John writes about Ilha

I´m smarting from a pretty good sunburn sustained while snorkelling yesterday. Makes hefting my backpack around a little unpleasant. But I don´t regret having done it at all.
It was really one of the most enjoyable things Í´ve ever done.
Not being a great swimmer, I was a little nervous about snorkelling. But Rhia was pretty excited about it, and, since she was brave enough to go to a football match for my sake, I sucked it up.
We got a boat to Lagoa Verge (the green lagoon) on the far side of the island. It was quite a long trip, and I was still on edge once it came time to hop in the water. But I donned my mask and fins and jumped in.
It took me a few minutes to figure out how to breathe through my mouth without taking in water, but once I had that down, I was all set> I also took advantage of a pool noodle for some extra bouyancy.
The water was so clear you could see this whole world below: exotic fishes swimmng among the coral, huge starfish--probably as big around as a basketball--on the floor, green and blue urchins. At one point we seemed to come upon an underwater highway. Thousands of small silver fish were suddenly moving right before us. They made the most interesting crackling sound.
Everything was beautiful underwater, including the bubbles Rhia churned up with her fins and the patterns of light on the sea floor. I´ll get over my sunburn--but the sea world I´ll never forget.
We wished we´d had more time in Ilha Grande, but we´re moving on now. Back on the mainland, waiting for a bus to Sao Paulo. This weekend in a major holiday in Brazil, a religious feast, but also Children´s Day. I don´t know how they celebrate it, but I´m sure we´ll find out.