|
|
|
“Ilha Grande - Paradidse Found!” |
Ok, so I say "Paradise Found!" This is a big call considering many of the best beaches in the world are within spitting distance of where most of you live. However this place has an unspoiled beauty about it, a pace that we could only but imagine now. I guess if I was to try and describe what this little island is like the closest I could come would be the Gold Coast about 100 years ago. There's a kind of frontier feel about the whole thing, where everything is just a little bit raw, just a little bit unpredictable, a little bit seedy, and a little bit in your face. But at the same time it is absolutely beautiful, possibly not as spectacularly beautiful as Bora Bora and the rest of Tahiti, but because of its unspoiled natural beauty and rich cultural mix, makes it more interesting for sure.
The streets in the main village/town on the island are not paved, they're sand streets! There are large cobblestones on some of the streets, but for the most part its sand all the way. And you know what that means when there's sand.... lots of bronzed, practically unclad bodies! Just as in Rio, this place is awash with bikinis, thongs (of both varieties), budgie smugglers (and sometimes white ones! eww! - which reminds me, I've not run into Russell F in my travels so far), sarongs, boardshorts. And yes you'd be right in wondering whether there are any older people, and the answer is no. I hardly saw an older person, which makes me think that its fully geared up for tourism - Brazillian style at least.
If you wanted to completely escape far from the madding crowd, this is the place you'd visit. Its just a completely laid back lifestyle, made all the more so because of the amount of tourists I suppose. All along the streets there are vendors, little booths where they sell all kinds of stuff from plumbing supplies to these mad sweet/cakes trolleys. I can hardly begin to describe the cakes, slices and tarts that are sold in these things! The Brazillians love their sweets, and they do them extremely well! (Tho more about the food in another entry). Burger trolleys too, where they make fresh rolls and put whatever kind of meat and cheese on them sans the salad. They're not big on salad on burgers here it seems. There are also kids selling beer, coke, water, guarana and lemonade out of eskies at the side of the streets. But just on that there are places selling booze everywhere - from little booths with limited variety to larger type bars geared for the gringo tourists.
The vegetation around the island is lush tropical, much like the untouched jungle areas around Fiji or north Queensland. And it is hot hot hot, and very steamy. I'd imagine this would have been almost impenitrable jungle when settlers first arrived. Just by way of brief history, the island itself began life as a penal colony where only the most hardened criminals were sent. It then evolved into a kind of an immigration outpost, or quarantine area for new arrivals before they were permitted entry into Brazil. The ruins of the old jail are still in the jungle a little way from the main town and you can actually walk through them. It is very creepy (and stinks too!). Anyway that's the main town areas, stay tuned for the beaches....
previous travel blog entry
Would you like to comment or ask a question?
Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you're already a member).