Ilha Grande

What a eventful Island this turned out to be. After a short ferry crossing we arrived at the car-less, except for a fire truck and a rubbish cart, main village on the island. I got a lift with one of the cars but more on that later.
We had decided to camp on the island and soon found a site that would rent us a tent for not very much. We didn’t have any thing to lie on so the owner gave us a few blankets in the hope it was more comfortable than sleeping on the hard sand. It wasn’t but you soon get used to it. There was only two others camping, a Brazilian couple who were both veterans of the isalnd and the camp site. Carlos could speak English was happy to invite us for BBQ and some of his killer home made cocktails. It soon became apparent that he was after a drinking partner for the night and I was more than happy to oblige. Fuelled by his cocktails we all swapped stories and he was keen to show off his local knowlege of the island.
The campsite also had other residents. Land crabs the size of a clenched first with one massive claw and other smaller one. They only came out at night and as it was mating season there were hundreds of the blighters! You could hear them scuttling about the tent at night, some trying to climb it. There was also a troup of wild but very friendly Marmosets. They ate fruit right out of your hand and played about the trees in the campsite. The sea life was also very good. We snorkled with more turtles, fish of all colours and sizes and even a golden spotted konga eel.
The rest of the time on the island didn’t go to well, for me at least. On our last dive of the day my on going battle with plantlife was lost again. Those of you who remember me breaking my finger peeling an orange will have more ammunition to rib me with because this time a tree got me! A branch bending into the sea with clams covering it was over hanging shoal of fish. I swam under it to see them kicked out and sliced a very clean yet very deep gash in my heel. We were a hour from the village so the boat we were on called the ambulance to pick me up on arrival. Blood was flowing and It looked very nasty but it wasn’t all that painful. The rest of the boat were horrified and fasinated at the same time.

(Wanting a souvenior photo of his injury Dan made me take photos of him while he was still bleeding all over the boat - not winning me sympathetic girlfiend of the boat award! - Sue).
The ambulance turned out to be the fire truck. They gave me a lift to what was lovingly called a hospital but was Just a very small medical centre. The medi-ceter was only 200 meters from the port so the ride was swift. The fireman even stayed to see my wound. In fact during my stiches I had a small audience coming and going, having a look , a laugh but thankfully not a poke. It was bizzare but they got the job done. I became some what of a celebity on the island after that. People were even stopping at the campsite to see me.