Florianopolis and Barra da Lagoa in the Rain

Shortly after taking two short bus rides from Florianopolis out to the beach area of Barra da Loga it began to rain and continued for three days and only when I was leaving did the sun finally come out.

It wasn't all bad staying here since the people trapped here in the rain were an interesting combination of Brazilian tourists, Europeans, and some down unders from Australia and New Zealand. When I got here, I was greeted by Mel from New Zealand and Ashely from Australia who had stayed at the same hostel in Foz Do Iguazu, the Iguassu. We had traveled on the same tour over to the Argentina side of the Iguazu Falls and went to the El Gaucho Charasscuria to celebrate a great outing with a group of seven of us.

I did not realize they were staying at the same place as me and they not only got here two hours before me but also left three hours after I did from Foz. Lesson learned: It is better to find out when your bus arrives rather than takes off. Mine was the milk run and theirs was the express.

The Barra Beach Club Hostel sponsored a free caipirinha---sugar cane rum, crushed limes, sugar, and crushed ice-- drink every night along with a $15 BR dinner that varied every night from spaghetti, chicken, beef stew in a red wine sauce---the cook was Italian. it was a great way to visit and talk about travel and other things as well.

Before it rained really hard, I was able to hike a bit north to some rocky coves. I also toured the town and saw this fishing boat tied up as well as an ancient fisherman who captivated the school children that were on an outing as he drew up from his net, some anchovies, and a larger fish for his evening meal with the help of a younger friend.

I wanted to walk the long white sandy beach, but the weather was too nasty for that. This is the view of the beach on the morning I left as the sun came out.

I just had to go for a quick dip and was a bit surprised to find the water chillier than when I last swam in Paraty.

Before catching the bus back to Rio, I stopped by to say bye to my four roommates--all beautiful blondes --who continually stopped the Brazilain guys in their tracks. At the beach along with Ashley and Mel are Mette and Nichole from Denmark along with Jordan, a 19-year-old Gap year traveler from the UK in the pink swimsuit. After three days of rain, we were eager to warm up in the sun.

This would be a great spot to spend several days visiting and walking the several beaches and islands that surround this area, but I have other places I want to see before my Brazil Adventure ends.

On to Rio and Salvador by bus.