Salvador, Recife, FdeN Day 7

Day 07 - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, BR

We woke up this morning to the sounds of roosters crowing, a few dogs barking, and Brazilian music. Wherever we go at any time of day music is in the air.

Our breakfast at the pousada was typical with fresh bread, cheese, meat, and fruit and great coffee. The only disappointment was the juice; Tang like.

Because the islands are so isolated and they do not grow anything but subsistence crops for their own consumption, everything is super expensive. There is a bakery on the island and a few people who sell vegetables from their gardens.

Most of the local people and all of the businesses make the trip to Natal or Recife by sea to buy groceries, paper products, and all other necessities.

The morning was fresh with a very cooling breeze. The temperature was 81° and the humidity was 75%, establishing the Heat Stress of 90°.

The Noronha package came with a tour of the city and an excursion around the island. Our tour was scheduled for 7:30. At 8:00 our guide Sabina and a small open truck with seats in the bed came for us. Another lesson we are learning, be on time but expect delays.

Sabina was from Germany and married a man from Noronha. Her English was excellent. In our truck were two people from Brazil and three people from Marseilles, France. The man and woman were visiting their son who worked for a large shipping company in Sao Paulo.

The snorkeling tour began after we had rented masks and fins at the dive shop. We boarded an excursion boat that accommodated about 20 of us. We circled the islands and Sabina told us the name of each of the 21 islands and the numerous beaches.

A family of dolphins escorted our boat for about 15 minutes. There were hundreds of them! As we left that beach, Sabina told us more about island life and her experiences guiding.

Noronha was originally uninhabited. There was some Dutch influence, but the Portuguese expelled them and then started to use the island as a penal colony. Prisoners were sent to the islands until 1942.

When the Brazilians joined the Allies in WWII there were military strongholds and about 4,000 troops stationed on the islands. As late as 1988 it became a National Park. Only 30% of the island is privately owned.

Gennie asked Sabina for information about other tours and the possibility of her giving us a private tour of the island beaches and tomorrow. She agreed to work with us and will arrange to rent a dune buggy for the day. She will also check on the tides and availability of reservations for snorkeling in the National Park.

We asked about “island fever” and Sabina admitted that she traveled to Europe and also made frequent trips to the mainland of Brazil. She also told us about the challenges of getting fresh water.

Most people buy the water that is imported from mainland Brazil and some collect rain water. The desalinization plant that was shut down has recently started to produce fresh water again. Water is an enormous issue for the islands.

We had read that the island government was limiting the number of tourists who came to Noronha. We have seen many more than the 420 that their website allowed.

According to many locals, they need all of the revenue they can get and are not turning anyone away. People we have spoken to know there are laws but they are not being enforced and that many people are short sighted when it comes to environmental issues.

When we got to Baia do Sancho Beach the captain anchored for us so we could snorkel for about 45 minutes. There are volcanic reefs and many fish. The water was cold, deep, and very blue.

The currents are usually very dangerous and the Captain told us there was a swell coming in tonight and that the waves would be even more dangerous tomorrow.

An international surfing competition is held on the islands each year. We saw many surfers coming in on the flight with us yesterday.

Over the past few years the currents have changed and the waves destroyed the port several years ago. Huge rocks from Brazil were brought to build a very tall breakwater to protect the harbor.

At 11:30 we got back into the boat and headed back to the port. We were taken back to our pousada by noon. We took a shower and then tried to get an internet or 3G connection but found neither.

I helped our hostess to reset the router, which gave us a little better connectivity. It is still slow and it goes off and on but at least we can read our mail. What did we ever do without the internet?

At 3:30 Sabrina and the Tour Bus came for us for the second portion of the excursion to walk the Historical Center of the island. It was the same walk we had done on our own yesterday when we arrived but today’s guided tour was much more meaningful.

We hiked from the fort to Praia do Melo to watch the sunset at one of the beach bars. We met two young women from Norway who asked to join our tour tomorrow.

There are a limited number of guides that speak English. People from Europe and many other continents speak English as well as their native language making these guides much in demand.

The bus let us off about halfway back to our pousada so we could get a sandwich and then go to a store for water.

We got back “home” at 7:45 and began our nightly ritual. Gennie had written quite a bit of the journal during our free time at the middle of the day so we only had to update it for the afternoon activities.

Tomorrow is another full day and we will sleep well after our day in the sun, sand, and surf.

Accommodations: Pousada Lenda das Águas --- Meal: B

amazing sunset photo!!

Day 13: Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

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Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.

The hotel prepared a box breakfast for us as we had to be in the lobby way before the breakfast room was open.

Last night we found out that our departure flight back to...

Continue Reading Day 13