Last night, the boys managed to tear themselves away from the boat and crew they came to love over the past week. They had an incredible time, but are already thrilled with all that the beautiful city of Paraty has to offer.
In the last update, I mentioned that we were anchored at Ilha Grande where around 3000 locals live and there is a small tourist town. I will resume from there...
Thursday morning, we woke up on the boat still anchored at Ilha Grande. After breakfast, we went to shore again, but this time to see some of the beautiful scenery that the island has to offer. The boys did a long hike (4 hours) through the island, while the few crew members who stayed behind sailed around the island to meet us. The hike was quite steep, but the boys managed it easily. While hiking we saw a beautiful waterfall and stopped to swim. The fresh water was much colder than the ocean, but this didn't stop them from jumping in and spending a few minutes standing right under the falls! Once finished the hike, we spent some time on a beach on the island, and returned to the boat when it was time for a late lunch. The afternoon we relaxed on the boat, enjoyed some delicious popcorn snack and a great dinner. In the evening, the crew got the boys to try out some Brazillian dance moves. Before bed, the boys decided to go for one final swim to see the plankton (fluorescent organisms in the water). From on deck, we could see them making "plankton angels" in the water. Opportunity of a lifetime!
Friday morning we were up early to sail to a new island of Mamangua. The boys hauled up the anchor and set the sails, and the voyage took about 6 hours from 7am until 1pm. Once landed, we did another great hike. Although the islands are nowhere near the Amazon river, they are considered part of the rain forest, so you can imagine the density of the forests and beauty of the scenery. This hike took us to a great pool of fresh water. The boys were excited to go in, until they realized the temperature! With the group reminding themselves that this is once in a lifetime, they took the plunge. A conveniently located vine gave the boys a chance to swing and splash until they were ready to head back for dinner and relaxing on the boat.
Saturday we sailed do another point on Mamangua which has a mountain named Sugar Loaf. The crew were excited to show the boys the incredible view from the top. A hike that should have taken 2 hours had some of the boys at the peak in under 30 minutes. At the top of the mountain, the boys took in the view and even sang O Canada! That definitely got the boys hungry, so they returned to the boat soon after for lunch. In the afternoon, we sailed to a beautiful cove for an incredibly peaceful last night. For our final dinner, the crew threw us a Brazillian bbq on deck and the boys enjoyed the delicious meat for hours. The boys took one last swim with the plankton and were off to bed.
We woke up Sunday and set sail to Paraty. The trip took about 1.5 hours, but we were in no hurry to leave the boat. The captain held a meeting with the boys once we arrived to discuss the trip. He told the boys that this was one of the best trips he has ever taken and was so pleased with their participation, enthusiasm, friendliness and teamwork. Each one of the boys shared their thoughts on the trip, the crew and the boat itself. The boys repeated over and over that this had been one of the best weeks of their lives, that they loved the food, the crew and the boat, and that they can't wait to return! We packed ourselves and our bags onto a boat taxi which took us to the shore of Paraty. We checked into our hostel here and began exploring. The city is truly spectacular, and will soon be classified as a UNESCO world heritage site for the unbelievable preservation of architecture in the Historical District. The boys split up, some to the beach to swim and kayak, some to walk the historical district. We met at 7pm and were thrilled that the entire crew of the Tocorime accepted our invitation to meet for dinner. They recommended that we try an Arabic restaurant, and what a hit! The boys loved the food and the extra time they had to spend with the incredible crew.
As we move on from the Tocorime, the boys have not only taken with them an experience of a lifetime, but a nickname assigned by Nika and Laila on the ship:
Nick - Harry Potter
Alex - Roberto (pronounced hoberto)
Kyle - Caio (pronounced Caillou)
Zach - Jet Lee
Pranav - Piranha
Austin - Henrique (pronounced en-hicky)
Shawn - Shaããawn
Ethan - Paolaun (truck)
Mike - Safadon (heartbreaker)
Andrew - Andreas
Rob - Moihando (mohawk)
Anthony - Osus (bones)
The first leg of this trip has been an unbelievable experience and from reading Mark's blog entries about the community service, I think we will continue to have the time of our lives when we arrive in Salvador tomorrow. We are off to spend a day exploring Paraty!
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