VARSITY ATHLETICS

August 20, 2007

DAY ONE ON ILHA GRANDE [Big Island]

By Chris Deighan – Sophomore Guard – Sagamore Hills, OH (Western Reserve Academy)
Monday, August 20, 2007

This morning we woke up about 8:30 a.m. to eat breakfast at the hotel and depart Paraty for Ihla Grande, our final destination in Brazil before heading to Rio for the flight home. We boarded the bus about nine this morning for the two hour bus ride north up the coast.

As we wound through the mountains which line the coast we watched the movie “Out of Time” to make the ride go by faster. At about 11:00 a.m. we arrived in the city of Angra dos Reis where we boarded a boat which took us to the island. The ride across the bay lasted about an hour, and by the time we arrived on the island it was nearly one 1:00 p.m.

Once we arrived, we checked into our rooms at the Pousada Nautilus [Bed & Breakfast], where we are the only guests. Our rooms are up a small hill from the main lobby, which is right next to the dock. This island is very large, and there are not very many people here. Its mountains are covered in lush forests and it is surrounded by blue green water. I think this may be the sweetest place I have ever been.

After check in we came back down to the lobby where we ate an amazing lunch of fish, fried chicken, and pasta which was followed by chocolate covered strawberries. At about 2:00 p.m., once we had finished eating, a group of 10 of us got back on the boat to go snorkeling at a place called “Blue Lagoon” which was about a half-hour ride away.

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On the way there, our guide Pat McCool [played college basketball at University of Denver (Div. II at the time) and is originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa) spotted four dolphins swimming along near the boat and we circled around for awhile watching them. When they disappeared we continued to the lagoon. We jumped off the boat near the reef and snorkeled for about a half hour. We saw so many different kinds of fish and sea life it was nice. We even saw a large star fish as we were swimming back to the boat.

When we got back to the hotel at about 4:30 p.m., a bunch of us went on a hike up the mountain behind the hotel into the forest for about an hour. There is a lot of wildlife in the forests here, including large monkeys, which would be great to see. However, it got too dark and we turned around. Maybe we will have better luck seeing these in the forest tomorrow.

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH “TOUR GUIDE PAT”…

1) How did you end up living in Brazil?
“During my second basketball tour in Brazil, I meet my wife Luciana, who was born and raised in Belo Horizonte, where we currently reside.”

2) Why does a guy from Iowa remain in South America?
“When I left the country the first time, I thought I would never come back, although I thought Americans would love Brazil [natural beauty, people are friendly, good food]. I have since returned 20 times and have lived in South America permanently for the last two years.”

3) What is the name of your company and what service do you provide?
“Brazilian Travel Adventures“ (pmccool@braziliantraveladventures.com). Initially, I started the business to receive sports groups and make their travels through Brazil easier. I have since expanded into academic and adventure groups.”

4) How many countries has basketball taken you?
“Six (France, Iceland, England, Portugal, Australia, Brazil).”

5) Who is your favorite Case player and why?
“Dave “Colonel” Klink. Shortly after getting on the bus at the airport he was the first to ask a question and he hasn’t stopped since. He was eager to learn the language and is curious and outgoing. These types of people make the best travelers.”

Posted by: Creg Jantz August 20, 2007 08:00 PM | Category: Brazil

Posted by: cnj4 (Creg Jantz) August 20, 2007 08:00 PM | Comments (0) | Trackback