On saturday we took a chair lift to the top of a mountain, took some pictures, and then went to the other side of the mountain which was a lagoon with many beach venders, restuarants, and beach goers. Attached are a few pictures.
Next I went to Ihla do Mel. This trip was a lot of fun, and was over my birthday weekend. Ihla do Mel is a very small island off of the coast of Parana. It is protected by the government and only a certain amount of people are allowed on the island at a time. Access to the island is by boat, which broke down on the way there. There are no roads and no cars. We saw an amazing sunset the first night, which included a double rainbow as well. At night we ventured off to a reggae bar where we walked through wooded dirt walking paths. The following night we went to a brasilian forro dancing spot near the beach. In the picures attached, There is a picture of the sunset, rainbow, lagoon off the hostel that we stayed in, the walking paths, and the beach on the other side of the island.
Lastly for Carnavel we went to Florianopolis which again was in Santa Catalina. We were in a small beach town about 12 miles from the Center of Florianopolis. Our Pousada(rented apartment) was about 40 yards from the beach. It was great. Brazilians serve their beers colder than the beers on the porch of the White bryer in Avalon. With the hot sun, week of vacation, body surfing and attempting to surf for real, I worked up quite a thirst for ice cold SKOLs(my favorite brazilian beer). I learned that the best cure for a hangover is a fresh Agua do Coco. It is simply a coconut that has been on ice for hours, they chop the top off of it, and put in a straw.
Carnavel was not what I expected it to be. It is basically a large dance competition where "samba schools" compete for the championship. They practice their routine all year while building big floats. The spectators watch and follow behing the floats, dancing in the streets and drinking beers that are served from venders with coolers are wheels.
I went running in the morning and the beach went on for about 8 miles. After the first 500 yards or so, it was a deserted beach, there were no people, just white sand, crystal clear blue waters, and junglish forrests on the other side of the dunes. I met up with a Johnny Nejman, his fiance Erin and their friend Emily. They all work in Brasilia. We had a great time and enjoyed a lot of beers served sub zero.
Lastly we went into town for a night and went to an irish pub that had a cover band that only played 70s funk music.
The pictures include the beach, agua do coco, and some carnavel activities at night. Enjoy!
Also included one picture with Erin...with a few "professionals" in the background.
