For breakfast, I would have fresh fruit and a large jug of freshly-brewed coffee at a pousada set amongst idyllic scenery, just up the road. Not a bad start to the day.
Across the road, this is where the owner lived- in a typical local house with its vegetable garden.
And here was his beetle, another one in the forest.
At the end of the track, I got to the wood cabin where we used to spend our weekends. Below was the river, with its small rapids, pools and cool crystal-clear water where I went swimming, reliving old times.
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These orchids were growing on a bank at the side of the track.
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And amongst some leaves, were these fragrant flowers which had fallen from a twisted tree. They smelt of lychee.
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Large prehistoric-looking bromeliads were also in flower.
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I had a taste of this: a wild passion-fruit. Actually not as bitter as expected.
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This stand of palms caught my attention. A work of art. It somehow reminded me of Rousseau's Tiger in the Forest.
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And this took me by surprise- a snake (not a tiger) sunning itself on a path leading into the forest.
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In the dark damp forest there were lots of fungi. These looked particularly high-tech.
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And then further up, from a clearing, there was a splendid view of the mountains, through a monkey-puzzle tree.
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There were some pastures on these slopes, and the cows were coming in for the evening.
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I was getting hungry towards the end of the afternoon and ate lots of wild raspberries (this story is beginning to sound a bit like Snow White).
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This was the view as I walked back down to the campsite. A day in paradise.
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