Ola!! I hope you are all well?

So I made it Ilhabela alright - got the bus from Sao Paulo and 4 hours later was on aferry across to a beautiful island. I got chatting to guy on the ferry who´s english was very good and he sorted out a taxi to get me to my hostel. The hostel is lovely - really well put together - however - I am the only one there! Because the carnival was only a few weeks ago this is a lull. I don´t mind though - its like having my own flat with a pool!

The owners live here and they seem really nice - the lady - Joana told me lots opf things I could do here other than sun bath so I took her advice!

On Tuesday I got the bus to the end of the road at the south of the island - the drive was beautiful as it followed the coast climbing up the side of the cliff. I then walked / hiked/ nearly died for 1.5 hours and eventually found this gorgeous little waterfall. The walk there was stunning - the veiws and the nature was amazing - I saw loads of different birds and butterflies ( non of which sat still enough for me to take a picture of!), some weird looking guinea fowl, a gorgeous yellow and black woodpecker, a green parrot and what I believe once may have been an armadillo but is definatley dead now! I had my lunch by the water fall then lay in the sun relaxing, closed my eyes for ten minutes then felt something run across my tummy . . . .a massive long legged spider! I calmly got up and did the òh my god I´ve got a spider on me`dance whist singing `oh my god, get off me you b******!`I think I handled the whole situation very well! I then looked down and saw blood all over my legs!!! Some bloody flies had been dining out on me while I was relaxing and made a right old mess - 24 hours later I´m swollen, itchy and angry at them - I will kill everything that flies with in a certain radious of me to make myslef fell better ( that does not include you Rebecca!)

Today I walked north up the coast for a couple of hours then sunbathed and swam for a bit before being eaten a little more for good measure! Grrrrr my sweet smelling blood - I hear mother saying `you get that from your fathers side!`. Leave here tomorrow morning early - if all goes to plan I should be getting on a bus to Rio at 9.00am and arriving at 4.00pm Dumping my stuff at the hostel before heading to the airport to meet Bex!!!!! So stupidly excited!

Much love to you all - and incase you´re feeling low remember how lucky we are not to have blood sucking little bugers trying to eat you every minute of every day at the place we call home!

Aunty Trish - dad says you´re getting a new puppy! Sounds like a good plan - I suggested you could use my blogs to house train him! Lots of love t you and the family x x x