Natal, Brazil 2007: A Little Piece of Heaven...

I could tell something wasn’t quite rite with me early that morning, but I thought my irritability was due to a lack of sleep. Most was forgotten however once the two buggies were loaded and heading south. Caroline, William and I had Junior as our buggy driver, while Mark, Lori and Inacia rode with Washington. Uncle Mark had decided to give my idea of listening to an Ipod while riding a try and was now realizing how great this new experience was.

Our first stop, although we never actually stopped, was the biggest cashew tree in the world. This plant, though not tall, had grown to be the width of at least four city blocks. It had a genuine case of gigantism and due to this disease kept growing more and more each year and yielding more and more cashews. While a high product yielding moneymaker like this plant would be seen as a positive thing in most areas, an unstoppable growing historical plant is not something you want in the middle of a city.

After driving by the tree we stopped at Dolphin Cove, a point on a cliff that overlooked a little bay where dolphins and tortoises frequented. Aunt Lori shopped for more product by sorting through what some vendors had to offer. Three dolphins made an appearance before we headed out, and it wasn’t long before our buggys were on the beach and headed to Pipa. The ride was very relaxing, especially with the constant breeze and sea spray getting shot up from the sand by the tires. Then the buggys stopped.

We were at a small grotto cut into the rocks by the perpetual beating of the waves on the rocks. I decided to be adventurous and crawl inside the small opening. Underneath was an entirely different world. Natural sea waterfalls cascaded water into pools. Wave after wave would crash against the other side of the grotto. I got on my stomach and slid into a different area with William following close behind me. Washington told us it was time to go, so we headed back. This time we crawled on our stomachs under a very small space that was almost enough to give me claustrophobia. Aunt Lori joined us in our journey out, and told us that this was how the entrance to the Great Pyramid in Egypt was.

We made a few other stops along the way, including one at a beach sinkhole for some pictures, before getting on a ferry to cross a lagoon. In 1924 the area where we had crossed had been a city that was built between a fresh water lake and the Atlantic Ocean. A huge rainstorm had cause the lake to overflow and the two bodies of water had quickly become one. We reached the other side, disembarked the boat and headed to find some lunch.

Uncle Mark referred to the place as “a little piece of Heaven”, and it is exactly what it was. Where we were had to be one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. Lush plants made up the coastline, with a white sandy beach and Caribbean blue/green ocean. The restaurant was under a thatch roof with a natural beach sand floor. We sat and ordered a drink, and then William and I went to the ocean while the food was being prepared. There was a sandbar off shore and we decided to make our way out to it. The water was only four feet deep at most) but the current was pushing very strongly toward the shore. This made the walk long and difficult. We finally made it, and William spent the next few minute collecting shells. The way back was much easier seeing as we simply had to lie on our backs and float only using our feet as rudders to bring us in the direction we wanted.

We ate a delicious seafood lunch on the beach. It was relaxing to just sink your feet in the sand and feel the grains between your toes. After lunch was complete it was back to the ocean. It was at this point that I should have realized something was wrong with me. It had to be close to 85 degrees outside, but I had a severe case of goosebumps and a dip in the bathtub-like water didn’t help matters. I went back to the hammocks and laid down in one to read a book for a little while.

We then headed back with still a relatively full agenda before us. Aunt Lori wanted to get to the small shopping town of Pipa, and Caroline and William still wanted to ride some dunes. William and I partook in some photo opportunities before arriving at Pipa, and it was about the time we arrived at the small town that it hit me like a force of 1,000 cannons. The dreaded headache had returned. I had managed to keep their appearances to a minimum this trip, but this one started like none of the others ever had. Sharp constant pain was felt in all areas of my skull. After Aunt Lori finished shopping for product, we crossed the lagoon again and headed for the dunes.

I didn’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, so I told Junior to do the dunes as he normally would, even with my pain. I am sure the kids appreciated this, and we even stopped to jump off the dunes down an extremely soft sandy hill. The sun was starting to set at this time, and even with the pain I was feeling I could still appreciate how beautiful it looked setting over the dunes of Rio Grande de la Norte. I kept my eyes closed for the remainder of the trip home.

When we arrived back at Lobster Road I felt a little better. I got some work done for the next day, and then William and I watched a movie and prepared for bed. I thought I was just overtired, but as the hours of the evening wore on, and the pain in my head got significantly worse, I knew that something was not right…

Up to My Knees in Quick Sand