I don’t have much to say about Ilha Grande because I was there for 2 nights and I was sick the entire time. I hoping to come back at the end of my trip because from what I did get to see, (and have heard), it’s beautiful.

I arrived late on the Sunday after waiting for as long as I could in Rio. I lost a dress in a parasol on the beach and was praying the baracca would find it, (spoiler: they didn’t). I got to Ilha Grande in time for dinner and went to bed as the cough/cold I had gotten from the hostel in Rio was draining me.

I woke up 12hours later with my head spinning and feeling super nauseous. I tried sleeping it off but even after I showered and dressed, I made it as far as the common area of the hostel before swiftly turning around and going back to bed. Sadly, the hostel was fully booked so I couldn’t extend my stay and all the other decent looking places in Abrãao were fully booked too.

I was in bed frantically trying to figure out my next move, panic creeping in. I told myself to have a Google of plan Z by this point and if that doesn’t come through, then it’s time to have a little cry. Plan Z wasn’t a goer and as I could feel the tears rising, 2 of the girls in my dorm who I had briefly spoken to came into the room.

I told them about the situation and they were like, ‘omg we’re going to Paraty tomorrow – you’re welcome to join us!’

When I tell you these girls were literal angels sent from heaven. They said what the plan was to get to Paraty, their budget for accommodation and that was that – the following morning, we set off for Paraty together.

I’m going to pause the Very Big Adventure posts for now, and tell you about Athens before I forget anything!