The Atlantic jewel

It has been awhile since I smelled fresh morning air. In fact, it has been so long that I almost forgot how it feels to breathe in that clean, fresh, minty air. Nestled in the Atlantic ocean away from the city, Ilha Grande is nothing short of a paradise, a protected oasis, a garden of eden. It is an island where mother nature boasts it’s beauty. Such wonder it was to be a part of that nature, to be a part of those hills that rise and fall like the bosom of a perfectly endowed woman and those waves that caressed the shores like a mother stroking her newborn that my heart felt the weight of the world as I waved goodbye to ilha Grande.

So protected that island is that there isn’t a car, motorbike or even a road for easy commuting. Travel within the island is either done by boats or by foot. Mind you, some of the jewels of the island take hours by foot but oh my, those hours of sweat and panting like thirsty mongrels are rewarded by some of the most beautiful sights your eyes will ever see. Travel towards the south from Pouso for about fifty minutes by foot and the shrubs and trees open it’s doorways to a breathtaking beach called Lopes Mendez. The name sounds as exotic as the actress Eva Mendes and yes, the beach well rewards the determined hiker. Soft white sand coats the shore and extends towards a blue ocean that offers unobstructed view of the horizon. Unlike the famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, Lopes Mendez is rather quiet and offers much more room for frolicking in the water. Small stores dotted along the beach sell beers, caiprinhas and other beverages to quench your thirst. Beach goers also have the option of renting balls, paddles and other items to keep themselves entertained should sunbathing and swimming become mundane. The waters are perfect for the tropical climate, inviting anyone like an oasis beckoning a stranded desert traveller. Lucky me, I stayed at a wonderful lodge called Atlantic Jungle Lodge owned by an equally wonderful Brazilian couple that was only about thirty minutes hike away from Lopes Mendez so I had the privilege of visiting this beach twice during my short stay without having to sleep with uneasy muscle cramps.

Atlantic Jungle Lodge could not have been anymore perfect then what it was. The lodge runs on generators so do not expect electricity throughout the day or even 24 hour room service. They do have a food menu and though a little pricy, the food is delectable. Afterall, it is cooked by the lady who owns it and she is great cook! Having limited electricity worked well for me and my wife as it gave us more time to chat, bond and see the island. At night, we would take a bottle of brandy to the beach and star gaze. Having lived in the city all my life, I never saw that many stars as I saw from that island. Tantamount to Michelangelo’s work on the ceiling of Sistine chapel, the star dotted sky enveloped us with it’s dark mystique. Jaw dropping wonderment, every other fairytale should end under skies such as this with a happy ending. A perfect place to lallygag, on the soft white sand, caressed by a gentle breeze and under the star lit sky. Having no electricity at night, all you see is pitch darkness. When one of the nights I woke up, just one of those taking-a-break-from-sleeping moments, all I could hear was the faint noises from random animals and the thrashing of the waves on the shore like it was nature’s symphony, a lullaby to the man seeking peaceful solace. To me, that was paradise enough.

Lopes Mendez had created a thirst within me to want to discover more in the island. We had heard of Dois Rios, another beach facing the Atlantic ocean. Apparently it was better than Lopes Mendez and I had to judge it for myself. The only setback, not many taxi boats travel to the south side of the island and hence it would take us about 4 hours by foot from the place we set out to reach. Taking up the challenge we packed our back pack with water, sun block and food amongst other things for the long hike. It took us two hours to hike to Abraao, where the main pier to the island is. This is where you will find a number of beach side restaurants and small shops selling a wide variety of goods and knick knacks. After two hours walking up steep slopes, we decided to take a break at one of the restaurants before continuing our journey. It in fact took us only about one hour and 30 minutes to reach Abraao. After a much needed break, we set out to Dois Rios. The path was pretty much smooth with gradual inclination. The hike itself consists of an hour up slope and another hour down. What seemed like the easy part of our journey was actually one that was the most arduous. There was barely much shade as the path was wide so we were pretty much walking under the bright afternoon sun. After that tiring hike up, we were looking forward to reaching our destination soon and as such, decided to jog-a-walk down hill. After an hour and a half later, we reached what seemed to be a dilapidated town. It looked like a town situated next to Chernobyl, abandoned, overgrown lawns surrounded the buildings. We actually thought we were lost. Lucky enough we saw the faint blue of the ocean in the distance. Pure white sands and crystal blue waters greeted us with glee. The beach was so quiet that it was almost secluded if not for about ten other people mulling about. The waters were gorgeous and so inviting after the long hike. Dois Rios is a beach where one could go to find some recluse from humanity and the everyday worries of life. It takes you to a place within yourself where all you think about is the relationship between you and mother nature. It’ll make you awe in admiration, take your breath away and calms the esse of any man. The undulating waves invoke a sense of peace that nothing could compare to. We were not looking forward to the hike back and lucky enough, there was a taxi boat who agreed to take us to Lopes Mendez from where the hike will only be 30 minutes instead of another four hours.

Ilha Grande is the epitome of an island paradise. It provided a different perspective of the world and made me wonder how much of all that was lost to modernisation. How many Ilha Grandes would have we lost over the years to our expanding societies and the greed of the corporates? Perhaps the dearth of such wonderment is what attracts us to such paradises, making us appreciate even the tiniest detail and amazing us like a wide-eyed boy staring at a comet. The quintessential island of calm and tranquillity, Ilha Grande is a must visit.