Quick Trip to Maio

Heading Out

We have a member welfare project we are developing on Maio.  The Branch President wants to lead an effort to grow pigs!  We want to help, so we are working on preparing the  project for submission to our welfare services leaders in Germany.

Early Morning on the Boat

It’s just too difficult to work everything out over the phone, and flights and boats don’t go to Maio everyday.  However, once a week, on Wednesday, there is a boat that goes to Maio in the early morning and returns at night.  So we took the 3 hour boat ride to Maio!

Maio is a relatively low island with a population of just over 6000 people. It beautiful sandy beaches form the basis of a small tourism industry. 

Cargo Under the Stairs

Eggs stacked under the stairs for transport to Maio.  The main cargo going to Maio was food.  Crates of bananas, eggs, paper products, beer.

Sunrise

Sunrise over the ocean.  When the sun came up it was beautiful, to be out in the middle of the big blue sea on a boat to Maio.  But the beginning of the day meant rougher going by sea as the wind picked up, and people began to get sea sick.  It was tough going for about an hour.

Arriving in Porto Ingles on the Island of Maio.

Ferry at Dock

We walked along the beautiful beach to get to town, wow, the most beautiful commute in the world!  Here’s a look back at our boat parked on the dock.

Working with President Contina

President Contina Near Area Where Pig House Will Be Built

President Contina and a very capable translator and ward member, Edrinho, met us as we entered town.  We had met President Contina on a previous visit and we admired his determination.  We went to the Church and talked about the structure of the project.  Then we went by some building material stores, as we made the three kilometer journey outside town to the location the câmara municipal (town hall) provides land for individuals to raise livestock.  This is a photo of President Contina with the location in the background.






It looks like there are possibilities, we will continue to develop this project and hope we can help strengthen families on the island of Maio.


After saying goodbye to President Contina we walked back through town.  We rested a while at a restaurant on the beach, and then we walked over and waited to get on the boat.

Heading Home

Cows Being Loaded on Ferry

The published return voyage time was actually the time they began to load freight.  And if the food that came over was interesting, the cargo that went back was really interesting.  There was a rusted old Land Rover vehicle.  And there were cages of livestock.  Here are some cows going to the boat.  We noticed that before we sailed someone got into the cargo bay and worked with the animals in the cages and got them settled for the journey, made sure the goats were not sitting on top of each other and so forth, kind of like I did with the chickens when we transported them on Santiago.

Leaving Porto Ingles

Finally the cargo was on the boat and the passengers were loaded.  It was late in the day now, and we said goodbye to Maio.














The evening ride home was cooler and smoother, so no problems with nauseated passengers on the way back.  Once the sun went down the stars, out there in the darkness of the middle Atlantic ocean with no moon, the stars were incredible, they were so bright!  What a journey!