Blogs from Pernambuco, Brazil, South America - page 12

It was Sunday morning, bright and early and our weekend was but halfway through. Today's trip was to be up north to Joao Pessoa for some beach time with our driver from yesterday, but as had been the case a lot of times in Rêcife, this was not to be. Since the elections were on, Pedro and Monica had to work a lot more (they are both journalists) so it didn't look like they were coming. This brought numbers down significantly so we decided to tell Paddy Busdriver to take an early shower and we'd make our way down in a few cars. The choice of destination had changed also, it was to be Porto do Galinhos (Port of Chickens) about a hundred clicks south of Rêcife. Easy peasy, right? After going around the ring road ... read more

A few hundred kilometers off of Brazils northeast coast there is a small group of islands named Fernando de Noronha. Its there that I made my next stop. The phrase island paradise is a bit overused nowadays, but I can't think of a better way to describe Noronha. The amazing sights of the island began with the from the window of the plane ride here, and have continued ever since. Everywhere I look are views worthy of photographs, but thats just the start to what is amazing about this place. Noronha is every bit as beautiful as any island in the Carribean or Pacific, perhaps more. There are long, seemingly deserted beaches with soft sand and great waters for surfing, swimming or other water activities. Pictures are worth a thousand words and I'll let them ... read more

Thursday morning saw the intrepid five up early and without Aidan for once. However, his hand could be felt (not literally) in proceedings as he had organised a three hour bus tour for us in Rêcife, Olinda, and all points in between. Our guide was a very enthusiastic English-speaking Brazilian named William, with his driver whose name presently escapes me. Both could speak English and ein Bisschen Deutsch; I reckon they must have taken turns doing the driving and the touring. Anyway... William soon had a groggy Irish family roaring and whooping, putting everyone in a pretty good mood. Nothing unusual there, you say. We went along the beachfront of Boa Viagem on our way to Rêcife Antigo and William pointed out all the exercise and sports facilities that are free to all to use; it ... read more

Olinda exists as Recife’s cultural release valve. A retreat from Pernambuco’s intense, run down, and chaotic capital, it possesses all the characteristics of a colonial town, but is a more humid and steamier version of its competition in Minas Gerais. Wherever I go, at any hour, a coat of perspiration covers my head and neck. Bathing is only a temporary reprieve from the stickiness. Lofty coconut palms rise above the town’s orange tiled roofs. The turquoise Atlantic batters nearby beaches, viewable from Olinda’s Praça da Sé in its upper town. Seven miles further south rises Recife’s massive strip of skyline into which Denver’s would fit at least eight times. Apartment high rises and office buildings run the length of the coast until the day’s haze impedes further vision. Only a few thousand yards offshore, the various ... read more

Foto´s van een bar calles Downtown en van Guilherme´s sambafeestje afgelopen zondag.... read more