Am I singing in the rain...in Brazil?

My last week in Brazil was filled with mixed feelings. Frustration and Gratitude.

Frustration - Ilha Grande.

After 2 weeks of sunshine & partying in Rio, Tom and I decided to go to Ilha Grande to enjoy the wild beaches,the  luxeriant vegetation, the rugged landscape and where there is be no car, no building, no "blocos". The picture seems like a perfect paradise but in reality:  there were rain and storms for 3 days. So we ended up staying in our room the 1st 2 days at Pousada Riacho dos cambucás.

View of the mountain from our room.

View of the pousada from our room

And us, flash packers... in our room. Ah what could we do without internet on a rainy day???

On the 3rd day, the weather was better; no shunshine but no rain. So we decided to take the ferry in the morning to go to Lopes Mendes, a beautiful beach to surf and to swim.

So my friend Tom decided to rent a long surfing board and he was struggling because the waves were too strong. He asked me to take pictures of him surfing but i am afraid that i've lost him somewhere...

OK there he was back on the board again... Let's go Tom! You can do it. I believe in you! ;-)

oh no! he felt of the board again...

Frustration - Paraty.

So we left Ilha Grande for Paraty, an old historic town south of Ilha Grande. This portugese colonial town has become a popular touristic spot in the recent years with its known cobblestoned-paved streets of the Historic District. In this part of town, no cars or trucks are allowed, only foot traffic and bicycles. But again, the rain has followed us.

But the rain has forced us to stay in (pousada Aquarela) where we met our cool neighbors: Ava (Sydney), Jessy (New York), Maris and Sally (a couple from Sydney).  The following link shows you how we entertained ourselves with the owner, Emerson. Thanks to him, we had a great time despite the weather.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZH1fKoddpE&feature=player_embedded#

But we didn't let the rain stop us from visiting the town. So with umbrellas and rain coat, we took a walk.

Tom was brave to bring his camera and took pictures of us. Thank you Tom otherwise I would never have these memorable *wet* moments!

On the next day, the weather seemed better so Maris, Sally, Tom and I we decided to take a trip to Trindade. Another place with beautiful wild beaches.

The scenery is very beautiful and quite sur-real. But it was empty, we had the place almost to ourselves. hmmm...I wonder why???

 And off course, after the afternoon of trekking and swimming, before heading home, we stopped for snack.

And there was I, happy again with my brazilian delight! :-D

Gratitude - Sao Paulo.

Sao Paulo is a big city. I mean B.I.G city with more than 19 millions *paulistanos*, a nickname for people who live there. Like many people, i've heard horror stories about that city therefore i had a bit of apprehension before getting there. But i had to go because it is a good hub city for flying to other cities in South America (in case the weather is not good in Brazil, and it was not good!). But i am not going to talk about the city. Instead, I will talk about the people that have changed my perception.

 

We came to Sao Paulo by bus from Paraty, a 6 hours bus ride was quite comfortable for me although my friend Tom had some motion-sickness from the bumpy road (Tom, just admit that i am tougher than you!). We stayed with Andressa, our Couch Surfing host. She is an young english teacher in a private school for adults. She, her mom and her aunt have opened their home to many couch surfers from all over the world regardless their age, their culture, their gender, their sexual orientation, etc.

Andressa's mother, Andressa and Rosita her aunt

Andressa's mother is an intelligent & independent and carrier-oriented woman. In her early twenties, she got married and gave birth to a beautiful girl named Andressa. Being a young mom at that time, she was determined to become a sucessful woman inspite of her husband disapproval. So one day, she just left him and went back to live with her mother with the little girl in her arms. Since, she has completed not one but three university degrees in bio-chemistry, administration and law! Now, she is a sucessful woman, with Rosita, her sister, she runs her own business in law consulting. Wow! That's determination! And i really admire her courage and her humility. Once, over diner she told me that she must be crazy to do all that. But, au contraire, i think she is smart and i would love to be crazy like her! lol

Rosita, Andressa's aunt is also a lawyer. She is a hard working person. Sometime she has to wake up at 5 am to go to a different city for her work and come back late. I never heard her complaining about anything.  She is such a sweet aunt to us. She always makes sure that we are not hungry, that we are not cold in our room, and that i was OK with my cough.

About Andressa, on top of being a talented student in photography and an english teacher, she is such a sweet heart. She let us called her collect when we arrived in Sao Paulo. She picked us up at the nearest subway station with her car. She introduced us to her wonderful friends. She showed us where to have good food. She took us out to bars and to the clubs that we wanted to go. She drove around town to show us her city. She even went to a cimetery with me even it freaked her out... And on the day i left, she drove me to the bus station.

So if someone asks me about Sao Paulo, I will say that the paulistinos are wonderful. Not only in Sao Paulo but over all, brazilians are very friendly and honest and generous. They really enjoy life and know how to party with class. I really like their joie-de-vivre. We, Montrealers, we should learn that more from them!

I am singin' in the rain... just singin' in the rain,

Dancin' and singin' in the rain... in Brazil!