Ilha dos Coelhos
Author: Shirlz
Friday, 23 December 2011
I had planned to go ashore and follow the trail to the waterfall this morning. My hair was badly in need of a wash and the lush rainforest looked inviting. But the weather turned nasty with gusty rain-showers. I decided to head back the short distance to Maragojipe to do some shopping as I didn’t seem to have anything fresh to eat. When I started the engine I noticed that no water was coming out of the exhaust. Switch off quickly. Hmmm. What now? Impeller in fragments? It had been working fine before we stopped. Must be something blocking the inlet. I started the engine again hoping that whatever it was might have fallen off, but no such luck. So find the mask and snorkel, hang the rope ladder over the side and go and have a look. The water was clean enough and a comfortable temperature but too murky for me to see more than 10cm in front of my eyes. I couldn’t see the cooling water inlet and battled to locate it by feel. It seemed alright but I scrubbed away with a brush and climbed aboard to try again. To my relief water started pumping out of the exhaust. I’d hate it to happen again in a really cold place or where the water is like a sewer.
When I reached the anchorage at Maragojipe I found that I was the only cruising boat there. I suppose most people are staying at Itaparica for Christmas. Looks like I’ll be on my own again. Last year it was me and a bottle of reasonable Argentinian champers at Paratí. This year me and a dubious bottle of the Brazilian equivalent. All that was obtainable in Cachoeira. I should have thought of it earlier and stocked up in Rio.
Tuesday, 27 December 2011
On Saturday I did my shopping at the Maragojipe Market so now I had plenty of fresh stuff. The new fruit bowl overflowing with bananas, mangoes, custard apples and a pineapple. The weather had cleared up but I decided to spend the night there and head back to Ilha dos Coelhos in the morning. Christmas Eve was quiet. I had expected the usual exuberant Brazilian display of fireworks and loud music. I suppose that will happen at New Year.
Christmas day I motored back to Coelhos – only about 2 miles downriver. It’s a pleasant anchorage tucked in behind a small privately owned island. What used to be a sugar or tobacco farm on the mainland has now been almost completely restored to enthusiastic rainforest. A small cottage at the water’s edge is dwarfed by the towering ruins of an old aqueduct. I had been told that there is a rather good waterfall nearby, so rowed ashore to try to find it. Unfortunately it was very low tide and getting ashore would have involved a long trudge through knee-deep sticky black mud. I gave it a try but it was just too messy. Some kids came out of the house and waved. I shouted that I’d come back later when the tide was in. Back on Speedwell I had a fruity Christmas lunch and a healthy dose of the Brazilian champagne which was pretty good actually. It would have been even better if I’d had a bucket of ice to cool it off.
By 2pm the water was high enough for a second attempt to get ashore. I was able to beach the dinghy on a small sandy patch. The house was closed up – the family must have gone off for a Christmas family gathering. Five or six dogs rushed out barking at me. They were wagging their tails and didn’t look like trained guard dogs. Two cats observed the proceedings from a discreet distance. The dogs quietened down while I tied up the dinghy. Then as I started walking along the path beside the aqueduct, leaving their territory, they started to become more aggressive. Luckily there was a big stick lying nearby. I picked it up and waved it about in what I hoped was a threatening fashion. The dogs backed off with tails between their legs. I hung on to the stick in case it might be needed again and headed off along the jungle path.
I had hoped to get directions to the waterfall from the people in the house. No one around so I just followed the path. It was green and damp and virulently alive. I clutched my stick and wondered how effective it would be against a boa constrictor. I was just wearing my flip flops so looked carefully where I placed my feet. I hardly ever wear shoes these days and my boots give me blisters. The path split a little way past the ruins. I turned off to the left and soon was startled by some very loud screams. Was it a bird? I stopped and listened with my one goodish ear. There it was again and some rustling high up in the branches made me look up. A crowd of monkeys. Maybe howlers. I stood quietly and tried to spot them. They were high up and difficult to see between the leaves, unless they moved.
It seemed that they wanted to get a closer look at me and as I watched they started moving closer. Springing in mad leaps from branch to branch. I stayed quite still and now and then was able to spot a small bewhiskered face with bright inquisitive eyes before it’s owner took off in another gravity defying leap landing lightly on the next available slender branch. Never staying still long enough for me to get a good photo. Soon they grew bored and leapt and scrambled on their way. I trekked on along the path which didn’t seem to be approaching any waterfalls. Eventually I turned back to try the right-hand option. This was more promising and I came to a lovely shaded pool with clear water cascading over a series of rocks. But I wouldn’t have described it as a waterfall. A nice place to sit and cool my feet before heading back.
Tags: cruising, Rio Paraguaçu
December 30th, 2011 at 22:39
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Shirley. Mine was spent up in Edinburgh – family xmas with Dave’s son and new daughter-in-law. Very cold….but lots of whiskey! Back in Cornwall for quiet new year – and nursing a stinking cold.