 Our boat for the day!27-May-2009 16:49, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 16.0, 28.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 800 |
After only about four hours sleep we managed to meet with the rest of the El Misti crew at a tour shop; they’d arranged for a boat trip with snorkelling for R$25 each (R$20 without snorkelling). When we woke, we were far from up for the trip but were very glad we did! A quick shop for breakfast, sandwiches made and packed, shoe sizes swapped for flippers and we were off!
 The El Misti crew, on a boat in Ilha Grande! Left to RIght is Stewart, Francis, Marcus, Lynette, Me, Jaqueline, Cindy and Marco.
The El Misti crew, on a boat in Ilha Grande! Left to RIght is Stewart, Francis, Marcus, Lynette, Me, Jaqueline, Cindy and Marco.27-May-2009 16:36, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 14.0, 28.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 800 |
The boat trip included three stops one of which is the famous Blue Lagoon; the boat could have carried seventy but there was a pleasant thirty or so on board. Lynette loves the sea and the sound of crashing waves; the gentle breeze on the boat made the sunshine and salty air a perfect way to get rid of any hangover – which completely disappeared once we’d dived into the Blue Lagoon with our snorkelling gear on!
The water is amazing at this point; completely clear and easy to see to the depths of the bottom; much clearer than anywhere else on Ilha Grande hence its popularity for diving and snorkelling. Lynette was very chuffed when she finally got to grips with snorkelling and swimming at the same time! Floating out to sea, looking only on sand, isn’t quite as interesting but when you get closer to the rocks you can see so much colour; coral, urchins, fish, crabs and more that I had no idea what it was. I did see a large two legged thing a bit like a large frog, but instead of a head it appeared to have another tail. No idea which end was actually the head, but I’ve never seen anything like it and could not find it again so not even sure now if I saw it at all!
 And yes, my competitive edge did come out again. Note Stewart has no flippers, he ditched them early on to gain speed and still came 2nd. Tsk.
And yes, my competitive edge did come out again. Note Stewart has no flippers, he ditched them early on to gain speed and still came 2nd. Tsk.27-May-2009 17:16, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 13.0, 28.0mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 800 |
Lots of fruit back on the boat; lunch was not included though and very expensive so glad we brought sandwiches with us. Next stop was another glorious beach; no houses or shops nearby so it was very tranquil although the water was a little cloudy and not quite as good snorkelling. However, this was the site of the first Ilha Grande Flipper Race 2009! Marcus, Stewart and I got into sprinting position, the crowd went wild, and we were off! Stewart’s flippers came off early but even running he was no match for Mace whose competitive spirit went unchecked again and he came away with the title; not sure it gets me into consideration for 2012 Olympics but it felt good… 
Third stop was for lunch and another beach; we chilled out next to the lapping waves and played a bit of happy sack. My ball skills have not improved at all and have been noted as a potential hazard. Lynette and I ventured into the forest as we fancied a bit of walk; incredibly bad idea as five minutes later we came running out have encountered some rather hungry mosquitoes who managed five courses each out of us. We’ve been assured we’ll develop a bit of immunity to them but for now we’ve got ten golf ball lumps between us that the insect bite stick we bought has only made a slight dent in.
 He’s such a happy chappy!
He's such a happy chappy!27-May-2009 19:45, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 4.5, 105.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 800 |
Minutes later, Cindy yelped and jumped from the sand saying something had landed on her back. It was a big stick insect! While we were all examining the poor fellow, a little dog came panting out of nowhere, completely oblivious to Sticky (we’re very original) Bob (Everything seems to be called Bob round here) he circled on the spot, taking us all in, and then just sat down straight on the little bugger. Dog was quickly booted away (there are lots of dogs in the UK, none quite as interesting as Sticky Bob) and since he had already been missing a leg and was still crawling around we figured he was ok. We left him to it and made our way back to the boat.
Fourth stop (? Not expected, and encroaching on Champions League final!) was a very small beach just before Abraao, where lovers write their name in the sand for good luck (allegedly). Stewart was the only one who ventured in the water, and managed to have a great time salvaging coconuts and jumping from trees. Meanwhile, back on the boat, who should appear from Lynette’s bag but Sticky Bob! He’d hitched a ride in Lynette’s day pack and emerged back on the boat; not sure where his ultimate destination was but he was very pleased to see us. Kept everybody on the boat amused for at least twenty minutes!
 Marcus put on a fantastic spread for dinner, I was a happy man and managed to squeeze in thirds.
Marcus put on a fantastic spread for dinner, I was a happy man and managed to squeeze in thirds.27-May-2009 22:34, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 4.0, 28.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 400 |
Knackered, we made it back to the hostel everybody else was staying at to watch the second half of the Champions League final; Lynette was most disappointed to see Manchester United lose 2-0 to Barcelona; I was most impressed with the amount of time that the Brazilian commentator managed to shout Gooooooooooooooooooooooooal for – he managed to beat even the player’s own celebrations! Marcus then cooked everybody a beautiful meal; he’s got an excuse he’s a professional chef. Any suggestions by the way for recipes suitable for cooking when travelling are welcome! They cannot include any spices except salt, must use as few pans as possible and slow cooking is a no no. Our efforts so far have included spaghetti bolognaise, meat & potatoes and salad; for breakfast this morning we did make a nice sautéed garlic, onion & potato mixture with scrambled egg – yum!
 And even happier when the running tally against Stewart became 2-0 in my favour. Time for bed now!
And even happier when the running tally against Stewart became 2-0 in my favour. Time for bed now!28-May-2009 00:05, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 3.5, 30.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 400 |
Anyway, after the meal Stewart challenged me to another game of Chess in an effort to make up for his loss in Rio; it was a close game but he’s still on the wrong side of a 2-0 tally. I left him playing a recently arrived kid from New Zealand who had a worrying smile suggesting talent so I don’t think his tally is going to improve any time soon (Found out the next day Stewart happily beat him twice, which must have put a smile on his face! UPDATE: Final tally in the Steve vs Stewart Chess Wars was 5.5 to 1.5!). Lynette and I headed back to our apartment to wash our clothes in the sink and hit the sack. Boa noce!
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Our boat for the day!27-May-2009 16:49, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 16.0, 28.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 800 |
Abraao bay, where almost all boats and ferries first land in Ilha Grande, including ours yesterday!27-May-2009 14:30, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 16.0, 28.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 800 |
Getting ready to set sail…27-May-2009 14:31, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 16.0, 28.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 800 |
An oil ship dropping off its cargo. Apparently, Aarton Senna used to live just round the corner and jogged up and down the beach beyond this pier every day.27-May-2009 15:24, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 18.0, 38.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 800 |
Island for sale! One careful owner!27-May-2009 15:25, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 13.0, 28.0mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 800 |
Apparently the asking price is R$8,000,000 – about £2.7m.27-May-2009 15:25, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 9.0, 105.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 800 |
We've arrived at The Blue Lagoon! Lots of fishes! TIme for snorkelling…27-May-2009 15:33, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 9.0, 28.0mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 800 |
Stewart first to dive in and swim with the fi… no hang on that didn't happen.27-May-2009 15:39, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 13.0, 83.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 800 |
Then Cindy, ever so gracefully!27-May-2009 15:39, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 10.0, 83.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 800 |
Lynette acclimatising to the waters…27-May-2009 15:42, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 13.0, 80.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 800 |
The happy couple, ready to start investigating coral!27-May-2009 15:43, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 11.0, 80.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 800 |
The El Misti crew, on a boat in Ilha Grande! Left to RIght is Stewart, Francis, Marcus, Lynette, Me, Jaqueline, Cindy and Marco.27-May-2009 16:36, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 14.0, 28.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 800 |
Catalogue or Blue Steel? You decide…27-May-2009 16:37, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 18.0, 28.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 800 |
Marco is an Aquaries, and likes fishing and long walks.27-May-2009 16:37, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 13.0, 105.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 800 |
Marcus the chef and always up for a laugh.27-May-2009 16:38, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 13.0, 105.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 800 |
Lynette enjoying the sunshine!27-May-2009 16:38, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 14.0, 105.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 800 |
Francis and Marcus, a great couple.27-May-2009 16:39, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 16.0, 45.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 800 |
Our second stop on the boat, amazing beach and so tranquil.27-May-2009 16:49, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL, 14.0, 28.0mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 800 |
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