Paradise. Or Fernando de Noronha

May I welcome you to Fernando de Noronha.

They allow 400 people a day come and go on this island. Because it's an ecological wonderland. And Mr. Broad and I are like, the shit.

The flight felt like we were entering some tropical paradise. Ya know that scene in Jurassic Park where they land on the island in a helicopter.

That's how this felt. Except for the lack of dinosaurs. And we were on a plane.

Yes I took a picture from the airplane window. Wouldn't you??

We stayed at a Pousada which is a hotel but more like a bed and breakfast. A nice pousada (Mariluisa spoke English!) where we met some great people. Now some highlights and lowlights on the food.

Shrimp Risotto. Pretty good. Also the LARGEST portion I have ever received. Was it that obvious we were American??

Mr. Broad ordered this one- spicy seafood pasta. Looked better than it was. The pasta was watery. Was it the tomatoes? The pasta not being fully drained? Not sure, but water in your pasta? Never a good thing.

These are Shark Balls. How could you NOT order them.

Note: They are fried balls made from shark. Not... ya know. Taste- Not bad.

Introducing the worst steak. ever. And the worst meal we had on the island.

Note to self: If you are surrounded by ocean. Do not order meat. If I hadn't stopped Mr. Broad from trying to cut the steak I think he would have still been trying to slice it. Ugh. Tough. Came with a lot of side items that weren't that bad (that is fried manioc- which tastes somewhat like a french fry).

We went off the beaten path (is that even possible in Fernando?) with some new friends we met at our Pousada. Go Canada! An ecological restaurant that specialized in Lobster. Uh yes please.

Again a meal that serves two people. Luckily this decision was easier for Mr. Broad and I.

Large and impressive.

Our new Canadian friends went with the lobster and shrimp (I think?) moqueca. They confirmed it was tasty but I think they had secret menu envy.

And Acai. (pronounced Ah-sah-ee)

It's a fruit that is now pretty popular and somewhat trendy superfood. The new pomegranate if you will. Tastes like... a slushy? Best with bananas and granola, definitely refreshing. Not the last Acai I ate on our trip...

And because why not. Mr. Broad walked by a Malagueta pepper plant. So guess who tried it. Oh the reaction was priceless.

But really. While the food prices were high, we were on an island. The real higlights was not the food but rather the views. Oh the views.

The highlights. Of the sights

We went snorkeling in this cove one day. Only 25 people allowed at one time. To preserve it and stuff. Mr. Broad was tempted to pee in this part of the ocean. Verdict is still out if he accomplished his mission.

We may not surf. But we can take pictures of it.

There main roads (there are like 2) are paved but the majority of the streets are composed of dirt. And rocks. Not like pebbles but large rocks. And boulders. That can kill you. So this is their mode of transport on the island, buggys.

We did a buggy tour and saw every 22 beaches around the island. Our cut, built, stoic, speedo wearing Brazilian tour guide took us around on his buggy. And he rode a sting ray Steve Irwin style while pointing out sea turtles.

Bad Ass.

*Took a boat tour around the island to see dolphins. Lots and lots of dolphins. More snorkeling. More views.

In case you want a break to go to church

It's like a Coronha commercial.

Overall Fernando went like this:

*Snorkel. Lay in a hammock. Drink crappy beer. Check out another beach. Snorkel. Drink more beer. Hammock. Meet people from your Pousada even though they don't all speak English. Drink lots of beer with them. Oh and apply sunscreen. Lots and lots of sunscreen.

In some order.

Note: Mr. Broad had to eventually tell me to end this blog post. Otherwise I could have kept posting pictures. But there are more. Lots and lots more. Because not all beaches look alike.

Check in at the airport.