on and get to wherever you're going. But in this case we were on a bit of a deadline to catch a ferry over to the island. So after a few frantic phone calls we eventually managed to squash the group of us and our luggage into a small van and a car for the very fast and somewhat hairy journey to Angra dos Reis. The journey should have been an idyllic scenic drive along the coast, but unfortunately the hairpin bends and winding roads flew past all too fast as our driver took on anyone in his path and we just closed our eyes!

We made the ferry with seconds to spare. As the van motored right up to the end of the dock the gangplank was just about to be hauled in. We jumped out, grabbed our bags and ran for the boat much to the amusement of the passengers already on board! Now when I say ferry, it really was more of a large barge. We were sat amongst the crates of pineapples and oranges on plastic chairs so hard they would make a park bench seem comfortable.

But it wasn't going to get any better for the next two hours as the boat rocked from side to side through the waves and made it's way slowly across to the island. We all peered eagerly over the side for the first glimpse of our paradise island…and were a little surprised when we did see it. Not so much glistening white sand and wooden sail boats as a seaweed strewn beach with a harbour full of diesel-spewing vessels! However, once on the island we had a short walk to our hotel and it was nice to get away from the busy roads full of buses, cars and bikes. Here there weren't even any roads just sand tracks leading from the beach to the various accommodations nearby. And our hotel itself was pretty nice. I had my own little bungalow, complete with large hammock, which was a perfect place to finish the day with a good book.

The next morning it was time to find the real paradise and explore the island away from the main port. We walked for two hours to reach Lopez Mendes beach on the other side of the island. It was a beautiful walk with some hard uphill sections in the early morning heat, but they were rewarded with fantastic views from up high over the rest of the island and back towards the mainland. We passed through two other beaches which really were postcard perfect - palm tree-lined white sand, small jetties, gentle waves lapping at the shoreline and the odd local with a guitar! We wanted to stop here, but had been promised that just one more hill and we'd arrive at our destination. And Lopes Mendes was very nice. A huge beach, with plenty of other tourists on it, but hardly like a packed Bournemouth beach on a summer's day. There were plenty of waves on this side of the island too. Good surfing waves if you dared, better for body surfing for those who valued their limbs!

And after a well earned day in the sun, we were pleased to discover there was the option of taking a boat back so no need to repeat the two hour hike. But given the size of the pizza I ate that night, maybe I should have walked back…for a small pizza it was almost the size of a car wheel…we couldn't all eat together as you couldn't get them all on the table at the same time!

My final day on the island was not actually spent on the island but on another boat, as we spent the day sailing around to different coves and beaches. With free caiparinias to drink all day, the local Brazilian cocktail made local style with half a bottle in each glass(!), it was always poised to be a messy day, but I resisted until at least 10.30am before I had my first glass - it would be rude not to!

Aware that I wanted to go snorkelling though, my limit was one glass for now as we approached our first stop at the Blue Lagoon. I was quite excited about snorkelling off the coast here as the locals had been raving about it ever since we got to Brazil. But I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Having been out in Thailand and Australia, Brazil had a lot to live up to…and it didn't quite manage it. I did spot a huge needle fish, some puffa fish and the biggest star fish I've ever seen, bright orange and yellow, very impressive.

Lunch was a bbq on board the boat and then it was off to the next snorkelling stop in another bay, but this one wasn't so clean and the beach has a lot of rubbish on it (and I don't mean the tourists!). By this time most people had grown tired of jumping of the boat and getting wet, plus the cloud was gathering so it wasn't as easy to dry off and warm up. At our final stop of the day no-one was interested in getting off so it was back to the caiparinias for the leisurely sail home.

That night was our final night together as a group so we had a big bbq at the hotel and a fair amount of alcohol was consumed. More free caiparinias combined with some local 'poor quality' beer and we were ready for dancing…Unfortunately we ended up at a bar that was open just for us so after the initial excitement the fun soon ended I managed to find my way home and crawl into bed around 2am.