Ilha do Mel is an island that has no cars, the main thoroughfares are sandy pathways where the men push a wagon along to make deliveries of fresh water or bottled beer. We stayed in Nova Brasilia, that was made up of 'pousadas' with hammocks swinging outside, restaurants serving locally caught fish and enormous cachacas filled to the brim with lime, ice and extra sugar... a headache inducing brew. We met a bunch of brit backpackers, one of which lives just off the cally road very near us at home (!), who became our drinking buddies for a couple of evenings. And yes, that's why I know that cachaca gives a heavy hangover.....
On the island the beaches are huge swathes of sand, with barely a sole on them - more to do with it being mid-week, low season and the weather. The rain; what started as a couple of showers on Wednesday (5/12) afternoon turned much heavier. Oh how it poured .... all through the night and on into the next day. We cut our loses on Thursday and hightailed it off the island. The walk through the sandy pathway was wet, the boat ride choppy and then a mad panic to find a taxi to catch the bus that was leaving imminently. Phew, we made it!
We decided to spend the day on the move, meaning a return to Curitiba to catch the onward overnighter to Foz do Iguacu. Curitiba seems an attractive city, with all the pavements cobbled in patterns of black and white stone, and some pretty early 20th C. architecture amongst the obligatory high rises. We visited the Oscar Niemeyer museum, he's the brazilian architect with a modernist style who designed Brasilia. On a wet day with a few hours to kill it was a welcome distraction.
As we had to wait until 10pm to get our bus we went to a cafe, drank beer and had a cheap meal. The food in brazil is meaty. And it comes with chips and rice. I really can't think of anything else to say about it!
Hannah
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