Antes da chuva

Before the rain.

Feeling the need to hurry when on holiday works against the objective of being there in the first place. We’d thought of doing one of the shorter forest trails towards a place called Feiticeira, which we needed to start early to avoid the forecasted rain, and which we referred to as fettuccine so it was easier to remember. In the end we couldn’t be bothered to set off early enough so faced the consequences of getting soaked. Which was quite fun and liberating, if a little treacherous on the steep, slippery paths.

At the Cachoeira (Waterfall) de Feiticeira we lingered a while as a succession of Brazilians posed in Speedos in the plunge pool. Perhaps when I was less well-travelled and brimmed with unfettered enthusiasm in every new place, I would have found this behaviour more endearing and/or surprised myself by replicating it.

After this we headed downslope towards the Praia (Beach) Da Feiticeira to enjoy more of this island’s tranquil vistas, and where we could fan out more effectively from people trying to film amateur versions of the Bounty advert. The beach was nothing more than a small cove with a couple of stands selling coconuts. It was extremely pleasant perched on a rock reading a book I am really enjoying (Sapiens) and having a cool snack.