On Saturday we took a 12 hour overnight bus from Florianópolis to Sao Paulo which was freezing so not a great sleep was had. In Brazil so far we haven’t been given any food on the buses like in Argentina and Uruguay. Instead they stop at services every three or four hours for about 30 minutes. One service station  we stopped at was great but every other one has been pretty dismal so I’d advise bringing your own food for long buses in Brazil. And a blanket. 

After a quick turn around in Sao Paolo we were on another bus bound for Paraty where we arrived 8 hours and two crappy service stations later. There’s a state border just outside the town where our bus was stopped and searched pretty thoroughly. It was hot as we walked through the gorgeous town to our hostel. All of the buildings in the centre of Paraty are white and the streets are cobbled. It’s a really old port town through which the Portuguese used to send gold back to Europe. 

Paraty Beach Hostel has a stunning view of the sea and the surrounding green, hilly landscape. After dumping my bag I went straight to the beach and into the sea for the first time on this trip! I swam the length of the small beach and felt fish nipping at my feet which I hate but I guess comes part and parcel with staying in a fishing village. That night we ate pizza in the hostel and hit the sack very early again as everyone was shattered after the bus journey. 
On Monday we went on a boat trip around the islands off Paraty. The first place we stopped had monkeys and a cliff to jump off, the second a beach the boys could play football on and the third a restaurant with salad, rice and beans – a pretty perfect day by my standards. 

Tuesday we took a bus to Trindade which is about 45 minutes away. It’s a really cute beach town on a very beautiful beach. I went for a swim and ended up getting shouted at by some fisherman for scaring their fish away and nearly getting tangled in their lines – I yelled apologies towards the beach as I ran/jumped/swam away from them. I lay out in the sun for the rest of the afternoon and was very content with my current situation. That evening I did a leg workout on the beach as the sun went down and went to bed very happy and relaxed. 

Today is Wednesday and we’re on the move again heading for Ilha Grande. We’ve got a 2 hour bus to Angra do Reis where we’ll catch a passenger ferry to the island. Hoping to stay put for about a week once I get there.