FAREWELL TO FERNANDO
BRAZIL TRAVELOGUE - DAY 6 - FERNANDO DE NORONHA BRAZIL

Sandra behind the wheel of our Dune Buggy.	On this, our last day on Fernando de Noronha, we decide to skip the Dolphins Bay tour that we had contemplated and to explore the remainder of the island. After our usual breakfast at the Pousada da Morena and packing things up, I'm shocked to figure out that we've been using the shower incorrectly all this time. As I turn on the right knob and leave the left knob off, I'm greeted with something we've both craved for this entire trip - HOT WATER!! Ahhhh....it feels so good - haven't had a hot shower in days! We notice that our airport transfer provider has indicated that they will pick us up at 3:00PM for our 4:00PM flight - this would be fine except for the fact that we're flying at 3:00 and not 4:00.

We ask the front desk to help us call them and reschedule and they are only too happy to oblige - luckily we noticed that! It is another beautiful blue sun-filled sky as we head out and Sandra drives the buggy for the first time. We head for Sueste Beach, but just before reaching it, we hang a right down some dirt roads and find ourselves at a short trail to an old fort site, which offers an astonishing view of Sueste Bay. A Brazilian lady spots four large turtles from the shore, and we stand, staring wistfully - wishing we could be down there snorkeling in the crystal clear blue waters of the bay.

Next we go over to Caracas Point, where we take in some more vistas of the Atlantic Ocean, then down to another beach where sea turtles are known to breed. This beach is breathtakingly beautiful - I want to stay just one more day SO bad at this point. Next, we go up to the Port, where we again have a drink at the ocean view restaurant overlooking the marina, then get gas for a nice $8.00 per gallon (only 4 liters this time) and go up to the ruins of Fort Sao Joaquim do Sueste. The road leading to the ruins is pothole ridden cobblestone and it pushes our buggy and driving skills to the limit. The entry to the ruins is blocked off, so Sandra waits in the car while I hoof it up the ancient cobblestone road up to the fort.

Sandra admires the vista at Caracas Point, Brazil.

Beachside Bar and Grill in Fernando de Noronha..	The fort is in amazingly good shape for being 400 years old, with most of its cannons still intact and many of the walls as well. I can really picture what it would have been like back in its day - a lookout post and military fortress for the Portuguese. I hike up to the lookout tower and am treated to panoramic 360 degree views of the city, the marina, and the ocean beyond. Now we go down to still another beach - this one like the others in the majesty of it's sparkling white sand and crystal-clear beautiful Caribbean-blue water, but different in that on this beach there is a huge surf complete with surfers.

There are 10-foot breakers going and we stand and watch the surfers crashing and burning. After a nice walk along the beach, we stop at a wonderful beachside bar nestled in the palm trees like a tropical oasis. I half-expect Jimmy Buffett to be tending bar. We order some Capirinhas and a grilled fish - absolutely the best fish we've had in Brazil. Smoked in Banana Leaves on a fire-coal grill (no electricity at this bar), it is emblazoned with flavor - too bad we're in such a hurry because we now have less than a half-hour before we're to be picked up at the Pousada to go to the airport.

This is truly a defining moment for this portion of the trip - we could have lounged here for days. We race back up the rocky dirt road back to the Pousada and get our gear together just in the nick of time. It's back to the airport, back on Varig to Recife and on to Rio de Janeiro to meet Sandra's mom Kicki and her live-in beau Bertil. This Varig plane has all leather seats unlike the others, but we were still treated to another two sandwiches, identical to the eight or so of these we'd had on Varig planes in the past couple of days.	Sandra enjoys her BBQ Fish at the Cozy Beach Bar..

We land in Recife, taking note of the city's unending skyscrapers and beautiful blue water. We also notice that the new people boarding the plane are much less casual than those we've been seeing throughout this trip. The unending t-shirt with shorts or jeans Brazilians are now replaced with button-up shirt and jeans Brazilians. Now I fit in a little more, as I've been wearing button-ups for the most part with shorts...

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FAREWELL TO FERNANDO BRAZIL TRAVELOGUE - DAY 6 - FERNANDO DE NORONHA BRAZIL

FAREWELL TO FERNANDO
BRAZIL TRAVELOGUE - DAY 6 - FERNANDO DE NORONHA BRAZIL