Ilha de Algodoal

Fishing at Algodoal
Really late entry - sorry....

my last week in Belem is frantic blur of last minute travels, late night festivities, sad/happy goodbyes and desperate packing. Finally here are some photos from my spontaneous trip to Ilha de Algodoal...aka paradise. Threw my hammock in a bag with a swim suit. I was on my way. 3 hour bus ride later, an hour boat ride at night in the waves under the stars, and a boat landed us on the sandy coast in the dark. we stayed in Manual's friends house. She cooked some mangrove crabs with farhina, and beans. we strung up the hammocks and slept to swaying palm trees and dogs snoozing. Parrot calls woke us in the morning light.

An isolated island on the Atlantic coast near the delta of the Amazon - little villages, sandy roads, no cars - only canoes and horse carriages. I walked 2 hours along a beach that was more like a desert on the ocean. Not a single person, but the lonely fisherman. Just us and the horse cart. When we reached Fortaleza, a group of women gave us some fruits. We traversed through a river's current into the village. I played football with the local kids. While Manual's mom gutted fish she told me -it is ALWAYS windy here. Her husband cracked open a coconut to feed the chickens, and a little kitten fought its way to drink some of the coco milk. And soon enough the sun was down. The villagers wandered with kerosene lamps and flashlights. no electricity tonight. Cynthia and I left the town at 2am, crossing a river in darkness. The paddle of the canoe stirred up phosphorescence in the wake. We caught a night bus back to Belem.

Fisherman

Transportation System

I think it was a jellyfish - very lethal

After a quick photo, I jumped off the horse cart to walk the next 15 km. I felt bad for the horse - it was too skinny, and I could walk faster anyways.

Manual's mom chopped up some fish for dinner, while the father chopped a coconut to feed the chickens

As soon as we got to Forteleza, a kid jumped on the horse cart for a ride into town.

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some kids in the village taking pictures with me in the dark.