October 4, 2012
Itaparica - Cabedelo
Here the latest films and pics:
Pics Sailing Itaparica - Cabedelo
In Itaparica there were beautiful old colored buildings, long beaches and nice people were waiting for us.
Thanks to the invitation of Itaparica Marina many students were able to visit SY Pachamama and we gave presentations and clean ups with the following schools:
- Colegio Estudal Democratico
- Escola Perolina Concalves
- Escola Benedito de Oliveira
- Escola Eolilson Freire
In the marina we met also SY Ocean Maiden. Tjarda and Chris donated us 4 new life wests for our kids. Thank you so much!
After short time we discovered a little hidden place where Nathalie and her husband make their own homemade chocolate. In their big back garden they have their own cacao trees. After the barking dog let us in at the front door, Nathalie cut us 3 different chocolates to taste. One better than the other. So in our time in Itaparica we always found a reason to give them a quick visit.
Salina, Andri and Noe had the opportunity to dance the typical Brazilian fight dance Capuera twice a week in a friendly Capuera house. That's how we met other Brazilian kids from the island and we could visit them in the schools.
We heard from the famous market up the river Paraguacu where everyone meets early Saturday mornings. Wooden donkey buggies bring the fresh fruits and vegetables. We arrived Friday late afternoon in Maragogipe and made a little walk through the village. Dozens of kids let their self-made colorful kites flying in the air; often made out of rubbish. The village is quite clean and they have one of the best recycling collection site in Brazil.
After a short night we were ready at 6 am for the market to dive into the Brazilian culture and to stock up our fridge before the next passage. Amazed by all these people, noises, smells, colors, chickens and dogs, we squeezed into the market. Our children already used to these kinds of things didn't even shrink back from a bloody cow head lying on the floor. They just hold their noses if necessary.
After a big shopping we had the opportunity to meet a Brazilian politician in the middle of the market. Because the elections are coming up soon, every politician is campaigning for themselves with decorated cars driving through the streets with very loud music coming out of a loudspeaker installed in the trunk. So we already knew her name and told her about our project.
On the way back we stopped in a little place along the river to visit a waterfall in the rain forest. Ready with our hiking shoes and water bottles, we wanted to start our little adventure. Luckily a woman stopped us just in time and warned us that there are a lot of poisonous cobras around and that her dog just died a day before of a snake bite. We put garlic on our legs to frighten off the snakes and walked carefully back to the boat; grateful that nothing bad had happened.
Back in Itaparica our friend and photographer Stefan from Rio joined us for the sail up to Cabodelo. His video of the trip will coming soon. - Before we sailed we cleaned the hull, so we needed for the 520 nm only 4 days.
In Itaparica we were warmly welcomed by Luiz Fernando, the local Federal Police person. He became a friend and was able to make contacts with officals in Fernando de Norohna Island. Luiz may join us again in Alaska?
At the moment we are getting ready to sail to Fernando de Noronha where we hopefully can do our last presentations in Brazil. Thomas Lohbeck, our friend and web-designer, just joined Pachamama, so the crew of 8 is complete.
October 16, 2012
Archipelago Fernando de Noronha
Busy with presentations and clean ups with the students on Fernando de Norohna Island. Only today, - on Dario's birthday - , we did a theater, a presentation and a cleanup with 200 primary students.
More images from Fernando de Noronha in our Dropbox gallery. Here the pictures from Fernando de Norohna.
Media:
Here the latest article from Switzerland in German.
Report by Christina Hartmann, posted by Thomas Lohbeck:
It was not easy to reach the island, everyone in Brazil is talking about. Most of the time we had wind against us and waves shaking Pachamama and us around. But after 36 hours we could see the island in the distance with the famous Morro do Pico surrounded by misty clouds. Wow! After that sight, we were all getting excited to visit that Archipelago emerged after millions of years of volcanic activity called Fernando de Noronha.
After a good night sleep spinner dolphins passed our boat early in the morning to welcome us in paradise. They became our faithful friends during that time on the island. Sometimes they even passed us when we were swimming in the mornings. I would say its the most amazing experience to see and hear dolphins under water. When the children were supposed to do school, they showed us their best spins out of the water accompanied by huge delight for the kids.
We get to know Lourdes and her family, our angel and mother in one. She works for the government in the environment section . With her big heart and interest in nature she was happy to help us arranging different things on the island. She for example introduced us to Naldo, a farmer that produces different vegetables and fruits. We had the possibility to visit his amazing garden, he looks after with a lot of passion. Thanks to Naldo we went back to the boat with bags full of healthy fresh fruits and vegetables.
Roberto, the president of the national park kindly took time for us, to show us around. the whole island is in fact an UNESCO World Heritage Site. This island is an archipelago of 21 islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, 354 km (220 mi) offshore from the Brazilian coast. The main island has an area of 18.4 square kilometres (7.1 sq mi) and had a population of 3,012 in the year 2010. We were able to visit the hidden treasures of the island. Beautiful long, sandy beaches with stunning volcanic rock formations. Diving into the sea, we discovered the lovely underwater world of Fernando the Noronha. In beautiful clear water we could dive into sardine shoals and observe different fish, rays and even turtles. Thanks to the Marine Turtles Protection Project (TAMAR), there are a lot of green turtles around. We even had the chance to witness how they marked turtles at the beach to monitor them. What a great experience and example for the kids to see and even touch a turtle. We visited their centre and learned more about different turtles. They also offer free lectures on ecology. On the island live also the Noronha skink (Trachylepis atlantica).
Slowly getting to the end of our stay we try to enjoy every moment left. We got invited by our new friends Lourdes, her husband Roberto and Naldo and his wife Nides. They warmly showed us their home and cooked delicious meals for us. In exchange they visited us on Pachamama for a typical Swiss desert, called Nusstorte. With beautiful memories and special people in our hearts, we finally leave Brazil. Hasta pronto!!
Interesting facts about the island:
1. Water:
- Desalination: 5'000l/h
- Sea water: 21-28°C tested every week. Constant quality since 5 years.
2. Energy:
Electricity Generator needs 470'000l of diesel/month = 650l/h. Electricity Consumption = 2.5-3.2 Mega Watts per day for the whole island.
They have a lot of sun and wind. Why they do not use these natural resources and avoid pollution?
3. Rubbish:
Rubbish: 1.75 kg per person a day. At Xmas the quantity is double. They are not allowed to use sand for construction. That's why they recycle glass.