What a fantastic show we saw tonight.
It started storming about 11:00 p.m. with crashing thunder and lots
of sheet lightning and bolt lightning. I went up to the 12th
deck around the pool, enjoying the fantastic light and sound show
that Mother Nature provided. Soon Steve joined me with two glasses of
champagne and we had a wonderful time watching and listening to the
best show on earth. Of course, we followed that up with dancing in
the Avenue Saloon.
Today we took the tender into Ila
Grande, an island that was once a penal colony and also a place to
drop off contagious people from ships.....think Cholera and Black
Plaque. Today, it is a quiet but lovely island that has numerous
beautiful beaches and lots of ideal snorkeling and scuba diving. Much
of the island is a national park and sanctuary. There are no roads on
the island, so most travel is done by boat.
We walked along a trail that took us to
our choice of beaches. We chose one, plunked ourselves down on
towels, and proceeded to spend several very enjoyable hours tanning
and swimming. The water was incredibly clear, refreshing and shallow.
Just perfect for little old non-swimmer me.
We hiked around a small part of the
island and saw an old aquaduct that was built over 100 years ago.
While it is no longer in use, the natural dam system still supplies
the little town with its water supply.
This was our first exposure (I chose
this word advisedly) to a Brazilian beach. I don't think we saw a
woman's bathing suit that wasn't a thong, regardless of the age or
size of the wearer. What an eye-opener!
We found a woman on the beach who was
selling beer, so after a beer and a visit with fellow cruisers who
had also found the beach, we hiked back into the town of Vila do
Abraao. For lunch, we shared a plate of the best french fries I've
tasted in a while and washed it down with a big beer (Steve) and a
local concoction made with sugar cane juice and rum and lime (me). We
managed to find our way back to the ship's tender and are now
settling in for a little shut-eye before we go out for formal dinner
tonight.
We sail for Buzios tonight and will
spend all of tomorrow there.
ANOTHER SHOT OF THE BAY AT ILHA GRANDE. THE WATER IS CRYSTAL CLEAR AND IS HOME TO WHALES, DOLPHINS AND MANY OTHER AQUATIC ANIMALS. THE JUNGLES ARE FILLED WITH HOWLER MONKEYS. WE DIDN'T SEE ANY, BUT A FELLOW WE KNOW RECORDED WHAT HE HEARD WHEN HE HIKED FURTHER INTO THE JUNGLE THAN WE WENT. QUITE EERIE SOUNDING.
Hi;
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lovely place. I am surprised that Steve did not bring his Speedo. On all of the beaches in Thailand you see all shapes and sizes in Speedo's, thongs and less. From our perspective many of these scantly clad Caucasian white whales should cover up but there is no sense of shame. Perhaps this dress code is some sort of competition or these people belong to special group that we were never told about :) Maybe you could ask one of them the next time you are on the beach.
Cheers
Doug