Discovering Maragogi online.
Initially, Maragogi went by the name of Gamela. Only in 1887 was it considered a city and called Isabel. It was in homage to princess Isabel that liberated the slaves. Later in 1982, the city was finally called Maragogi for the river that banks the shore. Maragogi also has a history of battles and wars, where Holland tried to invade.
Leaving Carneiros beach.
After a blessed day at the Carneiros beach we stopped for lunch in Tamandaré with our 3 new friends. Afterwards, Discovering Destinations were headed towards Maragogi, the littoral north of Alagoas.
We agreed to give our new friend Carlindo a lift to his new home since his colleagues were heading in the opposite direction. After all, he was just a couple of kilometers before our hostel in Maragogi.
Once we arrived, he made no mistake of showing off his newly acquired home. We felt how proud he was of his new purchase. He explained how he was recently retired and continued to share his plans for the home. Ideally, renovating it into a future rental place. But he would first renovate, building a pool, a barbeque and adding air conditioning. His plans were quite vivid, so much that we could envision his new creation.
You can Google ‘Jesus campground’ or ‘’Ponta do Mangue’’.
Carlindo had one last request, he wanted to show us a campground which was a couple hundred meters from his home. Once arrived, Carlindo introduced us to another of his friends called Jesus. At first we all felt a sense of irony, almost in disbelief that he was really, Jesus. Shortly after our introductions, we were all ears. Jesus led the way, showing us the campground he created years ago. As we understood, shortly after the new 
millennium Jesus had enough of the 9-5. He decided to trade it all in for a piece of land in front of the ocean.
When Jesus bought the land, it was practically flat. He studied the land and calculated the space, later planting native plants and trees to create pathways and shade. Little did he know; Jesus was creating some sort of oasis in front of the ocean. We can tell you that his campground is quite efficient. He created handmade and efficient structures to sleep, a common kitchen and shower out of organic materials. The main concept is a campground to disconnect from the city. But with his manmade huts, he can also offer a room for rent with electricity and running water. His site is well rounded, from a small library to surf
board rentals. Best of all, was a small square surrounded by old logs all facing a somewhat white hanging curtain, served to display short local films.
Simplicity is its main charm.
Lia is not much of a camper. But she truly appreciated the campground and all the effort that went into its conception. The luxury of this place is mother nature and the view of the ocean once you get to the front of the campground. In addition to all this, Jesus is a super sympathetic person and anyone camping there is privileged to meet him as we were. He took the time to show us his land and share his story. We have a hard time understanding what brought us to this campground. Our day was complete, the cherry on top was to witness such creation.
After our magical encounter with Jesus, we dropped off Carlindo at his home once more and headed towards our hotel. Our first impression of the Taieiras hotel was clean and modern. By this time, we were used to the rustic and charming hostels. So much that this new place, although clean and adequate, felt a little generic. It didn’t have the same charm and feel. We checked in, got cleaned up and went for dinner at Taocas restaurant in front of the beach.
We spent our first day in Maragogi with Carlindo. He offered to take us out on a boat with an acquaintance. The price seemed right and we would get to discover the natural pools of Maragogi. The ones that everyone rave about.
Barbecue on water ?
The overall experience was great, even though Porto de Galinhas and Carneiros had prettier landscapes. What made our day was to witness a fully decked out bar and bbq in the middle of the ocean. We were far enough in the water that we couldn’t see the shore and there was this boat, serving drinks out of pineapples and meat on a stick cooked from a charcoal bbq. We were dreaming ? It was $5 per kabob and per drink. We soaked in the entire experience, snorkelling, and enjoying the bbq.
After some hours in the water, we all decided to head ashore for lunch. Then we dropped off Carlindo and spent the evening in a restaurant called Orla de Maragogi.
Ponta do Mangue is simply the best
We wandered further south, trying to discover new beaches. Japaratinga is approximately 30 minutes south of Maragogi. We didn’t stay long because we found it deserted and dirty. So we spent most of our time heading back to the beach at Ponta do Mangue, in front of Jesus’ campground. In our opinion, it was the nicest beach in the area. The colors were amazing. Surprisingly it was also deserted,
but our guess was that everyone was out snorkeling in the natural pools.
We wrapped up our trip in the north of Brazil with a three hour car ride back to the Recife International airport. Thankfully it was a smooth ride. We had enough time to return the rental car, check in for our flight and have a small snack before boarding the plane.
Congonhas considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world.
This time we were landing at Congonhas in Sao Paulo. This airport had its history of accidents, partly due to heavy rains. They have since built new and efficient runways for water to drip. It only serves for national destinations and they have reduced the maximum weight for the aircraft. Finally, it is located in a highly populated area. Despite all of these efforts, it remains the 2nd busiest airport in all of Brazil. Needless to say, there is pressure to build another airport to alleviate the flow.
Have a quick look at this short video and see what you think of this landing.
3 Responses
Actually it was a perfect end for our “Pernambuco / Alagoas” trip in Brazil ! Beautiful places & unique experience !
My mother, who recently visited Brazil, said she loved the new airport. It felt like somewhere else for her. She was smitten by the modern design of the building and its spaciousness.
Your mother is right. The extension to the Guarulhos airport (since the Olympics) has brought it to a new level. Luckily we have seen the transformation.