“A Pirate’s Life For Me”

We were sad to say goodbye to Buzios and Vila D’este, our wonderful hotel… But it’s on to Ilha Grande.  Rennan, our driver, picked us up and drove us the four hours south along the Costa Verde to the town of Conceição de Jacareí, where we jumped on a water taxi to make the twenty minute trip east to the island.

Ilha Grande used to be a pirate hangout back in the heyday… the island’s thick tropical jungles provided the perfect shelter for hiding their boats and then surprising European trading ships as they passed by.  It was also a hub for Brazil’s slave trade, a leper colony and most recently used as a political prison.  Now it’s one of the country’s most popular destinations.  There are no cars on the island… Just eighty-six beautiful beaches and plenty of hiking trails and water taxis to connect you with them.

Upon arriving at the dock, we immediately felt like we were on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World.  I was waiting to see Captain Jack Sparrow roaming through the village with his bottle of rum.  But then we realized this “ride” was real life.  We found our hotel, but the man at reception did not speak English so we couldn’t ask him any questions we had about the island, booking a boat tour or the wifi password (why this post is late, lol).  It’s such a helpless feeling, but you quickly remember it’s your fault you can’t communicate when you’re in their country and can’t speak their language.  After wondering around the village, we were able to find a man who spoke Spanish and we knew just enough to communicate with him and organize our next two and a half days on Ilha Grande.

Racing against the sunset, we headed off on a hike to Cachoeira da Feiticeira, a waterfall nestled in the tropical foliage high above the coastline and about an hour west of the main village.  It was a steep, but enjoyable journey with a picturesque and peaceful reward.

Now I feel like I’m on the set of Lost… I keep waiting for something, like the Smoke Monster, to jump out of the jungle at me.  As we were in the thick of it, we heard this horrifying screeching… It sounded like some kind of animal beast was being attacked and we started to get a little nervous.  Ok, a lot nervous.  Is this Lost???  Later we found out it’s the wild monkeys that live on the island, but both of us were relieved when we finally made it to the beach and were no longer by ourselves in the middle of the jungle.  We hopped on a water taxi and enjoyed another view of this beautiful island from the sea.

For dinner we headed down the beach to Lua e Mar, where the Brazilian speciality, Moqueca, is known to be one of the best in Rio de Janeiro state.  Brittany and I enjoyed a very romantic candlelit dinner al fresco on the beach and of course, tried the famous dish.  The entire meal was delicious, but we might have ruined the ambience when I looked down and saw a gigantic crab coming for my bare toes.  There might have been a few screams and it was feet up for the rest of the meal.  Thank goodness we survived all the wildlife today… We’re pretty much lucky to be alive and still have all ten toes 😉

This blog entry was originally posted on www.MayerTwinsTravel.blogspot.com