13/01/2025

I arrived in the north of Brazil in Para State heading for Algodoal island at the end of November 2024 for the 5th time. I usually stay here for three months except during the Covid period when I stayed 18 months. The airport is in the state capital, Belem, and on 19th of November 2024 my flight landed in this sweltering city in tropical Brazil. I rested a while after my long flight and decided to do some shopping before going onwards by road to Algodoal. This is when I made a silly mistake that turned into every traveller’s nightmare. I took an Uber taxi and sat in the front seat, so I could recharge my iphone XS. But when I reached the shops I forget to take my iphone when I left the taxi. So big panic!

I got in touch with the Uber driver, but he claimed he had not seen it. Which was strange since I sat next to him in the front of the taxi and used his charger. I suspect he did not know that he cannot use it unless he has the codes.

With my lost iphone everything else was lost, including the access to my online bank accounts, wise transfer and all the rest of logins to the websites that support my travelling lifestyle.

I spents six weeks, enduring high levels of stress, trying to restore access in order to sustain myself here in Brazil. It wasn’t just my own wellbeing, but I was committed to several projects on this remote part of the coast.

I had my construction project in the archipelago of Maiandeue, the most beautiful nature reserve in North Brazil to work on. Provisions needed for three months for me and my staff. There was a weekly aerial yoga teacher training and weekly creative aerial training leading to a three-day social arts festival on Algodoal. It was a full schedule.

One of my projects is in the small town of Fortalezinha, the other side of the archipelago. We took a boat stayed at my new property for three days with my students and friends. We had a great time. After the retreats the pre New Years time preparation started to get ready with my rental properties. This went well too. I was extremely busy for a week with three stays.

The last one 1-4 January was very unique. My guests were chemists and biologists who were researching the nutrients of Amazon water. Every month there is a group of 60 people who come to Belem and stay on the ship. They travel along the Amazon river and do research. A group of nine rented out my property Flowmove Retreat Centre in Algodoal. We organised a breakfast and boat day trip to one of the most spectacular places in Algodoal. We sailed along the river, through the mangroves,and we ended up on the beach of Furveliu in front of the Atlantic Ocean. We found a fishermen’s shelter, a barrack, and grilled local fish, cooked rice and made some vegetable salad.

While grilling our fish the owner of the barrack has suddenly arrived and asked us to leave. He was really upset. We were desperate. But between the scientists and the other guests, we improvised a solution. We took a plastic sheet from the boat and attached it to the free-standing poles of an old broken barrack. This made a roof under which we could eat, sit and rest. It was a magical a moment.

Soon it was low tide came and the only way to go back home was on foot. We walked on the enormous deserted beach for 3 km to reach our our property. It was an adventure. Once we arrived, my Property Manager, Doriel, offered some drinks to the guests and everyone was so happy. The next day was 4th January and the last day of my German guests stay. We organise horse-drawn carriages and a boat to take them to the port of Algodoal. Even this was quite of an adventure because a big storm suddenl blew in from the sea. We couldn’t pick up by boat our guests from the front of house. We ordered two carriages to take their baggage, and we reached the water channel on foot. Then all together we went by boat to the harbour of Algodoal. It a short distance, but it wasn’t that easy. With the stormy waters of the whipped up the Atlantic ocean waves as we were leaving the channel to reach the ocean. The waves were big. But we managed smoothly to get through the scary waves. Everyone seemed to enjoy the experience. My guests gave the rest of cash they had to the guide, Doriel. They took the public little boat (40m), bigger than ours, and went to across the wide Amazon channel to Maruda. Then they took a taxi for another couple of hours to Belem. Some of them were taking off to Germany at midnight, some of them were still staying in Belem.

They said that they immensely enjoyed their trip and they will definitely recommend it. I was also happy with the outcome. Everything worked out perfectly. Each experience on Algodoal island is unpredictable because of the changing weather conditions and the tides. Every six hours the tide changes and the life on the island changes as well. Life on Algodoal island is always intense and vital. My Flowmove retreat centre in Algodoal is for adventurers, curious people and those  looking for challenges.  Nature  on Algodoal is some of the most stunning in Northern Brazil.  Where the the Amazon river meets the Atlantic ocean  in Para state, Maiandeua.