[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-fh9v8CdcCTI/VM4Gh-pVIdI/AAAAAAAAlJ4/dTn8vgCZm7o/s144-c-o/IMG_1150.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage22Brazil5SalvadorToRioDeJaneiro#6110828925210141138″ caption=”Gras camp on the river banks of Barra do Furado” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1150.JPG” ]

Highlights: Good physical rest
Lowlights: Bad mental rest
Loc: Barra do Furado
Acc: tent

My body desired a rest day after a full week of daily paddling – and before a maybe 80 km day without safe landing. I had the moist beautiful camp spot, but it was Saturday, and the village people also know their “special” spots…who can blame them? I already noticed a small driving path up to my “meadow”, obviously not only used by farmers looking after their cows here. Many cow pads though, but all dry and no animal to see. They came today with all kind of boats, and cars to occupy “my” spot with family loads, barbecues and noisy huge music boxes hammering out of the trunk of their cars. Not my way of having a great day in nature…but I am a guest here and need to adapt to the locals habits. At least *here* they didn’t jump on my and ma kayak to take pictures and I could stay immersed in my book. Ear plugs were unfortunately not the block the noisy music out, as you block the high tones, but not the low ones and this makes it even worse to hear only the bumm…bummm…bummm

The fore cast is basically the same tomorrow, 15-20 knots, waves from the south, wind from NE. No landing on the steep beach, I assume, so I have to paddle 80 km to Macaé’s river mouth. I may get that just in daylight with this wind. If not there will be some fresh moon in the first night hours, and Macaè’s river mouth looks like an easy entry with the lights of the city behind. The sea was relatively low when I arrived, so it won’t be worse getting deeper in the corner to Macaé, where the wind may be lower also. I could wait one or even better two more days to get the wave direction the same as the wind direction as it may turn, but the I’ll suffer rather on a long paddle than another day on a noisy hot beach…

I forgot to mention when I turned around this wide bent yesterday, the water got cold again, like it was already at the river mouth of Regencia. There it had 22 degrees, here it was even only 20 degrees! Freezing compared to the nice warm 25-26 degrees every where in between. It may get warmer again around Macaé, then comes “Cabo Frio”, the cold cape, with probably the same or even worse temperatures.Interesting current conditions!