Yesterday (19th May) we spent the day in Ilha do Mel (Honey Island), Nova Brasilia area. Ilha do Mel almost blocks the entrance of the huge Paranaguá Bay and it is a 40 minute ride on a little ferry from Pontal do Sul where we are.
The majority of Ilha do Mel is an Ecological Reserve and the bit that are inhabited tries not to disturb much the natural flora. The houses, restaurants (lots of them) and pousadas (motel type accommodation for tourists) are simple timber constructions built in amongst the vegetation. A narrow path meanders between them and links all the beaches around the area.
The beaches are beautiful. Like Australia they are big and not crowded. The waters clear and warm. The bay side beaches are very shallow and the sea side one, Praia de Fora has some waves and people surf in it.
Yesterday there were over 1000 people on the island and only the restaurants were crowded. There are a limited number of people that can be on the island at same time (5000) and a large board on the pier at Pontal do Sul shows how many vacancies are still available. According to the locals during the peak season the island is always full.
The place seems to be mainly frequented by families and young people and both in the ferry and island they were very well behaved. Soccer was on the TV in the afternoon and I think only foreigners were on the beaches. Brazilians were all crowded in the restaurants cheering for their teams.
Yesterday (20th of April) we went to Alexandra a small village some 50 km from Pontal do Sul to visit my cousin Zé whom I had seen for over 40 years.
When we were kids we use to get together at my Grandmother’s Beatriz Leal in Silva Porto (now Kuito), Angola for the long school breaks. The house was full of grandkids: Zé and his sister Nelinha, Meninha and her brother Jorge, Zeca and Elsa, my sister Mariazinha and I.
After that I don’t remember seeing Zé again until yesterday. It was great to see him again and we spent the day at his farm Recanto Angola Farm, known by the locals as the Chácara do Angolano (the farm of the Angolan). Zé runs a retreat type place where people go for weekends and festive dates. They have a pool, a motocross course, a lake full of fish and a quiet country surroundings to release the stress of the city bustling life. The clientele is mainly people from the nearby city of Curitiba and Paranaguá. Zé cooked a fabulous roasted leg of pork and we spent the day looking at old photos and remembering the good old days…and the not so good.
