Pipa

I was tempted to skip this place as it is slightly out of the way, but Daniel, a German traveller I met in Ponta Negra, sang praises of it so I decided I had to check it out. It was the best decision I have made so far.

Unlike Jeri, Pipa is not so out of the way, only about 2 hours south by bus from Natal. The highway is inland so the bus leaves it at Goianinha and heads for the coast in about 24km. The road is accessible to normal vehicles, unlike Jeri. And also, unlike Jeri, it has even more of an international flavour and sports more amenities.

Part of the reason I was so pleased with going to Pipa was that the pousada we picked, Xama, is a gem of a pousada. We? I hear you ask. They are a couple of Dutch women I met at the bus stop for Pipa. Unfortunately they were not informed that the schedule is reduced on Sundays so they had been waiting for 2 hours when I turned up 30 minutes before the scheduled time. Pretty patient of them, but they had reading material to pass the time.

Anyway back to Xama, here is a list of things I liked about it: Warm and helpful landlady and husband. Nice garden, with beija-flor (hummingbird, literally kiss-flower) feeders so I got a few good pictures. Yes you can hear a strong hum if you happen to be within hearing range. Also a family of marmosets. Swimming pool, great for cooling down after coming back from a sweaty walk. A cold water cooler very kindly provided for the hot and thirsty guest. A sumptuous breakfast, including yummy chocolate cake made in-house. The women took a double room and I took a single. And the price, if sharing a double, is less than what you would pay for a dorm bed in other tourist magnets. Inspite of its rural location, there are no mosquitoes so no net is needed. I even slept one night with the door ajar to let the breeze in. There is a cool breeze in the evenings to delight you while you lie on one of the hammocks around the rooms. And though they will not always be the same, let's not forget the friendly dog and cute kittens.

Then there's Pipa, which doesn't have dunes, but several long beaches. One, Praia dos Golfinhos (Beach of Dolphins) even has a school of the mammals it's named after. Unfortunately, from the shallow water, which is all I can manage, you can only see a dolphin jumping out once in a while. They don't actually swim with humans but you do get close to them if you can swim in deep water. Two other beaches I visited were Praia do Amor (Beach of Love) and Praia do Madeiro (Woodcutter's Beach, I think). See the pictures and you will understand why I decided to stay 3 nights instead of the original idea of 2.

I think I'll shut up now and let the pictures speak for themselves.