It was lovely to get away from it all to Ilha Grande for a few days. Rio's attitude was getting to us. Very different on the island - everyone was friendly and helpful. No cars (a bit like Ebrington), its like a paradise island. Check out the photos. We caught a bus from Rio to Angra, and then a boat to the island. Our FIRST boat broke down at sea after 30 mins!! The boat was really rocky before they anchored it and there were a few green faces. They had to send a police boat and a rescue boat and we had to jump ship with the rucksacks. Great fun!! Excellent seafood and steak on the island. Beers caiparinhas and a good feed for 2 just over a tenner. We went trekking through the jungle. Very scary. There were a couple of spider incidents. Not big but big enough to freak marie out because when you are in the thick of the jungle you dont have any option but to follow the trail to get out. Stew was very brave as lots of rocks for snakes to hide under! Also extremely humid in the jungle. We looked like we had been in the shower after about 5 mins of walking. However, we were rewarded with the most beautiful and secluded beaches. We got a boat home rather than go back into the jungle!!! When we got to our poussada (guest house) we were chuffed to find that a couple we shared a dorm with in Rio were there too, so we had a few nice nights out. Not a lot to do except eat and drink lots. Suited us fine! Also the owner was a huge Beatles and Rolling Stones fan, so we listened to loads of classic LPs and watched some dvds. Bad thing about the island was there were LOADS of mozzies. Both got bitten loads. Little b*****s. Weight loss not going well - too much beer (40p a can for nice beer, 20p a can for Skol) and food. Stews suntan is coming on with a few red patches. Marie barely changed colour at all! Off to Santiago tomorrow. Looking forward to some nice Chilean Reds!