Hello everybody,
Sorry it has been awhile since the last post on here, but hopefully this post will make up for it! Last weekend I was invited to go to Dani’s parent’s beach house, which is on the island of Ilhabela off the coast of the state of Sao Paulo. It was a beautiful drive out to the coast, took about 2 and a half hours from the heart of Sao Paulo, and the landscape was filled with lush jungle vegetation and scattered with small lakes and waterfalls every few miles. It provided a much needed break from the urban sprawl of Campinas and Sao Paulo. The island is a magnificent sight from across the bay, with foliage that I haven’t seen since I watched the last few episodes of Lost last spring (minus the smoke monster, of course). Once we arrived across the bay, we were greeted by Dani and her sister’s boyfriend Bruno, who whisked us up the hill in their personal dune buggy to their home away from home.
The beach house, my American friends, was everything I had imagined and more. While I had seen photos of the house and the surrounding bay and scenery, they did no justice to the view that I was privy to once I made my way through the living room and onto the patio, complete with a barbeque, a tanning deck, hammocks, and an infinity pool. What’s an infinity pool, you ask? Well check out the photos and you will get an idea, my blogging skills just wouldn’t do it justice. After a late afternoon churrasco (BBQ) and a lengthy nap (a welcome Brazilian custom), we took to the water as the sun was beginning to slide its way down the sky across the bay. I got to experience the joy that is driving a jet ski, the slight adrenaline kick when you hit top speed and the spray of salt water with every new wave or break in the bay. George and I traded spots until the black night settled on the water, and we made our way back towards the yacht club for a quick dip in the pool and some caipirinhas. The caipirinha is the traditional Brazilian fruit cocktail, made with any type of fruit (pineapple is my personal favorite) and a liquor called cachaça, which is made from fermented sugar cane. The drinks are strong, and they can be troublesome because the alcohol is so beautifully hidden behind the flavor of the fruit.
Sunday morning after breakfast we took to the high seas again, except this time we went by sail boat. I have been on the water for a decent amount of time in my life, but I had never gotten to experience the mellow drift of a sailboat. Dani’s father Rich, showed me the ropes, quite literally, and taught me a little about the science of sailing. After a two hour trek, we found our spot, dropped anchor and swam to the nearest beach. The water was slightly opaque, but just the right temperature to cool us off after lying on the scorching decks of the boat. After our swim we headed back to the house and took another delicious nap before packing up and heading back across the water for and back to reality.
The most memorable part of my beach weekend, however, was not the beautiful home, or the jet skis ripping across the bay, but the people I was able to spend time with and the hospitality that I was treated to. My Brazilian friends, from Dani and George, to their families and friends, have done so much to make me feel welcome and at home. It’s in no way possible to repay them for this feeling of warmth and the unabashed sense of family that they have given me. They are the true representation of what Brazilian culture is all about, and even if you have heard stories like mine, it is something that needs to be experienced to understand. As your can see from my last couple posts, while my life in Campinas is far from optimal, I have had some truly magical times with two of the most interesting friends I have ever come across.
I hope everyone at home is doing well, I wish you all the best in your snowy endeavors, I will talk to you all sometime soon!
Paz e Amor,
Conor
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