The Beach

I spent the past week at the beach!  By now you know that I’m living in Rio, so I suppose you’re imaging that I was bronzing by the waters of Copacabana or Ipanema…however that would be a wrong assumption.  Very reasonable, but mistaken nonetheless.  Actually, I left Rio all together and ventured for São Paulo!  The population of São Paulo is greater than that of the entire country of Chile!  It’s difficult to fathom, I know.  My host mother’s brother and his wife and two daughters live in São Paulo.  My host uncle is named Silvio, like his father.  His wife Flavia, and two daughters Rafaelela 13, and Carol 8. 

My host mother, Annabella, Giancarlo and I left Rio on Friday for São Paulo via coach bus.  Six hours later we arrived at a bus stop and were met by Silvio’s driver who transported us to their house.  The girls were still in school and both Flavia and Silvio were at work.  The cook had prepared pasta for us however.  São Paulo is an interesting city to say the least.  Everything is more expensive in São Paulo, but it is also the best place to make money.  My host uncle owns three English courses there.  In Brazil it is very common to have a house maid that comes a few times a week, even in middle class families.  But to have a driver, cook, and maid who come every day is a sure tell sign of wealth. 

On Saturday we left for the beach!  Unlike Rio were the city is not separated from the beach, we had to travel two hours and a few odd minutes to arrive.  Before we arrived we stopped to eat pastels.  Pastel is a type of pastry that is deep fried and can be filled with anything.  Generally speaking, cheese is almost always included.  Usually they are not this big!

Pastel.

We arrived and settled in to the beach house-which is in a condominium.  After eating a late lunch/dinner we went to check out the beach across the street!  Annabella, Carol and I ran into the welcoming waters with our clothes still on.  I had forgotten that I was wearing white shorts until I was already drenched…But hey, you only live once!  We were welcomed to the beach with a private firework showing……Well that’s a lie.  There was a wedding on the beach and at the reception they were setting of fireworks. 

The condominium has a tennis court above the garage, and I was able to play three times.  Silvio, Carol and Rafa all play-Silvio and Rafa very well, Carol still learning.  Silvio called Fabio the tennis instructor to come three of the days we were there.  It was nice to have the beach right across the street to cool off in the waters after a good workout.  We got even more of a workout in the waters as we experimented with the sport of Stand up.  Essentially it’s a surfboard with a paddle.  I tried two different days with two different instructors.  The second day I was much better and didn’t fall nearly as much!  It’s more difficult than one might imagine balancing yourself while traversing the waves. 

Each day we woke up to a beautiful breakfast-the fruit is absolutely delectable in Brasil.  Add a bit of granola and I’m just the happiest person alive!  We spent the day beachside, usually with finger foods brought to us by the staff of the condominium.  That was a bit odd for me to wrap my head around, but I simply reminded myself that different is neither right nor wrong, it’s simply different!  The sun is much stronger in Brasil, and I did get a bit burnt.  However, almost all of it is faded and nothing peeled. 

On Monday evening my host father arrived having driven 7.5 hours from Rio to arrive.  So on Tuesday we went on a banana boat to an island.  Essentially it looks like a big hot dog that can seat ten people.  It’s attached by rope to a motor boat that pulls you along at lightening fast speeds…well maybe not quite that fast XD!  On the return when the boat was turning into shore Giancarlo leaned the boat over and we all tumbled into the ocean laughing.  No need to be worried, we were all wearing life jackets.  The waters at the island were so still, like a pool, so there was little inhalation of salt water done there. 

The evenings were generally spent in house playing board games, or watching movies.  If not we spent time with new found friends.  Two boys aged 11 and 14.  Their father knows Silvio and we ran into them at the shopping center one night.  We had good old fashioned fun playing hide and go seek and swimming in the pool of their condominium.  They are actually from Argentina, but as they moved to Brasil when they were quite young, they don’t have an accent as I do.

On Wednesday, our last night they joined us for Silvio’s famous pizza.  It was delicious but much different from American pizza.  Brazilian pizza is incredibly thin, but tasty nonetheless!  The drive back to Rio didn’t seem very long but it was a little over 7 hours long.  I mentioned in the last post how driving is crazy here.  Let me explain.  Curling around the mountains everybody sped up rather than slowing down.  Tires squealing are not an unusual sound here in Brasil.  But we made it home safe and sound, and that’s all that matters.

Learning to make pizza.