São Sebastiao, Brazil
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Steve and I escaped the dreary urban sprawl that is São José dos Campos. Our destination was São Sebastiao and its accompanying island, A Ilha de São Sebastiao (or Ilha Bela, as it is popularly known). The rainy and foggy bus ride through the steep mountains had Steve and I clutching our seats on the way there, but we made it safely and prayed that the rain and clouds would disappear; Steve actually did pray in the local cathedral for better weather. We did take into account that this island recieves over 6 feet of rain per year, so we were somewhat skeptical that our wishees would be granted. Lo and behold, though, the next morning there was bright sun and and a clear sky. We felt very energized, plus I had kicked the frustrating part of my sickness, so we set off to climb the island´s biggest peak, Mt. Bopei, which stands at over 4,000 feet. We recieved from five different people five different directions on where the trailhead was. The only reliable information was from people who told us that we could not reach it with our present course. So, we gave up on the peak and walked to a farther point on the island that was much more secluded. We found a beach that was fairly tucked away and felt grateful that we finally reached something that made all of our walking worthwhile. We realized that the peak was too ambitious, as we were dead tired from just the level ground after a few hours. That was the extent of Ilha Bela. The off-season was very much in full swing, so we experienced the island during a period of tranquility and relaxation.
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period of tranquility and relaxation...
and then steve and i had a kissing party on the beach underneath a beautiful sunset
Mike Nolte.