The pousada Mata N'Ativa has an extensive array of DVDs in English to borrow, so Alison and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to watch The Illusionist, which we both enjoyed. Watching a tv set reminds me that I haven't missed this activity at all: two weeks out of contact with the woes of the world has something to recommend it. Half an hour after returning to my room, I thought I heard the sound of a bug getting squashed in a zapper. Since I'm susceptible to bug bites, I checked out the situation, only to discover that the sound I heard was rain on cocoa leaves. During the day--and in fact for the past two weeks--it's been blue skies and sunshine without a cloud in sight. So it was somewhat strange to find a storm appearing out of nowhere and continuing all night long. The surprise was not so much that the weather turned, but that it didn't turn at all. The rain stopped at 6:30am, when Alison and I walked up to the Trancoso quadrangle, where 16th century houses line the perimeter. I left the pousada without my usual sunblock and sunglasses, because the sky was still grey. Five minutes later, it was bright sunshine and blue skies. So much for making assumptions.
It was hard to leave this pousada, but we needed to get to Santo Andre, which is located on a road that leads from Porto Seguro to, well, nowhere. We were encouraged, despite the night's rain to take the short cut from Trancoso to Arraial D'Ajuda, and from there to take the balsa (ferry) to Porto Seguro. This was to be followed by another balso to Santo Andre. I think we've really got the hang of the dirt roads and ubiquitous speed bumps, which I announce loudly to Alison so we don't fly over them. Of course, we're only doing about 25 miles an hour, so it's not really a problem.
From Porto Seguro north, the road is asphalt and passes large numbers of resorts, often catering to the ever-present CVC crowds in yellow buses. One look at the resorts tells us that we made the right decision to go the pousada route. It would be totally possible to have a British or American experience on the beach, without ever knowing that you were in Brazil--except for the fact that almost all the tourists are Brazilian. This part of the world has definitely not been discovered by foreigners. Once again my US ATM card didn't work, so I'm completely reliant on Alison. I think she believes I'll pay her back.
We had expected the Victor Hugo pousada to be close to the balsa, given that the directions ended there. Not true. It's about six kilometres down the road, and totally off the beaten track. The pousada is right on the beach, with a very attractive restaurant set among hibiscus plants and thatchd roofs. It's lovely here at all times of the day, but particularly when the sun sets (about 5:20pm!) We'll forgive them for having rooms that don't live up to Mata N'Ativa standards. After all, we've set our new standards very high. It will be fun to just relax on our last day in paradise. I think I have just about enough sunblock to survive.
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