Blogs from Pernambuco, Brazil, South America - page 10

Sun 7th Oct: Would you believe it, just as I stepped out to go to the late night carnival, it started to rain - the first rain I saw since the thunderstorms in Belem. While sheltering from the rain in the main square I got into conversation with a Brazilian lawyer (who spoke some broken English), a Danish chap living in Brazil (who spoke some French) and some locals (one spoke Spanish). With the mix of languages and lots of sign language thrown in, we had a very lively animated evening .. the free flow of beer also helped the fluency. The time flew and I didn´t get to bed until after one ... but a great night, and I didn´t even see any carnival dancing. An early morning walk after breakfast helped to waken me ... read more

Summer Paradise! So, how was that summer? Hope you had the chance to get out of the Low Lands/England, ´cause from what I hear there wasn’t much summer around there. If however you didn’t yet, and is now time to plan a warm break, I know just about the right place: Fernando de Noronha island in Brazil! Yes, I was on that piece of Paradise this summer! It’s an ecological archipelago of 21 islands with tourist entrances being limited and charged with an eco-tax depending on the duration of the stay. It is located less than 4 degrees south of the Ecuador, so a sort of the Galapagos in miniature, were you can watch dolphins or turtles in their natural environment. Noronha island is wild, amazingly beautiful and peaceful (there are no chain hotels, you have ... read more

Fernando de Noronha - 19th to 23rd April Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago 400km of the coast of mainland Brazil. In the past the main island has been used as by the Portuguese as a prison colony, the French used it for aviation research & the American´s as base during WWII. Now most of it is a protected Eco reserve where sea life flourishes & to sum it up it´s stunningly beautiful & it´s where we went for my birthday treat. Lucky lucky me!!! Our four days there were some of the best of our whole trip. The main island is beautiful, green & lush with cliffs, hills & gorgeous beaches, some calm & perfect for snorkeling, others with good surfing waves. All the beaches were gorgeous backed with lush green hills & Palm ... read more

Olinda visit South America » Brazil » Pernambuco By MVApril 6th 2007Michael & VictoriaFrom Tuesday 3rd April to Thursday 5th April, we visited the charming little city of Olinda, its churches, museums, colourful streets and bars (the caipirinhas are amazing!) We stayed in the Albergue de Olinda: a very chilled little poussada with hamacs and a pool. ... read more

Fernando De Noronha is beautiful no doubt but a few words of advice before going. Bring lots of money and rent a buggy. The island is not easy to walk around since it is extremely hot and very hilly. We learned after the first two days though that if we looked particularly desparate or Cristiano threw me out onto the highway we usually could pick up a ride to our next destination. Our first day we were able to break all sorts of island rules without even knowing it(or wanting to know it). The island is monitored by an environmental agency that tried to limit you from any interaction with nature without them overseeing you. We aren't the type to hire guides for anything unless absolutely necessary so we set off on our daily hike ... read more