Isla Grande

We met up with our Australian mates (Pete and Donna who we met in Argentina earlier this year) and spent an idyllic week at Isla Grande. Beach, beach and more beach. We did boat trips to the Blue and Green lagoons, snorkled with turtles (very cool) and lazed on Lopes Mendes (reputed to be the most beautiful beach in Brazil).

It's a tough life!!

The girls sipped Caipirinhas (a delicious local drink made with vodka and lime)...

...while the guys surfed (well Pete did at any rate). I am determined to learn how to stand up in Australia or I will never be accepted there.

The sum total of our exercise for the week...

Tropical beaches and palm trees at dusk...

I love Brazilians! They understand all about the sweet tooth. Chocolate cake for breakfast and dessert trays (like this one) that extend forever. And self serve ice cream parlours with endless toppings that charge by weight. I participating in such delights, I follow Miss Piggies rule to life. Never eat more than you can lift.

Ally's account

Our friends Pete and Donna arrived on the island much to our delight so we spent a super time taking boat trips out to snorkel. We got to see a turtle eating fish and cuttle fish swimming. We also spent two days on the best beach where G and P got to battle it out with beach bats. Donna and Pete gave us lessons on how to talk Australian. Some examples include:

• are you crook? - are you ill?
• he is nuggity - he is short and stocky
• to root - to shag (i.e. have sex)
• budgie smuggler - a pair of speedos (no one in Oz would be caught in one of these but the Brazilians love them)

Now that we know some of the local lingo we feel that we might fit in better down under :) G will certainly know not to wear budge smugglers on Bondi Beach (not that he would anyway if I ever have anything to do with it!)

It was sad to say goodbye as we had shared many good laughs but we felt that 7 sunshine filled days on an island meant we had to get off our lazy butts and go do some sight seeing in Rio.