Fernando de Noronha - Life´s a Beach

It was a hot day and the old rattling bus dropped me at the road side, where a small track led down to Praia do Sancho, rated as the best beach in all over Brazil - a country with a coastline of thousands of kilometres and a lot beaches. There were no other people around, just me, the sun and the tropical vegetation. Fernando de Noronha is a tiny island in the Atlantic far away from everything. There are only a few planes a week flying here from northern Brazil, which makes the island difficult to reach. Not many travellers make it to this remote corner of the world. Thankfully. The path ended on a cliff, which dropped nearly vertical down to what you really could call a slice of paradise: perfect white sand, crystal clear water, palm trees and completely deserted. I climbed down and jumped into the water. I was no longer alone, as the marine life was stunning. Swimming for some minutes sea turtles crossed my way beside thousands of fish. I had to get deeper the next days and dive the clear waters around Ilha Sela Gineta. The visibility was perfect and nurse sharks, lobsters and more turtles joined me gliding through the blue. The way into the water was perfect sand. The island was rugged, and when the high cliffs give way to sand the contrast was perfect. The lush tropical vegetation backed up the beaches and therefore the only way to reach them is by walking. I was laying in the white sand, nobody around me. And no, life´s not a bitch - Life´s certainly a beach!