After almost one month in Brazil I have managed to confuse Spanish, Portuguese and Italian to the point that I am never really sure what language I am speaking. Trying to learn some Portuguese was not such a great idea I guess. So what have I been up to? Is Brazil nice? Are the girls really beautiful? Do people dance samba in the street? Is the surf good?
First things first, when I landed in Brazil I stayed with Gustavo a friend of my good friend Thiago and a really great guy. The Brazilian people I met so far were all absolutely fantastic and meeting people like Gustavo is what makes traveling special. I didn't really like the city of San Paulo, it is a gray man-eating Megalopolis, however I had a great time and met new friends.
After my stay in the biggest city of South America and the financial capital of Brazil I headed down to Florianopolis. To get here I took an 11hr night bus which I think drove past the arctic circle on the way here, the air conditioning was so strong that I was starting to wonder if I hadn't landed in a cryogenic clinic by mistake. Fortunately I had warm clothes with me and I survived the extreme temperatures.
I have been staying at the Barra Beach Hostel, right in front of a beautiful little beach that goes by the name of Prainha do Leste (Little beach of the east). The hostel is a beautiful place set in the lush green hills of the Isla da Magia (island of magic) or Island of Santa Catarina. Some parts of the coast are overdeveloped, with tall buildings and ugly highways in what is otherwise an idyllic setting, however not Barra da Lagoa. The east side of the island was kept intact thanks to the wise government, most of it is considered a natural reserve and severe building restrictions are -almost always- imposed. This makes Barra da Lagoa a peaceful fishing village. The island of Florianopolis is beautiful, the greenest mountains are the backdrop to stunning beaches and a beautiful lagoon. It feels like Lugano, Knysna and Cape Town all merged into one. Nature is the boss of the island: Atlantic rainforest, Iguanas the size of crocodiles, multicoloured butterflies, birds that emit the craziest sounds, dolphins, very hungry mosquitoes, lots of centipedes and gigantic hairy spiders.
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| View from my bedroom at the hostel, with 11km Barra da Lagoa beach int he background |
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| Sunset from my hostel room. |
The hostel is an interesting place to stay, there are lots of young people of all nationalities and I have met so many great people. I have gone surfing with new friends, walked to the “killer” waterfalls in the tiny fishing village of Costa da Lagoa, drove to Blumenau and drank beer at the second biggest Oktoberfest in the world with fourth generation German settlers, ate the best sushi of my life in company of new friends, taken a day trip to the Southern tip of the island where Barry the dog followed us for 1 and a half hours along the trail to a deserted beach called “Shipwrecked”. Went rafting on a local river in the catarinense country sid that looked like Austria or Germany with cows scattered everywhere.... with palms and monkeys there to make things a little exotic.
I have fallen asleep and woken up with the ever present sound of the waves crashing in on the small stretch of sand of the aptly named Prainha do Leste. Hundreds of times I have crossed the blue bridge that goes over the canal that takes water from the sea to the lagoon and from the lagoon to the sea. I hiked for an hour on a slippery steep path leading to the beautiful Gelheta beach carrying a surfboard all the way only to discover that the waves were too big and the current too strong for my current level of fitness. I have drank the sugary guaranà energy drink, eaten countless açaì bowls with fruits. Yes, Brazil is beautiful, yes the girls are truly stunning, people dance samba but usually not on the street and the surf is decent on the local beach of Barra da Lagoa and too difficult on the other beaches on the island.
I still cannot believe that I am really doing this, I am really out here living my dream, meeting new people, discovering new places and having all these great experiences. I am the luckiest person alive.
I crowned a life long dream just two days ago when I went out for a surf, caught a wave, turned around and saw two dolphins surfing the wave behind me. I paddled out and to my left a dolphin jumped out of the water as if to salute me. I will treasure this experience for as long as I live. In one week's time I will be flying to Rio de Janeiro and catching up with my old friend Thiago and in sixteen days time I will be headed back to my beloved Trujillo, Perù, where I will see all my friends.
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| Pancakes with George (England) and Yasmin (Denmark) on the terrace of the Barra Beach Club bar. We shared lots of great moments in Floripa! |
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