Overview:
My tour of Recife and Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, was
scheduled with Advantage Travel & Tours, Poway, California. The trip was scheduled to meet with Lynn
Bishop, Mary Warren and Lorraine Voskanian in Recife, Brazil who were touring
South America with visits to Paraguay and Bolivia and finishing with a visit to
the islands of Fernando de Noronha 200 mile off the coast of Brazil.
I have traveled with Lynn and Mary on many trips in the
past.
Thursday, September 25, 2014: Fly LAX to Houston
My driver arrived on time for my noon pickup. He was one of the several Armenians that live
in Glendale, CA and work as limo drivers that have driven me in the past. We did not encounter any heavy traffic on the
drive and we arrived in thirty five minutes to find that United had changed the
door for the Premier check-in from Terminal 6 to the last door in Terminal
7. They had porters in front of the doors
with signs pointing to the new entrance. Once inside the area was as empty as I had
found the old location except the TSA check point was just a few feet away and
it had a full body scanner so I was able to process through in just a few
minutes and proceeded up the old Terminal 8 escalator. It was the quickest check-in I had had since
TSA was in operation.
Upstairs I walked to the United Lounge and again was
surprised that they didn’t swipe my card and just scanned my ticket to prove
who I was and that I was authorized to use the lounge. I was receiving text messages every few
minutes with gate changes for my flight and then that the flight was going to
be delayed due to late arriving aircraft.
I started to get concerned since I had just an hour and fifteen minute
connection in Houston and my gates were as far apart as the physically could
be. My arrival was scheduled to park at gate
C30 and my departure gate was E18, a distance of over 0.6miles.
I walked to my gate at 14:30 my original departure time and
found no aircraft but they were announcing that it was on the ground. They hustled us aboard and we actually broke
ground at 15:15 and parked at the gate in Houston at 20:10. I was relieved since my departure to Brazil
was scheduled for 21:05.
I walked at a brisk rate and when I entered terminal E I was
able to board an electric cart which delivered me to the gate just as they
started boarding. I was using ‘Miles’ on
the flight and had a good deal to fly in Business Class on a Thursday. The plane was a B-767 and the Business Class section
had a 2-1-2 configuration and I was assigned to seat 4D in the middle with
aisles on both sides.
The seats fully reclined but it was somewhat frustrating to find
a place to store reading material and my day bag. The flight was scheduled to fly to Sao Paulo
where I had to change airports for Azul Airlines a Star Alliance partner to fly
to Recife.
I settled in and plugged in my cell phone and attempted to
plug in my Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet which I had used to the previous
flight to watch an episode of ‘The Roosevelt’s’. I discovered that I hadn’t brought the
correct connection for the tablet. It
was an early model and required a 30 pin connector that looks like an iPod
connector which is what I had. I started
to watch the aircraft in-flight entertainment but the meal was served very
quickly and cranked the seat down flat and went to sleep.
Friday, September 26,
2014: Arrive Sao Paulo (GRC), transfer to (VCP) and fly to Recife
I don’t remember how long I slept before my feet started to
swell and I kicked off my shoes (the laces had been loosned before
take-off). I found that the flat bed
configuration on the United B-767 had a very narrow space for feet to reside
and not enough room for both empty shoes and feet. I had to move the seat into the upright
configuration to be able to store the shoes out of the way. Once that was done I fell back to sleep until
I was awakened by a flight attendant to be served breakfast. I guess I was able to sleep for six hours on
the flight.
When we landed in Sao Paulo I was surprised to find only one
person in front of me in the Foreign Passport check line. I guess most of my fellow Business Class
passengers were Brazilians and their line was quite long. The quick processing at Passport Control
didn’t do me much good since my luggage took a long time to arrive. One of my baggage Id tags had been ripped off
and the other which had a steel cable looked like it was dragged on the
pavement.
Once I got my bag I proceeded to a taxi stand to hire a taxi
for the long ride to the Viracopos International Airport which is 70 miles
away. Fortunately I had almost five
hours between flights since the notorious Sao Paulo traffic caused the taxi to
take two hours to cover the distance. It
cost me R$408.22 (US$193.36) for the trip.
I could have flown between the airports for less but the schedule didn’t
line up correctly.
As we approached the Viracopos airport it rained! The first rain this LA based traveler had
seen in months, but alas, it stopped before we entered the airport so I didn’t
get the feel of it. Check-in went
quickly. Azul had a lot of check-in
stations and there was no one in line. I
was handed off at the first station to another station where the agent spoke
excellent English. Security was a breeze
and once in the terminal I found they had free WiFi which allowed me to catch
up on my email.
The plane was full and I had a window seat which turned out
to be the wrong side to view Recife on approach. They had free TV in the backrests and I
watched and listened to CNN during the trip.
No meal was served but they did pass out chips, nuts, cookies and cupcakes.
When I landed in Recife I took a taxi to the hotel. The hotel was south of the city center on the
main land (the city proper is made up by three islands). The beach was two blocks west of the hotel.
At check-in I asked the desk clerk if they could arrange for
a tour of Olinda and Recife the next day with an English speaking guide. He told me he thought he could arrange
it. The room was nice, a little on the
small side and the electrical outlets next to the bed were in use with a clock
radio and a lamp. I figured the lamp
would shut off when the key card was withdrawn at the door but the clock radio
would stay hot all the time so I plugged into the clock radio socket and
plugged the clock radio into my power strip.
Once I had unpacked I left the hotel to scout the neighborhood. Not too many blocks away I came upon a Subway
so I decided to have a six-inch tuna sub for dinner. I then walked along the beach. It was a pretty area but I had missed the sun
setting and it was dark by the time I reached the hotel.
When I returned to the hotel the desk clerk told me the tour
had been arranged with an English speaking guide at no extra cost for 13:45 the
next day. After washing out my
underwear, I retired.
Saturday, September
27, 2014: Tour Recife
I slept through breakfast and when I did get going I went to
the receptionist to find out where I might be able to purchase a power cord for
my tablet. They told me the most likely
place would be the big mall. I obtained
a map and they showed me where it was located but told me due to construction I
couldn’t walk to it and a taxi would only be R$10 (US$4). I took a taxi and found the mall to be huge. The first store I found that sold adapters
had one that would fit all three of my devices (smart phone, tablet and iPod)
so I bought it. It had a short cord, so
later on as I was exploring the mall I purchased a long cord just for the
tablet. I ate an early lunch in the food
court and took a taxi back to the hotel.
Back in my room I attempted to charge my tablet but a
message flashed on the screen that the device wouldn’t charge and I should use
the adapter that was supplied with the unit.
Both adapter cords drained the tablet battery so I returned to the mall
with the two cords and the tablet and went to the Samsung store. There I discovered that it wasn’t the cords
but the computer USB was not supplying the correct voltage and I need the
electrical outlet adapter. I really
didn’t want to have to purchase a Brazilian two pin adapter but I wanted to
recharge my tablet so I purchased it and rushed back to the hotel to take the
tour.
Back in my room I plugged in the new adapter and both cords
would work so I left the tablet charging and went down to the lobby to take the
tour. The guide showed up and didn’t
speak English. I told the receptionist
to cancel the tour. He called the
company and was told the English speaking guide had switched assignments and
would be taking the morning tour so I agreed to go on that one.
I spent the afternoon walking the neighborhood and in my
room watching an episode of The Roosevelts on my laptop.
I retired early vowing not to sleep through a paid for in
advance breakfast again.
Sunday, September 28,
2014: Tour Recife and Olinda
I awoke to my alarm at 06:00, showered shaved and went to
breakfast at 07:00. It was a decent
buffet and I was able to eat, return to my room and pack a day bag for my
tour. I went down to the lobby at 08:30
and as I got there my tour guide arrived.
She was a short middle aged blond lady named Sylvia. Her English was excellent and I later learned
that she had lived in London, England for a while.
The tour bus had 18 seats but there were just three others,
a lady and two male brothers taking the tour, all from the Sao Paulo area. Sylvia would describe the scene in Portuguese
and then English. The tour left the
hotel at 08:45 and drove through Recife to Olinda. It was the start of the two day João Pessoa
Tourism Festival in Recife and the roads were being set up with traffic cones
to enable people on bicycles to ride around the city. Sylvia explained that normally the tour would
visit Recife first and then tour in Olinda but they were reversing the schedule
to visit Recife last after the cones had been setup and the driver would know
which streets he could use.
The first landmark we passed was the El Casino Americano
which was the building g used by the US Navy during WWII when they stationed
ships in the harbor. From there we
passed over the bridge of Mauricio de Nassau, one of the many bridges with a
view of the shopping mall I had visited the day before. The bridge had beautiful statues at each
end. One lane of traffic was reserved
for the bicyclists participating in the festival. We soon reached the historical center of Olinda,
a UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Monument.
The designation as a World Natural
and Cultural Heritage Monument has kept the charm of a city museum of the
colonial period. Olinda was founded in
1537 by the Portuguese Duarte Coelho Pereira and owed its rapid rise to the
cultivation of sugar cane in the region of Pernambuco using slave labor.
From the 16th century, churches and
convents, of which only rare examples such as the Church of São João exist
today, were built by religious missions.
The Dutch occupied the region from 1630 to 1654 and during the
occupation a well-planned town was built where present-day Recife is
located. Pernambuco was ably governed by
the Dutch and prospered with the production of sugar in the plantations located
in the rich alluvial soil along the coast.
However, the invaders burned down Olinda, although they created a
pacific and developed administration centered in Recife.
Portuguese rule replaced that of
the Dutch in Pernambuco in 1654, and Olinda recovered; once again it was an
important Brazilian village, as a developed and cultural center. In the early 18th century a bitter rivalry
developed between Olinda, the administrative capital of the Captaincy and the
residence of rich aristocratic plantation owners, and Recife, which was the
commercial center, largely inhabited by traders, ship's chandlers and warehouse
workers.
Recife continued to prosper,
however, while Olinda declined, and in 1827 it was made the capital of the
province. In 1817 Pernambuco was the
scene of a local armed rebellion against Portuguese rule. It remained for years a hotbed of
republicanism and revolutionary agitation, and it was the site of unsuccessful
insurrections against Portuguese rule in 1821-22, 1824, 1831 and 1848. Pernambuco became a state of the Brazilian
Republic in 1891.
The essential urban fabric of
Olinda dates from the 18th century, although it incorporates some older
monuments. Among the more important of
the buildings of Olinda are the Episcopal Church, the Jesuit College and Church
(now the Church of Graça), the Franciscan, Carmelite, Benedictine and other
monasteries and convents, and the Misericórdia, Amparo and São João Batista
churches.
The unique quality of the Historic
Center arises from the balance, which has generally been maintained, between
the private and public buildings and the gardens of the early land
allotment. It is a town of unexpected
views: one of the numerous Baroque churches and convents or the numerous passos
(chapels and oratories) will appear unexpectedly as one turns a corner. The studied refinements of the decor of these
conscious architectural structures contrasts with the charming simplicity of
the houses, which are painted in vivid colors or faced with ceramic tiles.
Over recent decades, Olinda - a
city of art, much appreciated by artists - has been the object of numerous
preservation measures. Outstanding buildings such as the Church of Graça, with
the former Jesuit College, the Convent do Carmo and the Episcopal Palace has
all been more or less completely restored.
The construction of new complexes is regulated by a master plan and the
zone of protection was extended in 1979.
Our first stop was at the Sao Bento church. The plaque outside described it as follows:
The church was built by the
Benedictines, in the 16th Century. It
took 200 years to complete and was the second Benedictine monastery in Brazil. In 1631 it was burned by the Dutch and
restoration started in 1654 and went through various periods and styles. The date carved in the façade, 1761,
indicates the last refurbishment. At one
time it housed the first law school in Brazil.
It had a unique front with a simple entrance and an eye window in the
middle of the choir windows, prominent doors and scrolls with an amazing coat
of arms of the Benedictine Order. It
also has a bell tower covered by a dome.
The main church is traditional and strict and its interior has only one
aisle and a ceiling painted in floral ornaments. The choir is a stone slab leaned on columns
on bases, with richly worked pulpits and the cross arch has columns among altars. The main chapel is in Baroque style and the
ceiling is painted with convent scenes.
The main alter has a retable with Baroque, Neoclassic and Rococo
influence, in wood covered in gold. In
the main throne of the altar there is the image of the patriarch, Saint
Benedict. The convent sacristy is the richest
one among the churches of Olinda with elaborate golden carves, crystal mirrors
and paintings showing the penitent life of Saint Benedict. Apart from a stone washstand and various oil
paintings there is an image of the Christ Crucified, in human scale. It is in the choir, with the back to the main
chapel because of the slaves who were not allowed to enter the church.
Sylvia told us the altar is the richest in Olinda, with many
gold pieces. In 2003, the altar was
exhibited by the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. The disassembling of the altar was made by a
team of specialists, and took months.
The church is the only one in Olinda with a mezzanino. During colonial times, the rich people would
attend the mass in the mezzanino, the other free people would stay in the
floor, inside the church, and the slaves would stay outside.
In the building beside the church the first Faculty of Law
was established in Brazil, on May 15th 1828.
In 1852, the Faculty was transferred to the Palace of Governors, in Olinda,
and in 1854 it was again transferred to Recife.
When I entered the church to take pictures, Sylvia showed me
the walls near the entrance where restoration is starting and one could see
that the original marble had been painted over and was then being uncovered.
The streets were cobbled stones from the 16th/17th
century. The stones vary in color that
indicates that the stones came from different parts, and fixed in different
epochs. Most of the streets were repaved
in Olinda, but the original stones may be recognized by their irregular laying.
Another feature that Sylvia pointed out to us was the
difference is the roof tiles of the Olinda houses. Rich people had a roof with three layers of
tiles, the middle class had two layers, the poorer had only one. These three houses styles were called Eira,
Beira and Tribeira; a popular saying in Brazil refers to poor people as being
"sem eira nem beira", meaning that, like in the old Olinda, their
houses would have only one layer of tiles.
We walked around the area visiting the old structures, most
of which housed tourist shops. Some had
beautiful tile or brick floors. The
giant puppet figures worn in Carnival Parades were displayed in many of the
shops. A lot of local art was for sale in the shops and at one point we came
upon an art class with six boys painting very colorful designs under the
watchful eye of their teacher.
We spent an hour touring the center of Olinda and then
boarded our bus for a ride down the steep hill to Recife. The flow of bicyclists was thinning out as we
approached the center of the city and stopped at Republic Square. It was one of the most beautiful and ancient
squares in the city. It was located
where once stood a Dutch Palace which was demolished in 1769 and then the first
Brazilian Zoo and Botanic Gardens.
Facing the square were the Palace of the Princesses Field, home of the
state government; Teatro Santa Isabel Theater; the Court of Justice of the
State; and the School of Arts and Crafts.
A giant baobab tree grows in one corner of the square.
We toured the square and then drove on to Casa da Cultura, a
large three story building dating back to the 19th century. Originally built as a prison, it has been
transformed into a culture center, with craft stores and tourist shops
occupying the former prison cells. One
cell (#106) remains in its original configuration as a display.
From the Cultural Center we rode to site of the João Pessoa
Tourism Festival center. There we saw
the food booths being set. Close by we
walked past the Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue which dated back to the 17th
century and was the first formal Synagogue in all Americas. In 2001 it was reformed and holds the Judaic
Culture Center of Pernambuco.
A short distance further along we entered the Plaza de Marco Zero - Km Zero. In the middle of the plaza is a small 'Km 0'
marker. It marks the place where the
Portuguese founded Recife in 1537. A
stage faced the square where music was playing and people were dancing in front
of the stage. Along the edge of the
plaza were the water front and a string of ten foot tall letters spelling out
RECIFE. Young people were climbing on
the letters, taking ‘selfies’ with their smart phones and posing for their
friends to take their pictures. I was
surprised how few cameras were used and how many iPads were used.
Another
thing that surprised me was how clean the city was and the number of men in
uniform that were maintaining the streets and sidewalks.
From
the plaza we returned to my hotel. The
tour was over. Sylvia recommended some
restaurants in my neighborhood to eat lunch.
I walked to the one she highly recommended and found a long line waiting
so a walked further on to a restaurant she also recommended where I ordered
from a menu with pictures of each entree at a cashier. Once I paid for my meal my receipt had a
number on it much like a fast food joint.
I ordered a fish salad that was delicious.
It
was 13:00 hours when I finished my lunch so I took a stroll along the
beach. It was covered with beach
umbrellas and young men in speedos and young girls in string bikinis. Between the sidewalk and the sand there were
areas where there were tennis courts and very large Life Guard stands. It was an interesting stroll.
When
I returned to my room I watched an episode of the Roosevelt’s and processed
email. For dinner I ate in the hotel and
retired early.
Monday, September 29,
204: Fly from Recife to Fernando de Noronha
I didn’t set an alarm and slept a little over 8 hours. After taking a shower I went down for
breakfast. Back in my room I packed for
the flight and then processed email.
Check-in took longer than Friday. Azul didn’t have as many check-in stations
and there was a line. When it was my
turn I discovered the agent spoke English and asked me if I had visited the
island before and when I replied it would be my first time he told me I would
enjoy it. He assigned me a window seat
on the side of the plane were I could take good pictures of Recife on climb out
and of Fernando de Noronha on landing.
Security was another issue.
There they did not have an efficient way to check me for setting off the
x-ray alarm and once they got their act together and found a male agent with a
hand wand that worked and checked me they then made me dump my carry-on to see
my little box of batteries. Eventually I
was cleared to proceed.
I had not had lunch so I purchased a tuna sandwich and an
iced tea in the lounge area. When it
came time for my flight they had three lines at the gate. The middle line had a young lady in a walking
case and her husband. Something was
announced in Portuguese and the man in back of me in line motioned for me to
stand behind the couple. When the agent
was given the OK to process the passengers the couple and I were the first ones
processed. It was a long route to the
aircraft. We had to walk at the second
level past five gates and then down a long ramp which switched back to another
long ramp to the air bridge and on to the plane. I had passed the limping lady and was the
first to board the plane and I row 4 or 5 I greeted Lynn and Mary. They had flown in from Sao Paulo on the
plane. I was assigned to 9A so I wasn’t
able say much more than hello because the rest of the passengers were right
behind me.
It was a short flight and I was able to take some good
pictures of Recife and the famous reef on the climb out and some pictures of
Fernando de Noronha on approach to the island.
When we deplaned we were met by a young man and handed a form which we
needed to fill out and then pay an environmental preservation fee of R$144.60 or
US$59.51 per person for stays up to 10 days.
There was no flat surface to write on so I joined the line and completed
the form as I waited to pay the fee.
Once I paid the fee a paper was printed and using hi-tech the clerk used
a metal ruler to tear the paper into to several forms.
On exit from the arrivals room I had to
present one of the forms and then entered a crowded baggage claim room. When my bag arrived, Lynn, Mary and Lorraine
had not exited so I proceeded out to the waiting area and found a young lady
with a list and I told her my name. She found
my name on her list and directed me to a baggage trailer attracted to a bus
where I loaded my big bag. They wanted
me to take my carry-on into the bus. I
loaded it on the bus and returned to look for my fellow travelers. They still were not in baggage claim and I
saw through a window that they were just then paying their environmental preservation
fee. I waited for them to exit baggage
claim and directed them to the lady with the list.
When all passengers were on the bus we started out and the
lady explained that her company would pick us up at 08:00 the next morning for
a ten hour tour of the island with opportunities to snorkel and swim with
turtles. I asked about dolphins and she
said they no longer allow swimming with the dolphins but certain times of the
year they can be seen if we take the boat tour.
This was not the time of year when then were plentiful. We were told we needed to purchase a ticket
to enter the Nation Park which covers 75 per cent of the island and which we
will be visiting on our tour. The bus
stopped at several of the small bed and breakfasts so on the ride I was able to
meet Lorraine Voskanian whom I had never traveled with before. She was a retired grade school teacher from San
Francisco and commuted from San Rafael.
Our Pousada (Hotel) Estrela do Mar was one of only three
hotels on the island, there are over 300 bed and breakfasts homes on the
island. It was located at the end of a
dirt road behind the TV-FM station and had a view of the runway and the ocean
beyond. The TV-FM tower served as a good
landmark. At check-in we found the lady
didn’t speak any English she did draw on a map I received at the airport the
route to obtain the National Park ticket.
The room was of fair size with air conditioning, internet
(very poor bandwidth), TV (only Portuguese stations, a small refrigerator stocked
and with prices comparable to the grocery store. There were able electrical outlets. After settling in my room and hooking up my
CPAP, I walked over to Lynn and Mary’s room.
Lorraine soon joined us and I told them I would scout out the ticket
office and restaurants. They were concerned
that there was no money exchange at the airport and the guide on the bus told
them there was no money exchange on the island.
I left and it took me about fifteen minutes to stroll down
hill to the ticket booth. There I found
they had to show them my passport and they took my picture. It cost R$150 for a card. The agent gave me some recommendations for
restaurants and I started walking back.
There was quite a hill to walk up and I guessed the others would find it
a little challenging. On the way I came
upon a small grocery where I purchased two bottles of water for the tour the
next day.
I reported back to the group that they could pay for the
ticket with a credit card or US$ but they needed to bring their passport and
would have their picture taken. We
agreed to leave for dinner about 18:30.
I returned to my room and was able to call both Judy and
Cathy on Vonage. Mary had told me
Cathy’s mother had just died in Vancouver.
The connections were poor but I was able to get my condolence message
through to Cathy.
At 18:30 we walked down to the ticket office where they
purchased their Park Pass and then we went to Sao Miguel a Pizzeria for
dinner. They ordered pizza and I ordered
a fish salad. It was very tasty and Lorraine
offered me one slice of her pizza and I found it to also be very good. I had guessed right and on the walk back up
the hill the group had to stop to rest a little. We stopped at the grocery store where they
stocked up and then continued to the hotel.
It was dark and the turn off the gravel street to the hotel was not
marked. I guided them to the hotel.
Since breakfast started at 06:45, I set my alarm for 05:30
and went to bed at 21:30.
Tuesday, September 30,
2014: Tour Fernando de Noronha.
I awoke to the alarm and showered (good strong hot water)
and shaved. I could see the breakfast
area from my side window and when people started to arrive I joined them even
though it was before 06:45. Lorraine
joined me. They had delicious scrambled
eggs with cheese. The best I have had in
a long time. When I usually try to make
it is either too dry or has too much cheese.
I returned to my room and packed a day bag for the tour. I wore a long sleeve snorkeling shirt to
guard against sunburn. I have learned
that snorkeling for twenty minutes face down with a bare back can produce a
tender back for the rest of the trip.
At 08:00 I turned in my key and purchased a beach towel for
R$5 from the front desk. A four door pick-up
truck arrived with an English speaking guide “Samuel”. We all elected to sit on bench seats under a
cover in the back. There was room to
store our gear under the seats and there were seat belts which I discovered
later were necessary due to the rough roads.
Samuel explained -
Fernando de Noronha (“The Brazilian Fantasy Island”) is an archipelago of 21
islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, around 220 miles offshore from the
Brazilian coast. The main island has an
area of 7.1 square miles and a population of around 3, 000. The area is a special municipality of the
Brazilian state of Pernambuco, where Recife is the state capital (despite being
closer to the state of Rio Grande do Norte) and is a UNESCO World Heritage
Site.
It was claimed by Americo Vespucio for the Portuguese in
1503, and early settlers built a fortress, now in ruins, at Vila dos Remedios,
the largest populated town. The islands
were a prison, then a convenient stopover point for early flights to Europe,
and the facilities used by one European airline gave the name Air France to a
local community. There was also a WW II US
Army air base used as a refueling stop for aircraft flying to Africa and a US
Missile Tracking site in the 1950’s. The
Brazilian Air Force maintains a base on the island.
Although the islands support a large variety of wildlife
species, they are relatively unpopulated and tourism is restricted to 420
visitors at a time. The longer you stay,
the higher your permit fee will be. Visitors
must arrive with a scheduled package tour.
There were only two villages worthy of any size in Noronha:
Vila dos Remedios and Vila do Trinta. There
was one paved road, Brazil's shortest national highway.
We bounced down the dirt road from the hotel and past the
grocery store to a place that rented life vests which I would need to snorkel
Sueste Bay where I could swim with turtles.
The rental place was on a cul-de-sac and was busy renting snorkeling
equipment to dozens of people. From the
rental shack we drove past the area of the ticket office to the Palace of Sao Miguel and stopped by the church of Nossa Senhora dos
Remedios. There was a Dive Shop there
that exchanged money. Unfortunately it
didn’t open until 09:30 so Samuel disappeared and return with a young lady who
had a fist full of cash and was able to exchange money for Lynn, Mary and
Lorraine. As they were waiting I was
able to tour the church which was built in 1929. On a hill overlooking the area was the
Remedios Fort flying the flag of Brazil and below it the flag of Fernando de
Noronha. The wind was blowing so the
flags were straight out enabling me to take a nicely framed picture from within
the church.
When everyone exchanged money we
boarded the truck again and rode to the Sancho entrance to the National
Park. We passed through a small shop
where our pass card was scanned and we were allowed to enter the area. We walked on a raised boardwalk to a cliff
overlooking Sancho Beach. It was an
absolutely beautiful wide sandy beach.
From there we walked north to the end of the boardwalk to the area of
Fort of Sao Joao Baptista dos Dois Irmaos.
Along the way we saw several bird nests.
We returned to Sancho Beach
overlook where Samuel and I climbed down a vertical stainless steel 20 rung
latter in a craves between boulders to a flat area and then down 150 stairs to
the beach. We donned our snorkeling gear
and snorkeled off the beach where I saw many colorful fish. There was a fair amount of rocks but few
coral and what coral I saw was not very colorful but the fish were more
abundant in the vicinity of the rocks and coral. We snorkeled for about thirty minutes and
then I felt guilty because the others were just sitting at the entry shop so I
swam back in.
Our next stop was at Praia da
Cacimba do Padre beach where we ordered lunch and walked to another beautiful
sandy beach. The snorkeling was not as
rewarding as the previous beach but it was easy entry and exit and more of just
a refreshing swim. Lorraine joined us
for a swim. After our swim we ate lunch. We had fish fried on a grill. It was tasty but a little more than I usually
eat for lunch.
After lunch we drove to another
wide beautiful beach but due to a strong undertow, swimming was not
allowed. It was a good stop for pictures
of the rocky points just off the coast.
We stopped at several other picture taking spots and then drove around
the end of the runway to Sueste Bay. It
was another entry point where we had to have our card scanned to get in. At this beach I had to wear a life vest. The bay is on the south side of the island
and the sea is darker with more waves than the north side.
Samuel and I took to the water
and snorkeled out a long way but the tide was out and in most of the area I
could touch the bottom. Eventually he
found a large turtle and I swam along and around it for about ten minutes as it
fed itself. When we started back to
shore Samuel spotted a sting ray but I didn’t get a sharp view of it before it
swam out of sight. I don’t recall how
long we were in the water but the others were waiting at a snack bar with a lot
of activity so I don’t think they minded very much.
Back in the truck we rode around
the end of the runway to the northeast end of the island where there was a
little chapel and a view of St Antonio Harbor, Fort St Antonio and two small
islands. The area was called Air France. Our next stop was a short distance away at
the Buraco da Raquel. A large rock
shaped like an elephant with a cave at the bottom. It was named after the daughter of one of the
former commanders of the island. From
the point overlooking the rock we walked across a large lawn with a row of
metal statues at one end and the Shark Museum at the other end. Inside the museum were displays of various
types of sharks and explanations of the different breeds. Some signage was in English but most was just
in Portuguese.
We spent around twenty minutes
in the museum and then drove on to the Turtle Museum where Samuel first worked
when he came to the island to research the effects of tourists on turtles. In back of the museum was the WWII US Army
base. The Quonset huts were still in use
but the large building that most likely was a repair shop had fallen into
disrepair. I was able to take a few
pictures of the area.
Just down the road from the
Turtle Museum we stopped at Fort Sao Pedro Do Boldro. There was a snack bar and a large lawn
extending to a cliff that overlooked the beautiful Americano Beach. I was surprised to learn that the old fort
(now nothing but the foundation remains) was the location of a US missile
surveillance installation.
The area is known as the best place on the island to view
the sunset and as it got closer to sunset crowds of people arrived until the
lawn was full. I found it interesting
that few people had cameras and most of the people were using cell phones with
many attempting to take selfies with the setting sun in the background. We were there for an hour and finally the setting
sun was engulfed in clouds before it passed below the horizon.
Our tour was over and on the drive back to the hotel the
gang decided that lunch was so much they were just going to snack for dinner
and asked Samuel to dropped us off at the
grocery store. They seemed to know what
they wanted to buy but I took a little longer to find that they had readymade
sandwiches and cashews that I bought for supper so by the time I exited the
store in the dark the others had left.
As I walked up to the turn off the paved highway towards the hotel I saw
Lorraine near the TV-FM building realizing she had missed the turn off to the
hotel but she was reversing directions and turned up the right road, I
thought. I walked to the hotel and
didn’t see any of the group.
Back in my room I called Judy. It was a very poor connection. I received some emails on my smart phone but
couldn’t process them on my laptop. Very
frustrating!
I decided to write in my journal and found my laptop very
sluggish with a lot of activity in the background. I started checking to see was applications
were running and found Dropbox was trying to index my Outlook files. Somehow the “My Documents” folder had been
copied into a sub file in my Dropbox. It
took an hour to delete the folder from Dropbox.
It sure freed up a lot of space on my disk drive but it delayed my
writing in my journal. I went to bed at
23:00 somewhat exhausted from the snorkeling.
Wednesday, October 1,
2014: Free Day in Fernando de Noronha
I awoke at 07:00 after a sound eight hour’s sleep. People started arriving at the breakfast room
outside my window so I decided to eat before I showered and shaved. The great scrambled eggs were a little too
salty but still were good.
After breakfast I laid my snorkeling gear out in the sun to
dry. The reef shoes were stubborn until
I pulled out the innersole and discovered trapped water in little
indentations. Once I pulled out the
innersole and washed them and laid them out separately the shoes started to
dry.
My right hamstring was tight from the snorkeling so I
decided to not go to the beach and attempt to snorkel or swim and instead to
walk around the island. At lunch time I
invited Loraine to join me to walk into the village for a light lunch.
Loraine told me that the night before the gang had gotten
lost walking to the hotel before I left the store. I told her I had seen her up the road in
front of the TV-FM station and that I saw her turn around and walk back to the
correct exit. What I didn’t know was at
the exit she and Mary walked straight instead of veering to the right and they
were so lost they stopped for assistance and found a Doctor who spoke
English. He did not know the location of
the hotel so he called the number Mary had for the hotel and the receptionist
directed him to the hotel. He led them
towards the hotel and started down the wrong path again and had to call a
second time to steer in the right direction.
I am so glad I took the first trip to scout out the ticket office in the
light of day. They found Lynn waiting
for them since Mary had the key to their room.
He had walked around the TV-FM station and a man watering a garden spoke
English and had directed him to the hotel.
After walking around the village for almost an hour we
stopped at the Flamboyant Restaurant that Samuel
had recommended. It had a self-service buffet
where they charged by the weight of the food you selected. We both had a small salad which is what I
wanted, so we were satisfied we picked the right place to eat. On the way back to the hotel we discovered
the grocery store closed for lunch. We
didn’t need to buy anything but being from California we were surprised that a
grocery store would ever close.
My snorkeling equipment had finally dried by the time I
returned from lunch and I packed it away.
I then wrote in my journal and called Judy on Vonage. It was still a bad connection but we were
able to communicate.
The walking had not helped my hamstring so I spent the
afternoon at the hotel. Loraine and Lynn
were taking advantage of the hammocks that hung outside our rooms. I wrote a lot in my journal.
At 18:00 we decided to walk to the village for dinner. The ladies remembered to take their
flashlights. We stopped at Xica Da Siva,
the first restaurant past the grocery store where the hotel receptionist had
recommended. Samuel
had not endorsed the recommendation but we were very impressed with our meals I
had fish filet covered with butter sauce, capers, mushrooms, shrimp and
parsley; grated mashed potato and a salad.
It was one of the finest meals I have ever had. Lynn and Mary had beef and raved about their
meal. Samuel
was wrong and the hotel receptionist was right.
Back in the room (no one got lost walking home) I updated my
journal and retired.
Thursday, October 2,
2014: Fly from Fernando de Noronha to Recife
I had not set my alarm but I woke at 07:00 to the noise of
the first couples eating breakfast across from my side window. I postponed taking a shower and walked over
to have breakfast first. The great
scrambled eggs that I described on Tuesday had been a little too salty on
Wednesday and Loraine told us she had told the cook so on Thursday they were
back to the same delicious taste.
After breakfast I returned to my room, showered, shaved and
packed. Check out time was scheduled for
noon but our transfer was not scheduled until 13:00. I processed email and wrote in my journal.
When we checked out at noon we sat in the air conditioned
reception office and waited for Samuel to pick us up. It was 14:00 when he arrived with a bus
pulling a trailer for the luggage. We
were the first pickups on his route. We
stopped at several small hotels picking up additional passengers until the bus
was full. When we reached the airport
and retrieved our luggage we found the airport terminal to be packed. As we started to stand in line everyone
motioned for us to enter the special line where a sign hung stating that in
Brazil people over 60 years old were given special priority. We checked in rather quickly and breezed
through the exit process where we had to surrender the forms they gave us on
entry and security.
The plane took off on schedule and arrived at the gate in
Recife at 16:00. A Gray Line Tours agent
met us outside baggage claim and provided a bus to take us to our hotel. I was assigned a room on the fifth floor and
was surprised to discover an outlet on each side of the bed with American
style. Since we had not had lunch the
group decided to leave for dinner at 17:30.
The hotel recommended some restaurants which were the same my guide had
recommended on Sunday. I lead the group
to Entre Amigos that faced the beach. We
had a good meal but the waiter did not follow our instructions for one check
for Lynn and Mary and separate checks for Lorraine and me. At first he gave Lynn one check for all of
us, then one for Lynn and Mary and another for Lorraine and me. It took the head waiter to sort it out.
We stopped at a delicatessen on the way back to the hotel to
purchase water. Back in my room I wrote
in my journal and retired at 23:00.
Friday, October 3,
2014: Fly from Recife to VCP, transfer to GRU and fly to IAD
The group were scheduled for a 08:00 Gray Line tour of
Recife and Olinda. I woke at 07:00 and
went to breakfast before taking a shower so I could bid them good by. I may not see Lorraine and Mary again since
my next trip will be with just Lynn on the repeat and completion of the Antarctic
Expedition in March 2015.
After seeing them off on their tour I returned to my room,
showered and packed for my flight home.
My flight was scheduled for 13:30 so I checked out at 11:00 and took a
taxi to the airport. I was the only one
in line at the check-in counter so I asked them for advice on how to
economically transfer from the Viracopos Airport (VCP) to the Guarulhos
International Airport (GRU) in Sao Paula.
They told me that Azul Airlines provided a free bus service to Campinas
the city closes to VCP and from there is a bus to Guarulhos. Since I had four hours between flights I
should have been able to make it. Security was
a bit of a hassle. I had to dump my
carry-on again but everything was OK and I entered the departure hall and
discovered that there was a lounge for American Express card holders. It was nice and not very crowded. As it got close to departure I walked to the
gate and stopped to eat a tuna sandwich.
The flight took off on schedule and arrived in Viracopos twenty minutes
early.
When I exited baggage claim I searched for the Azul counter
where I could find out about the bus. I
couldn’t find an Azul office so I stopped at the information desk. After a bit of discussion they recommend that
I take a bus and pointed me to the bus line ticket office. There I purchased a ticket to Guarulhos for
US$14 for a bus immediately departing. A
flight attendant that was also taking the bus led me to it. It took fifteen minutes to get to the Campinas
bus station where I had to wait another fifteen minutes for the bus to Guarulhos.
The ride to Guarulhos started out fairly quickly but when we
exited the toll road and entered into the highway from Sao Paula central to the
airport it slowed down as we were caught in Friday night rush hour
traffic. I finally reached the airport
at 20:00 and my flight was scheduled for 21:00.
Unfortunately the bus ended at terminal 2 and I had to take a shuttle
bus to terminal 3 where United operated.
I didn’t get to the United counters until 20:20 and they
told me they cut off the check in for my flight at 20:15 and had me rebooked on
a 22:00 flight to Washington and on to LAX arriving just an hour later.
After checking in I went to the United Lounge and attempted
to connect to WiFi and call Judy on Vonage.
For some reason my smart phone would not display the login screen for me
to use the Lounge password. As it got
closer to departure I just called Judy on the cell phone and told her of my new
arrival time and asked her to call the car service.
I had a very good seat on a middle aisle with no one next to
me. The plan departed on schedule. I watched the movie “Chef” while I had dinner
and then was able to sleep.
Saturday, October 4,
2014: Fly from IAD to LAX
A flight attendant woke me for breakfast after sleeping over
five hours. The plane landed at Dulles
at 06:25 and I breezed through Passport Control using a Global Entry
kiosk. I had just one hour between
flights and the IAD to LAX flight left on time and arrived at 10:40, one and a
half hours later than my original schedule.
The car service driver was there to greet me and I was home before
noon. The quick trip was over.
