Honey Island’s life safer.

by Eloiza Montanha (Italy)

Making a local connection Brazil

It’s hard to put up in words the power and magic of this island in only one text. In fact, there are some things about this island that is only possible get when you see or feel by yourself. Ilha do mel (or honey island, in English) ended up by having a special meaning to me, after learning so much with it. Located in the bay of Paranaguá, Ilha do Mel has 1094 habitants. These natives, even though they live so close to Paranaguá - a small port town that makes the connection between the continent and the island- and Curitiba, a big capital in the south of Brazil, chose to remain and live their lives in the island, I’ll explain why. For a few times, I went to Ilha do Mel to play with a band I had, at a jazz festival that takes place every year in august. A month that, although most people don’t know, can be pretty cold in the south part of Brazil. It’s amazing how the island is full of people in August or in festive seasons, specially in New Year’s Eve. An incredible jazz festival with bands that perform hourly on an itinerary that spans restaurantes and inns on all habitable sides of the island - Brasília and Encantadas - ends up being very good for those who live there, because it moves their economy during that cold period. I said habitable because most of the island is an ecological reserve. After our show, when I was finally able to relax and enjoy the place without having more responsibilities, I opened up myself to explore and receive this magic. It was already night and I knew more or less the places in the Brasilia region, where we were. Of course, there are no cars on the island and the trails that take us to any place are very dark at night. This for me only attributes to the fact that it is so unique. Except for exceptions, people who frequent the island tend to take great care of this natural heritage, respecting nature. It was cold and during the day we had already visited a historic lighthouse, from the time when Brazil had an emperor. So, as we were in a group, we decided to walk to the other part of the island, Encantadas. That means enchanted. The access of Brasilia to Encantadas is done in two ways: by trail, which lasts approximately 40 minutes or by the strip of sand, which makes the tour longer, about 3 hours. As it was very cold and humid, and the trail goes through “morro do sabão” - which means hill of soap - we concluded that it would be better to go by the beach, it’d be safer. Our choice was illuminated by a full moon and a clear sky, dotted with stars. Once there, we enjoyed the rest of the night with one last show that happened and then what we had left was to see the sun rise, to then go back all that way. Unprepared, we did not imagine that in the middle of it all we would feel very hungry and cold. There was nothing open at six in the morning and the ends of my body were becoming to literally freeze. I was feeling weak. We saw a lonely man, fishing in front of a grotto of imposing stones. José, humble and with sunburned skin, spoke very fast and softly, and realized that some of us needed help before facing another 3 hours of walking or a slippery trail. This is where my greatest teaching comes from: he saved the little fishing he had achieved that day and took us to his home. I was ashamed to accept help and eternal admiration for these simple people. He gave us something to eat, told us about island legends, and we were able to return happy to our inn. Whenever I return to the island, I always go there to see José and his family. I understand why they don't leave. They like to enjoy the silence and feel the time passing by slowly.