Paradise Found / Paradise Lost

So you’ll be glad to hear that the hard work portion of our trip is now over with the completion of the Group Stage, no more long days with 3 matches to watch or attend, and from here on out things get a little more laid-back. The last of the group matches we attended was the seemingly low wattage Ivory Coast v Greece game, which turned out to be a bit of a cracker. I think we were all hoping, along with the rest of the crowd in the stadium, that Ivory Coast would win. But alas, that is not the way the World Cup Gods had decreed it with those cheeky Greeks sending the Ivory Coast’s back home with the injury time penalty. Shame....

With the knowledge that things would be slowing down for us, I had arranged a trip away from the throbbing metropolis that is Fortaleza, for 2 days of rest and relaxation in a place called Jericoacoara, or “Jeri” for short. Jeri is a coastal national park about 350kms north of Fortaleza, and is fabled as an out-of-the-way part of the world, of beaches, dunes and palm trees, and where time runs at a different pace. I thought this would be just the ticket for those of us burnt-out on an endless diet of football and beer. To get there was a 4 hour marathon car trip with a local driver who obviously has ambitions to compete in a World Rally stage. It didn’t help that once again it was stinking hot, and with Fiona in the front, us three guys sat, sweated and fidgeted in the back, turning the truck into a 120kph sauna, even with the air conditioning on. I can say with my hand on my heart, it was one of the most uncomfortable journeys I have taken for a while, and I hoped that the destination would be worth it.

After endless roads filled with potholes, unexpected cobbled sections and rutted dirt tracks, we tumbled out of the car at the ‘Ranch do Peixe” (The Fish Ranch..!), and found ourselves in a beachside heaven of gently swaying coconut trees, thatched bungalows and the sounds of the ocean wafting on the breeze. The resort is set just outside the Jericoacoara national park, and about 10kms from the little town of Jeri, which is famed for its stunning beaches and ‘away-from-it-all-vibe’. After checking-in at the open air reception, we were shown around the resort, past the open air bar & restaurant and the turquoise pool and lounging area, and on to our luxurious beachside bungalows, complete with deck & hammocks.... Oh Paradise.... After unpacking we headed straight for the beach bar to drink cocktails and eat pizza, with a view of the ocean and the swiftly setting sun. I guess we were all tired after the journey and after a brief paddle in the pool, Fiona &I headed to our bungalow for some serious ‘hammock-time’, where we listened to a chilled out mix on the iPod, counted shooting stars, and allowed the stress of the past few weeks just melt away....

We all met up for breakfast the next morning, which consisted of far too much food,  including omelette, fruit, cake, crepes, bread, and more cakes, after which I definitely needed a rest. Fiona & I had decided that today would be a low-impact day of lounging, swimming and more hammock time, but there was one outstanding football match between USA and Germany to be watched at 1:00pm, but until then we would just chill out. We swam for a while, lounged for a while and swung in our

hammock for a while longer.... We met again for the match in the beach bar where we saw USA lose 1-nil to the Germans, but it was enough for the both the USA & Germany to progress to the next round, so we all left contented, Fiona to have a massage at the Spa, and I went off to commune with the world from my hammock. Later that evening we collected ourselves together to go for a slap up dinner at the restaurant, before returning to our individual bungalows for the night. Again Fiona & I finished the day by listening to music and swinging in our hammocks until late. I have decided that any day in which you can spend the majority of your waking hours in a hammock, is a good day....!

Unfortunately the next day we were checking-out as we only booked for two nights, which in my opinion was a mistake, but we were going to cram as much into today before we got our transport back to Fortaleza at 4:30pm. Therefore we woke early and packed our bags and made our way to breakfast, before catching a shuttle to visit the little town of Jericoacoara, which was about 30 mins drive away, along the beach and on sandy tracks through the national park. There are very few road going vehicles allowed in Jeri, except of course for hundreds of 1960’s style beach buggies and the ubiquitous motorbikes. You really feel as if you are going back in time as you drive along the beach and towards the little town, which has no paved roads,

only sandy tracks, you could easily imagine yourself in some small beachside community in 1960’s Mexico, complete with donkeys and aged-hippies..... We stumbled about town before heading to the beach, where we set up our base camp on some beach chairs under a couple of umbrellas. The weather was being a little temperamental with intense sunshine interspersed with a five minute rain squalls every hour or so, and the umbrellas did dual duty all though the day. The beach was a wide expanse of sand stretching hundreds of meters in front of us before the shallow warm water started, and we spent the next few hours either wandering out to the edge of the water for a paddle, or watching life go by from under our umbrellas. By mid afternoon I think we were all a little sunburnt and decided to move off the beach and head inland to look for some food from one of the many little restaurants we

had seen earlier. We found a cute little Italian style restaurant where Fiona & I had the best fish meal we have had so far in Brazil, washed down with a few tasty & thirst quenching Caipirinhas.... Bliss...

But as with all good things, this one was coming to an end, and we made our way back to the pick-up point for the shuttle, which would take us back to where our transport back to Fortaleza was waiting. Fortunately this time we had a slightly bigger vehicle, and with Yates in the front, and David very kindly offered to go in the very back of truck, Fiona & I had the back seats to ourselves and the journey was far more comfortable for us all, even if it was still 4 hours long.....

Yesterday David left us to start his journey back to Colorado and it was very sad to see him go. He is a very calm & balanced individual, a sort of ‘ying’ to his brothers ‘yang’, and his appreciation of the ‘beautiful game’ is very astute and insightful. I have enjoyed having him around to discuss tactics and analyse games, and I think he would have enjoyed the whole ‘Brazil World Cup’ experience. Yates and I have taken a perverse pleasure in trying to get him drunk on every possible occasion, but I think he will be keen for Russia in 4 years time. Thanks David, travel safely.

Now we are preparing to attend our last game in Fortaleza today, Holland v Mexico, and the sound of Dutch umpah music is already wafting up from down the road as I write this at 7:00am. Tomorrow we de-camp from Fortaleza and head south to Salvador in Bahia for a further 16 days, and 2 World Cup Play-Off matches. The temperature will be a whole degree or two lower, but hopefully the humidity will be a bit less. Don’t get me wrong, we have loved Fortaleza, but incessant heat & humidity can be a bit wearing after a while, especially if you have to keep showering and changing clothes throughout the day...! But that’s enough of me complaining about the excessive luxury and enjoyment, I will report in from Salvador when we get settled in.....