Nigel Ian Hodges 22 May 1955 - 2 May 2008

On 2 May 2008 a great tragedy took place on this Earth as a wonderful man was taken from us much before his time. One year on we all find it no easier to function on a day to day basis but we strive on to become better people like he would demand.

To mark Dad’s passing we have come to Brazil to the exact place where his plane was lost to get some closure on this episode in our lives that we would wish upon no-one.

This is how the week went...

The surprise!!

Knowing that Elliott’s family were flying over to Brazil to commemorate the 1 year anniversary, we thought we’d give them a surprise by getting on the same flight as them to Ilheus. We flew from Rio up to Salvador and surprised them at the airport. It was fantastic to see them all again, but it was not lost on any of us that this had been the exact place where Dad had taken his last footsteps on Earth almost one year before.

We then boarded another flight to take us down to Ilheus. If only one year ago there had been 4 more free seats on that very same plane, how different would life be? A short flight later and we landed at Ilheus airport and remembered how we had come down the ladder last year to the immediate news that some wreckage had been found. It was emotional for us all to remember those first days of little news and fading hope.

The transfer to the hotel was spent catching up until we arrived at Itacare Village, where it was pissing it down. They’d obviously brought the weather from England!! We soon made it up to our suites where luxury awaited us. Our Master Suite had a Jacuzzi and a balcony overlooking jungle and pristine beach. The noise of tropical birds and crashing waves brought instant calm. It was a wonderful location!!

View from our balcony

Topping up that tan

After a few weeks of city-dwelling, hiking on glaciers and ancient trails, and driving around for hours on end in smelly buses, we are now probably whiter than when we first left England. So off to the beach we went.

Gabs and Courtney taking a stroll at our resort

The private bay at the resort is amazing. The sand is golden, the waves are huge and the sun had come out in earnest. We basically stayed in that same position for 2 days, sunning ourselves, playing in the sea and getting told off by the lifeguard for going out too deep. We also drank a fair amount of beer “in tribute” to Dad, as he was renowned for doing much the same on our family holidays to Tenerife and reminiscing funny stories and jokes from when we were younger.
The food at the hotel was pretty good too. A buffet breakfast, a sushi bar for lunch and amazing steak and wine for dinner was much the order of the day.

Dinner time....can't wait for those puddings!!!

Smile for the camera!!!

One year on

On memorial day we got up early and met our driver Marcelo, who would take us up the coast to the exact place where the wreckage was found. We had hired him and his Land Rover to take us “off road” through the jungle. We had loads of fun getting up to the spot. Marcelo was a fantastic driver who knew how to get the most bounce out of the Landy suspension, as Chris found out on numerous occasions, bashing his head into the roof!!

Comfortable in the Landy....hmmm!!

We were shortly there and Marcelo let us know in a mixture of slow Portuguese, broken Spanish and hand signals that this was where the wreckage was found and if we walked down the beach, he would meet us later. We walked slowly along the beach with the sun burning our backs until we found the exact spot where we had performed our mini ceremony last year. The 2 unmistakable park benches next to a huge curved tree. We couldn’t believe our luck!!

Us at Dad's resting place

We huddled around, said a few prayers and put together a small monument out of coconuts and flowers. We left laminated versions of Dad’s and Alan’s service sheets underneath and a prayer and note from Elliott’s Aunty (Dad’s little sis), then had our own moments to remember the great man.

Dad and Alan's service sheets behind their monument

Chris taking his own time to remember

Again we played around in the sea, then went to say our last goodbyes at the monument, when Mum spotted a small blue ribbon in the bushes. Elliott went closer and found part of the bouquet we had left last year and also a note that one of us had left in a plastic wallet. Unfortunately the writing had washed away in the sea, but it was still incredible to find it!!

We walked further down the beach and found Marcelo, who had reserved 7 sun loungers for us next to a beachside bar. We stayed there a few more hours, then got back in the Landy for the 2 hour bum-bruising ride home. The road hadn’t got any smoother!!

A beautiful walk remembering a wonderful husband and father

All in all it was a nice day, we all had some time to reflect on a tough year and what must now be a new start for us all. Life must go on, and we will live life to the full now that we know how easily it can be taken away.

Saying goodbye

Our last day together was cloudy so there were limited opportunities for refining our new tans. We made our way over to the other private beach owned by the resort called Prainha. According to our guide, this beach is the 7th most beautiful in Brazil and it didn’t disappoint. The wonderful palm-fringed bay really was an oasis seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

The wonderful Prainha

The next day we packed our bags and said goodbye to the life of luxury. We caught our transfer to the airport and said goodbye to the family. We really did have a fantastic week catching up with gossip from home, drinking freely from the mini-bar and enjoying the Jacuzzi after a tough day on the beach.

Wouldn't he be proud?!!

Last night together

But here we are, after a 6 hour white-knuckle bus ride, sitting on our hard bed in a budget hotel in Porto Seguro, backpacking again. We wouldn’t have it any other way!!

Love Ells and Gem xx