Ilha Do Mel

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We arrived in Curitiba, a smallish city that claims to be a Brazilian urban success story. Apparently there are few traffic jams and the city is considered one of the most ecologically friendly in Brazil. It was a nice place but in all honesty it seemed no different to any other South American city (ie. hot, polluted and over-populated).

As a small treat, we booked a ridiculously cheap room at the Mercure Hotel (gotta love the internet) and proceeded to spend 2 days making full use of hot water, clean towels and room service for Lynsey´s birthday!

We then boarded a ´scenic´(ie. expensive) train to Paranagua, followed by 2 hours on a bus and 1 hour on a ferry to arrive at Ilha Do Mel. Without dwelling on it, the bus ride was a nightmare as we were jammed on a public bus with no seat and no room to take off our backpacks in 30 degree heat. It was an uncomfortable bus ride to say the least!

Upon arrival on the island, we were greeted with a town filled with tourists crammed into dodgy looking camping grounds and pousadas (guesthouses). Fortunately, after 2 hours of searching the island for better lodging, we found an empty camp ground right by the beach with great facilities (Camping Billy Mar for any fellow travellers reading this).

In 5 days we did little other than take long walks along the beach, spend many hours tanning and even more hours sitting at a simple little bar by the beach relaxing over a few drinks. Yes it was indulgent and yes we enjoyed every minute of it!!!

The beaches on the island were beautiful and the surrounding water was wonderfully warm and clear. We were treated to seeing many fish and even sting rays leaping out of the ocean very close to us. Unfortunately, the towns on the island are sorely lacking in urban planning, and we avoided them as best we could.

The weekend then rolled on, bringing with it hordes of tourists, and we happily departed for our next stop, a jungle adventure in the Pantanal.

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Photos

Admiring the sunset
With a drink, of course.

Our new home
With Julien doing the washing.

Beach time
Cooling mosquito bites in the water.

Old Fort on Ilha Do Mel
Used to ward off attack from the Spanish.

Admiring the view
From the lighthouse.

The Juice Bar
The location of our daily afternoon ritual. The view sucked.

Our daily ritual
Drinks in the afternoon... note the circa 1970´s styrophome drink cooler on the cervesa grande.

Woody the Woodpecker
Actually pecking wood!

Train from Curitiba to Paranagua
Enjoying the change from city to jungle. Sooooo many trees!

Ferry from Paranagua to Ilha do Mel
We were impressed by the number of life jackets available!