Just as the sun brightened the sky we picked up a local pilot and docked near the small coastal community of Ilheus. In the early morning most of us did a short walking tour through the central part of the town, stopping at some of the more historic buildings. Our local guide, Dione, told us about the town's history and the significance of some of the buildings. The stroll ended in front of one of the main churches of the city just a few hundred yards from the coast. After a short time visiting a local handicraft market we again boarded the bus for a 30 minute drive inland.
We stopped along the main road and were met by Virgil, owner of the historic Fazenda Primavera. For the rest of the morning our humble host told us, through Dione, about the plantation of cocoa and the process that has to be laboriously conducted to derive chocolate. At one time Brazil, and Ilheus specifically, was extremely important in the production and export of raw chocolate. After touring the fazenda we walked to the main residence for a refreshing drink and relaxing in the shade. A few of the birders were excited to see species such as Southern Lapwing, Wattled Jacana, and horneros. Before lunch we were amazed at the abilities of two local couples performing the traditional dance of the area called lambada.
After finishing coffee and dessert we again took the coach a short distance this time to a government research station. A number of research projects are being conducted at the CEPLAC station but the one we visited was a sloth rehabilitation center. We learned about the plight of the sloths locally from the researcher who has become dedicated to these unusual animals. For some it was the first sloth they had ever seen and for all it was the first Maned Sloth they had set eyes on since this is a species unique to the Atlantic rainforest. Following a short walk in the remnant patch of rainforest and after Dennis Cornejo discovered a number of small tarantulas we boarded the bus for our trip back to the ship. In the evening we sailed from Ilheus. Just before sunset we were treated to a final experience of the day and that was a cow and very young baby humpback whale.
