Ihla Grande, the Big Island
Food poisoning, camping and rain was not an ideal combination. However, the nature and beauty of Ilha Grande made the trip so worthwhile. Fernando introduced us to barefoot hiking. Initially unsure after ten minutes it felt intuitive making us feel more connected with our surroundings. The roughness of leaves and twigs prevented us from slipping. the coolness of a stream soothing our raw soles, a poor giant ant crushed underfoot and the sands softness as it nests between our toes. Jim however took no notice to poor Sarah and ventured off into the jungle barefooted with some swiss girls, leaving his Namorada to fend for herself in the baking sun. And so he hiked through miles of muddy paths and peeing monkeys for almost 4 hours to get to a sweet beach on the other side of the island, and thanks to a local fisherman there was no need to trek another 4 hours back through the new dark and scary jungle.
