Fernando de Noronha is a small island off the coast of Brazil community on board the Sorlandet with no contact with the outside world. I’m pretty sure we were all a little stir crazy by the end of the long crossing we were eager to get ashore.
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Fernando is, in short, paradise. Our ship anchored a little way off the island’s coast and the tender (small wooden white boat on board the Sorlandet) shuttled us to land. On the short trip to shore about a hundred dolphins swam alongside the tender. People (tourists mostly) snorkelled in the bay and we had to watch out for sea turtles. The small boat dropped us off (in groups of six) on the sandy white beach and we were off.
It was very warm on the island and there was one dirt road leading from one end to the other. Our first stop … the grocery store! There was one on the island for all the locals and we quickly cleared out their stock. After a filling lunch we hailed a taxi and asked the driver to take us to a nice beach. The taxis were CRAZY! They were like small dune buggies or miniature jeeps and they were entirely open. We perched on the back with the wind blowing through our hair as we raced along the island. It was so much fun!
The beaches were absolutely GORGEOUS. Although the best beach was a bit of a hike, it was well worth the effort. First, we marched along a smaller dirt road until we reached a cliff. Then we climbed down iron ladders cemented into the rock face. After two flights of ladders and a long narrow staircase made of rock we reached the hot sand and it was nearly deserted. The water glistened a clear, brilliant blue and felt so refreshing. We spent hours body surfing, engaging in chicken fights in the water and snorkelling. Some of us saw sea turtles and mud sharks. It was really cool!
Too soon it was time to leave this little paradise. We had only two days to spend in Fernando and on the last night we barbequed the Mahi Mahi we caught during the crossing (we keep five fishing lines off the back of the ship at all times). It was delicious, and although we were very sad to leave Fernando ... 
... we were even more excited to reach the Amazon!