Merry Christmas!!

Ilha Bon Jesus Anchorage:
What you don't see here is the thousand bright
red parrots in the trees!

After picking up Tanya in Salvador, and a few days playing tourist, we left the marina to find somewhere a bit more quaint for Christmas. We chose an island in the North of the Salvador Bay area called (perhaps appropriately?) Ilha Bom Jesus – “Good Jesus”. Not a familiar setting for Christmas – mangroves, palms and parrots :)

I was a little homesick thinking about the Christmas with my family I'd be missing, but Christmas on Auriga turned out to be delightful, with caipirinhas (sugar cane spirit, lime, sugar and ice) and presents under the tree (capoeira pants for Igor, a hip flask for Matt and colouring pencils for Tanya)

Christmas tree! (Even possible
amid the Ukranian takeover of Auriga)

We took a walk ashore to find the local town and after beer and ice cream under the mango trees I decided to try and introduce the Ukranians to Christmas dinner. We managed to pick up ingredients in a local shop that we had to swim back to the boat, a string of shopping bags in tow.

For me, Christmas dinner itself is a big deal, and so recreating it with ingredients from a tiny Brazilian supermarket (in a town of about 200 people) and in a small gas oven was a necessary challenge.

We managed to find a chicken – so we had something to roast...

Actually looks like a roast, no? I was as surprised
as anyone when I pulled it out of the oven...

We forgot to buy potatoes in Salvador, so I took a risk on this flaky fellow. Is it a potato? Turns out, yes. Or at least, tastes like one when roast.

?????

I roast it all, and served with chorizo (a bit like sausage wrapped in bacon maybe?) and canned peas with gravy. It's not all the trimmings, but it hit the spot!

Christmas dinner! A success!!