We Make A Funky Party

Today we woke up to rain. I guess not everything can be perfect in paradise. As part of the plan, we decided to see another part of Ilha Grande and hiked about 7 miles. On the way, we saw the old hospital / quarantine where they kept European immigrants who may have cholera and some cool aqueduct ruins.

We hiked to a waterfall called Feiticeira that means witch. Although we were wet from rain, we were definitely sweaty from the hiking and humidity. At the waterfall, we waded through and took some fun photos. What else are you going to do in this amazing rainforest!?

We had an option to hike another hour and take a boat back, but as the weather was not nice, there was a chance a taxi boat would not be available. So we decided to hike back, cross a stream, and check out some lookout points.

Although the weather was rainy, we had a blast exploring and it was really appropriate that we were getting rained on in a rainforest! We saw a really large spider and heard some more howler monkeys as well.

After coming back into town, our pousada was nice enough to let us shower and get cleaned up. Then we headed out to lunch where I had fried fish, salad, black beans and rice. Lizzie and Allison both had burgers and fries, but the menu led them to believe they would be normal sandwiches. We would have normally taken a 5 pm ferry, but opted for the 3 pm due to the weather. We are sad to leave the paradise of Ilha Grande, but we have so many things to still see in Rio.

On the ride back, we listened to the American musical delights of Usher, Pitbull, Britney, and others. We have decided Pitbull is an international language as we heard tourists at Iguaçu singing along to him, even though they probably couldn't speak English.

Before we hit massive traffic outside of Rio, we stopped at a rest stop, got coffees, pao de queijo (bread balls with cheese), brigadeiros (chocolate balls), and cocada (coconut treats). The candy shop at the rest stop had so many tasty homemade treats. Allison got more peanut candies that we had enjoyed before.

We sang so much in the car, we justifiably made our own "funky party"! Alex, our guide, would use this phrase a lot - i.e. "When I was young, I use to make a funky party". We thought it was pretty hilarious even though his English was very good.

Outside of our car, just from the highway, you could see that it was not so much a funky party. We saw peddlers and other struggling Cariocas (the term for people from Rio) and policemen with large guns casually resting on their open car windows. Tourists often opt for favela or slum / shanty town tours where drug lords rule. These are quite popular, but the 3 of us decided it was not of interest to us even though tours can be relatively safe and visit "pacified favelas".

Despite seeing some of the grit of the city, we had many laughs as I have proclaimed to Alex that I'm the funniest Korean he has ever met. He even said to me he couldn't see me as a "boss" because I'm so nice. This is how you know I'm really on vacation and in vacation mode. :-)

After arriving back at the Mercure Arpoador, we eventually headed out to dinner in Ipanema where we ate at ZaZa which is a Latin / Asian fusion restaurant. We shared seafood ceviche, caprese salad, pork ribs, and grilled fish. We drank a Pinot Grigio / Torrontés wine blend and had Devil's Food Cake for dessert. I had become a Torrontés fan after my trip to Argentina last year with Amanda. Although Malbec is the most well-known, the Argentines are also proud of their best white wine.

Tomorrow we explore more of Rio and can't wait to sight-see and hit the beach!

Ilha Grande

Today, Rio Hiking, an adventure tour company took us to Ilha Grande. Alex, our guide, picked us up at 6 am and drove about 2 hours south of Rio where we got on a 1 hour boat ride. The car ride was a trip back into time with 90s and American music. Listening to Sublime, ACDC, Foster the People, and others was not expected at 6 am in Rio. After our boat ride and walk through the town, we checked in at our Pousada, or inn, called Hipocampus Cavalo Marinho and did a quick change.

Ilha Grande is a nature preserve where no cars are allowed to come on to the island and where there once was a famous prison. There is all sorts of activities and water sports. We opted for a 3 hour hike that brought us to secluded beaches. We saw cool trees, plants, and heard howler monkeys from afar. The first mountain was the steepest and we even went to the tippy top for a beautiful view of the island. This is where I fell the first time, coming down from the tippy top. The weather was overcast, but no rain and very humid. We continue to remark that we could not imagine what it would be like during the high season of summer!

Ilha Grande

Then we went down the mountain which was easier and then I slid again. We hiked through 2 more hills and passed through 2 more beaches and I managed to fall sideways on some wet rocks. Don't worry, I'm okay, but my practically worn out sneakers just had no traction and this was over 4 hours or so. All in all, we hiked about 8 miles according to my iPod Nano pedometer even though Alex thought it was 3 km. We have come to learn that although he is a good guide, he lacks spatial reasoning skills. According to Alex, distances are not that far and hikes are easy-medium! ;-)

Allison: With a tree needle used for poisonous darts.
Lizzie: With the photobomb.

At the first beach called Palma, we had fresh juices. I had passion fruit with strawberry while Allison and Lizzie had pineapple with mint. So fresh and delicious!

We finally made it to Lopes Mendes beach - the most famous beach on the island and considered one of the top 10 in the world. Here we dipped into the clear blue water and enjoyed riding the waves. We also had a few Antarctica beers and climbed some rocks for a better view. This is where I nicked my knee and started to bleed, because I was holding my camera in one hand. Everyone seemed worried, but I assured all that I wasn't going to break. As Lizzie termed it, "Cynthia, the warrior-princess!"

Lopes Mendes Beach

Afterwards, we made our way back through 1 hill and then took a 40 minute boat ride back to the center of the only village, Abraão. During the boat ride, we saw dolphins!

It was pretty funny in that the whole day was truly idyllic. Watching the sun rise, the sun coming out when we were on the beach, and then the dolphins. Alex joked he had it all planned and I quoted the Chevy Chase movie, "Funny Farm": "cue the deer!" So we all said, "cue the dolphins!" Alex also said it was pretty rare to see them too, so we were pretty excited.

We decided to go to a buffet that weighs your food by the kilo (this is pretty common practice) and had a nice conversation with Alex over some coffees. Also, today in our conversations with Alex, I made a few brincadeiros (jokes)! I've become famous in all languages, proclaiming when I make a joke.

We returned to our pousada, showered, and napped. Then we headed out to dinner around 9 pm to Lua e Mar which is known for their fish stew. Lizzie and I shared a fish and shrimp stew that was delicious and meant for 2. Allison had fried fish while Alex had squid risotto.

After a few hours of chatting and Antarctica beers, we headed back to the pousada for the night to rest up for our 2nd day on Ilha Grande.