The day began bright and early. It was to be our last morning in Rio before we departed. We quickly got our bags and got ready for the bus that would bring us towards the port. We got on the bus and left the beauty that is Rio. Although it had only been a few days it felt sad to say goodbye to one of the most beautiful city’s in the world. As the locals say God created the world in 6 days and the 7th day Rio was created. This fact is definitely true as everywhere you look is picturesque. On the bus even though we were all so tired we couldn’t help but stare out the window with amazement as to how sensational the view was.
We finally arrived at the port 2 hours later. The views in the distance reminded us of County Kerry with its majestic mountains. We boarded the ferry to Ilha Grande. I expected it to be an Island like the Aran Islands but as we approached I realised it was a tropical paradise. We got out of the boat and looked around; the major point that’s instantly noticed is the fact that the Island has no cars at all. The people primarily get about on foot or boat. Ilha Grande’s literal translation is “Big Island” but after only a few minutes spent on the Island we realised a more appropriate name would be “Dog Island”. The hotel we stayed in was very luxurious. We were all given chalets which were really fantastic. The weather was great, the group were nice and we were on a tropical Island could things get any better.
The afternoon was spent wondering around the Island and relaxing before we decided to join the locals in a game of football. It was on a pitch in the centre of the village. At the start some of the locals were a bit reluctant to lets us play but once we started they accepted us. The challenge of playing Brazilians was more than enough motivation. We got 5 other locals and we played 11-a-side. At the start we expected a repeat of Holland but due to a good start we knew it wasn’t going to happen (plus Con Daly wasn’t on the pitch). We ended up drawing the game 1-1 so this required a game called odds and evens to see which team would stay on. Both goalkeepers were the men given the great responsibility of keeping their team on the pitch. I was dragged to the centre of the pitch and the rules were shouted to me in Portuguese. It was confusing to say the least. I had no idea what to do so I just but my hand behind my back and put up three fingers. The other goalkeeper put up four fingers. Four and three added to seven. Seven is an odd number since I had picked an odd number I won the match for my team. The team erupted into hysterics like we had just won the World Cup. High fives were happening everywhere. Football is Brazilians passion. We played one more match before we headed back to the Hotel which felt like our home already. We relaxed in the Hotel steam room for an hour before heading out.
We went to a pizza restaurant. It had seventy different pizzas. I tried to be different and ordered the Banana Pizza. It was a very unusual ingredient but worked a treat. The Banana really compliments cheese. Another option was chocolate which some of the group tried. As a group we were beginning to click which was great. Carlos the tour guide is one of the coolest guys ever. This trip is going to be good. We had moved on from one of the greatest cities in the world to one of the greatest Islands in the world. Stay posted
Conor
We finally arrived at the port 2 hours later. The views in the distance reminded us of County Kerry with its majestic mountains. We boarded the ferry to Ilha Grande. I expected it to be an Island like the Aran Islands but as we approached I realised it was a tropical paradise. We got out of the boat and looked around; the major point that’s instantly noticed is the fact that the Island has no cars at all. The people primarily get about on foot or boat. Ilha Grande’s literal translation is “Big Island” but after only a few minutes spent on the Island we realised a more appropriate name would be “Dog Island”. The hotel we stayed in was very luxurious. We were all given chalets which were really fantastic. The weather was great, the group were nice and we were on a tropical Island could things get any better.
The afternoon was spent wondering around the Island and relaxing before we decided to join the locals in a game of football. It was on a pitch in the centre of the village. At the start some of the locals were a bit reluctant to lets us play but once we started they accepted us. The challenge of playing Brazilians was more than enough motivation. We got 5 other locals and we played 11-a-side. At the start we expected a repeat of Holland but due to a good start we knew it wasn’t going to happen (plus Con Daly wasn’t on the pitch). We ended up drawing the game 1-1 so this required a game called odds and evens to see which team would stay on. Both goalkeepers were the men given the great responsibility of keeping their team on the pitch. I was dragged to the centre of the pitch and the rules were shouted to me in Portuguese. It was confusing to say the least. I had no idea what to do so I just but my hand behind my back and put up three fingers. The other goalkeeper put up four fingers. Four and three added to seven. Seven is an odd number since I had picked an odd number I won the match for my team. The team erupted into hysterics like we had just won the World Cup. High fives were happening everywhere. Football is Brazilians passion. We played one more match before we headed back to the Hotel which felt like our home already. We relaxed in the Hotel steam room for an hour before heading out.
We went to a pizza restaurant. It had seventy different pizzas. I tried to be different and ordered the Banana Pizza. It was a very unusual ingredient but worked a treat. The Banana really compliments cheese. Another option was chocolate which some of the group tried. As a group we were beginning to click which was great. Carlos the tour guide is one of the coolest guys ever. This trip is going to be good. We had moved on from one of the greatest cities in the world to one of the greatest Islands in the world. Stay posted
Conor
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