hen I was a kid we had many cats. Living on a farm we had all kinds of animals around and I guess they were more like street cats, I don't remember because my family moved to another city when I was only eight years old. I don't even know if my family worried about the cats or other animals we had when they decided to move out to the "big city" in search for a better life. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'll have to ask my siblings who were older than me, although I doubt they will remember. It's been so long.

I have two cats now and I absolutely love them both. I became a cat lady and cat mom, who takes pictures of my kitties all the time and the other day I was watching videos of cats on the internet and I read pretty much everything about cats and there's this website that I found that has all kinds of good stuff it and guess what? I found out that both of my kitties names are in one or two lists of most popular cat names! What?? I found that so cool.

One of my cat is thirteen years old, Izzy and Katie is 3. Katie is pretty knew in the house so they are still separated... you know, we are in the process of introduction. Izzy has to accept Katie before they can be left alone together, so each has a separate bedroom and during the day we switch them around the house. One stays on one side of the house (office, our bedroom, bathroom) and the other has the other part (second bedroom, living room and kitchen/dining area). When Izzy goes to sleep in her day bed aka second bedroom, we close her door and open the door of our bedroom so Katie can roam around... At night Katie sleeps in the office, a place she chose when we brought her home, and Izzy sleeps with us. We switch their blankets and brush them with the same brush so eventually they will have the same smell and will be easier for them to accept each other or at least tolerate each other, and this in the case for Izzy because she has been living in the house for thirteen years now. She is so sweet and wants to be friends with Izzy but Izzy is not having it. At night we play with both, Katie in the office, which is adjacent to our bedroom and Izzy in the bed... Katie sits there looking at Izzy and Izzy still hisses a bit but way less than before.

It's a long process and they say it takes at least six months and so far Katie has been with us only for a month and a half so we still have work to do with them. But we certainly see the progress made so far.

What's your cat's name? Want to know if yours is on the list too? Check out their site here!

Hope you are having a wonderful day. Keep your pets safe and give them some love.
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Talk to you soon! Cheers guys...

Ahhhh, look at this picture!!
Fernando de Noronha is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful places to visit in Brazil. It’s been featured in various famous world travel magazines. It is an ecological sanctuary and it is protected by IBAMA as a National Marine Park.

It is an archipelago that belongs to the State of Pernambuco that occupies an area of 17km2 and has 21 island and islets although only Fernando de Noranha is inhabited and its population is approximately 3,000 inhabitants.

There are many ways to explore its attractions: by boat, by jeep or buggy, or simply on foot. It is ideal for those who enjoy a good walk, snorkeling, diving, take great photography or simply relaxing, enjoying silence and peace with the sound of the ocean and its natural beauty as a gift for your eyes.

Dolphins, sea turtles, stingrays and even sharks made this place their home and a huge variety of colorful fish that can be seen swimming in the clear warm waters.

I’m all for nature and as an animal lover, to see the Dolphins and other animals in their habitat is something that is priceless to me. The amount of Dolphins you can see playing around, jumping and spinning in the air in the Dolphin’s bay is unbelievable. Precious!

From December to June or July is the time when sea turtles go there and to other beaches, to rest or to make their nest and place their eggs. Unfortunately among other factors, natural predators are a big problem as the birds take advantage of the opening of the nest and they catch little turtles before they can make their way to the water when their nest is opened. Thanks to the great work of Project TAMAR, many of the little turtles are able win this battle and survive. Visitors can make arrangements with them to go see when they open the nests. It’s a great experience for adults and kids and they learn about the importance of protecting the species and environment. Kids get very excited and perhaps a new future Marine Biologist will come up from the experience! For more information about visitation to this great project check out their website http://www.tamar.org.br/base_ing.php?cod=20.

The access to Fernando de Noronha is made exclusively by the cities of Recife, capital of Pernambuco and Natal, capital of Rio Grande do Norte. So if you are visiting other cities, be aware that you will have to take a connection flight in one of these two cities.

By the way if you will be in Recife or Natal anyway for the connection flight, I suggest you to take a couple of days to visit the city. Natal and Recife are great places to visit as well. Natal has beautiful white dunes that end in the beaches and you can rent a buggy and explore the area and have lots of fun. Recife is a great option too, with its beautiful beaches, some really famous that drowns tourist from all over the world. So do your research and decide for yourself.

Oh, and if you are going to the World Cup to watch the games in these two cities, it will be another great opportunity for you to go and visit Fernando de Noronha.

The visits in Noronha are controlled and you pay an environment tax at the airport on your arrival, so be prepared for that.

For me the best time of the year to go is September, October and November as it is low season, it doesn't rain and the visibility of the sea is 50 meters.

I have a friend who says: “I pay more but I don’t give up on comfort”.

So every time I travel I think of her and her “quote” or when I talk to another friend about travelling, we always joke and say her quote, as we both know her.

The same is valid for the other group of travelers who, like another friend of mine would say and I quote “you will stay all day out and go back only to sleep, so why pay more?” He has a point too.

Whatever your choice is, I’m absolutely sure you will love Noronha!

The prices of the Pousadas varies and some are simpler than others and there are a few options that are more expensive and of course offers the luxury you are looking for and it is up to you to decide whether you want to treat yourself with a five star accommodation or prefer to stay in a more modest one. It will depend on your budget. Everybody can visit and be happy in Noronha! 

If you go for a more upscale I suggest you to go for Pousada do Ze Maria. It has great location and you are going to love the accommodations and amenities. They combine comfort and elegance with simplicity and has great atmosphere with very helpful staff. Ze Maria, the owner, is a very cool and laid back guy that understands the art and concept of receiving well a guest and he makes sure the services provided have high standard and quality. The rooms are decorated with great taste. Everything is just beautiful with all the attention to details. No wonder why artists and other famous personalities in Brazil stay there.

At Pousada Ze Maira the food is out of this world and if you like seafood you will be in paradise! Seriously! 
And every Wednesday and Saturday from 8pm there is the famous Ze Maria Gastronomic Festival where it is served a rich banquet with dozens of dishes to please all palates, especially the paella, various fish, shrimp and other seafood, in addition to bread flour, jack-fruit rice, meat, pasta, salads and Japanese food, with fresh fish. Then there are the marvelous desserts, including pies, cakes, mousses, fruit salads and other options.

They suggest to book in advance by phone +55(81) 3619-1258 or by email. 


Check them out on Facebook and Twitter and see for yourself. Visit their website too!

https://www.facebook.com/PousadaZeMariaNoronha /
https://twitter.com/pousadazemaria
Their website here: http://www.pousadazemaria.com.br/index-en.php

 
When to go: Dry/high season (from September up to March) and rainy/low season (from April up to August)

See some pictures of Pousada Ze Maria bellow and check out his website for more information!

Fernando de Noronha bellow... enjoy! *All rights reserved to Pousada Ze Maria and photographer Jose Henrique.