Posts Tagged ‘Archipelago de Tinharé’
Cairú
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
It was an easy run for the next 5 miles up the Rio Tinharé to Cairú with wind and tide whisking me along. About a mile before reaching the town I spotted two dolphins, the pair swimming together and arcing through the surface in perfect formation, then softly disappearing leaving barely a ripple on the water. Above me a pair of terns were noisily courting. Flying fantastic swoops and chandelles. Their wings almost touching.
I anchored in 6m a reasonable distance from the convenient floating dock. There appears to be a company running loads of tourists in massive RIB’s between Boipeba and Morro, making a quick stop here before roaring off again, their monstrous wake churning up the normally peaceful water. Fortunately they follow a strict timetable so I can make my trips ashore in the dinghy when they are not around.
There is a wide variety of watercraft carrying all sorts of cargo. Those disruptive RIB’s, filled with tourists, ripping through the water; slow, heavy ferry boats filled with shoppers, chugging along; small nippy powerboats for the more time-pressed commuters; A wooden barge loaded with building material; long traditional dugout canoas paddled by patient fishermen. I saw one crossing the river this morning carrying three men and a mule.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
There is a very impressive church, dating back to 1650, in the upper reaches of the town. Restoration is still in progress but I was given a guided tour. Some intricately patterned, painted ceilings. The usual opulently gilded chapel. A large chamber with a collection of brightly coloured, carved saintly statues. Some with anchors and ocean waves at their feet. Something to do with watching over the fishermen. A central cloister with graceful arches and corridor walls covered with traditional blue and white azulejos. In the main part of the church near to the elaborate altar arrangement was a set of drums. My guide confirmed that it was used for the church music.
Another enormous gallery had intriguing cabinets with secret drawers that could only be opened if a particular sequence was followed. Standing at a tall window which penetrated the massively thick wall I had a wonderful view over the jungly surroundings down to the islands and beyond.
Saturday, 15 October 2011
I’ve been forced to spend more time than I like dealing with the problem of helping to organise a secure parking area for the tennants of my Hout Bay property back in South Africa. They were growing restless as a result of regularly having to replace the wheels stolen from their vehicles. Fortunately there is a fairly convenient place to use wifi here. It’s just a small room opening on to the street, crammed with three big TV screens, 6 plastic chairs and 6 male teenagers playing action computer games. The proprietor sits at his PC in a corner and happily supplied me with a password to use his wifi. I found a little stool to sit on and picked up my mail. A playful kitten patted my legs and curiously investigated my backpack. A toddler felt the need to keep me entertained. It was a fairly good connection so I opportunistically downloaded a few books to read. One learns to take advantage of these occasions when they present themselves. Later I discovered a second room with an impressive array of PC’s.
Having made my token effort with the property business I went for a stroll about the town. Approaching the entrance to what looked like a walled estancia, I stopped and watched as an old man came out, riding a mule with basket panniers. A second mule followed at the end of a rope. I watched transfixed. It would have been crass to haul out my camera. The animals were glossy and beautifully groomed. I couldn’t help exclaiming ‘que bonito!’ and was rewarded with a big grin and the wonderful happy Brazilian thumbs-up sign from the old man rider as they proudly speeded up a little and trotted off down the lane.