Pontal de Coruripe

I got a microbus leaving from the Penedo bus stand (just a couple of bays) to Pontal de Coruripe (Coruripe Point). Pleasantly, the microbus is air-conditioned. At Coruripe, the main town, they explained that they don't take the side road to the village. I can get off and hail a taxi or be dropped off at the junction. I remember that the guide says it's 1 km, which is not far to walk. They say it's more like 2 km. Ok, that's still not a problem, so I ask for the junction.

In the event the sign at the junction says it's 2.7 km. I must complain to LP about this error. I didn't mind the walk, except that it was in the middle of the day and I was glad I had a floppy hat on. In the end it took me 35 minutes to reach Ada's pousada. I was actually due the next day but as I thought it's not a problem for Ada and I'm sure she's glad to have another paying guest for the night. I have a beer to cool off which knocks me out for rest of the afternoon.

Ada is a feisty but amicable lady who was formerly a translator. She is fluent in several languages. Besides lodging she offers language courses. She also offers half-board and the dinners are very tasty and good value.

Besides Ada's pousada there are other accommodation in the village, some more upmarket and some less. There are also some holiday homes apparently used by weekenders from Maceió, the capital, about 2 hours away by car.

Sunday breakfast is also great. Ada shows me another local fruit, the pitanga, which looks like an acerola. They are the tiny ones that are not carambolas.

It's my last Sunday in Brazil, although weekends have little significance for me as a backpacker except as days when I might have to compete with weekenders for accommodation. It will also be my last beach and therefore last ocean swim in Brazil, so after breakfast I set out in my cossie. It turns out that I started at the wrong beach, the fishing beach, which has quite a bit of silt from the nearby river mouth. So the water isn't quite aqua as promised, but more like a dirty emerald. Fortunately it's low tide so I walk across the sand to the main beach, just next to the lighthouse. There are many weekenders there already. The beach on the other side of the breakwater has rough surf but I was told later that the walk is pleasant. Oh well, life is too short to see everything.