I've already told you about Tuesday so I'm going to begin with:
Wednesday 24th July 2013:
First day here and without much of a plan: I'm so lost! Today I went to the Centro (the city centre) with another student for the afternoon. A friend of the landlady's dropped us in. She had the cutest little baby who repeated everything in the cutest little voice (e.g. when we went over a speed bump, the mum went "oooi!" and so the baby repeated it too. She introduced us to her bear "Ne-ne" and kept offering us her 'zapato' (shoe) as well. So adorable!
Anyhoo, we got into the Centro and we had a look around. We stopped in the Catedral Metropolitana (the Cathedral) - which was reallllllllly small - and then the other student waited for me while I had a look around the Museu Histórico (History Museum) opposite - again pretty small.
The museum detailed the history of the war in Floripa during the early 20th century and then upstairs they had recreated the way the building was back then. There were meeting rooms, the Head Military Officer's private office and other rooms. It was annoying that there wasn't much to it in terms of history etc, but the decor and the motifs were beautiful! You could really get a feel for how it was back then. What was funny though was that you had to wear cloth-things on your shoes to protect the floor, and my shoes didn't have that much grip, so it was like awkward ice-skating round the whole place. It was a total laugh and I wish I could've laughed about it with someone else, but never mind :) There were a couple of times when I thought I was going to hurt myself though ha!
We had a wander through the centro, looking in at a couple of shopping centres along the way, we walked along the sea front and then to the top of Beiromar Shopping Centre where you could see the continent and other parts of the Centro (including the favelas rising up the hills).
Today I bought a Brazilian SIM card: TIP!! Only go to a shop that has a TIM (or other phone company sign) outside the door; ask for a "chip" (said like "sheep") and then choose your number. You have to then go to a TIM (etc) store to activate your SIM - I only had to take my passport with me, but they may also want details of your Brazilian residence.
One of the girls staying with our landlady invited us out for drinks with her USAC Programme friends that night, and it was great to get to know people: the student way, chilling and taking advantage of the promotion drinks (2 for 1 Caiparinhas!). As the photo details, I think they put the sugar, lemon and ice in first and then piled on the Cachaca on top because at first, all you could taste was the Cachaca: very strong!
Wednesday 24th July 2013:
First day here and without much of a plan: I'm so lost! Today I went to the Centro (the city centre) with another student for the afternoon. A friend of the landlady's dropped us in. She had the cutest little baby who repeated everything in the cutest little voice (e.g. when we went over a speed bump, the mum went "oooi!" and so the baby repeated it too. She introduced us to her bear "Ne-ne" and kept offering us her 'zapato' (shoe) as well. So adorable!
Anyhoo, we got into the Centro and we had a look around. We stopped in the Catedral Metropolitana (the Cathedral) - which was reallllllllly small - and then the other student waited for me while I had a look around the Museu Histórico (History Museum) opposite - again pretty small.
The museum detailed the history of the war in Floripa during the early 20th century and then upstairs they had recreated the way the building was back then. There were meeting rooms, the Head Military Officer's private office and other rooms. It was annoying that there wasn't much to it in terms of history etc, but the decor and the motifs were beautiful! You could really get a feel for how it was back then. What was funny though was that you had to wear cloth-things on your shoes to protect the floor, and my shoes didn't have that much grip, so it was like awkward ice-skating round the whole place. It was a total laugh and I wish I could've laughed about it with someone else, but never mind :) There were a couple of times when I thought I was going to hurt myself though ha!
We had a wander through the centro, looking in at a couple of shopping centres along the way, we walked along the sea front and then to the top of Beiromar Shopping Centre where you could see the continent and other parts of the Centro (including the favelas rising up the hills).
Today I bought a Brazilian SIM card: TIP!! Only go to a shop that has a TIM (or other phone company sign) outside the door; ask for a "chip" (said like "sheep") and then choose your number. You have to then go to a TIM (etc) store to activate your SIM - I only had to take my passport with me, but they may also want details of your Brazilian residence.
One of the girls staying with our landlady invited us out for drinks with her USAC Programme friends that night, and it was great to get to know people: the student way, chilling and taking advantage of the promotion drinks (2 for 1 Caiparinhas!). As the photo details, I think they put the sugar, lemon and ice in first and then piled on the Cachaca on top because at first, all you could taste was the Cachaca: very strong!
Thursday 25th July 2013:
Today Zuzana and I met up for the first time in Floripa and we went to Iguatemi Shopping Centre (a ma-hoosive shopping centre nearby). We had a browse and then went for lunch. The view from the food court was stunning! You could see Manguezal do Itacobubi - like a wetland that looks out towards the ocean, mountains and some of Trindade.
Apparently the shopping centres are where everyone (and that is literally all ages) goes and hangs out in the winter, and then on the beach in the summer :)
Food shopping:
So far I've found that, ironically, the supermarkets in the huge shopping centres are actually cheaper and more worth your money than the corner shops. And in these bigger supermarkets, there is a lot more fruit and veg (some that I've never heard of) and also tables by the Deli counter where you can sit and eat freshly made meals too. It's cute. I now know where I'll be shopping!
Ooo! And they hang bananas instead of stacking them in crates like we do. Saves bruising I guess!?
Today Zuzana and I met up for the first time in Floripa and we went to Iguatemi Shopping Centre (a ma-hoosive shopping centre nearby). We had a browse and then went for lunch. The view from the food court was stunning! You could see Manguezal do Itacobubi - like a wetland that looks out towards the ocean, mountains and some of Trindade.
Apparently the shopping centres are where everyone (and that is literally all ages) goes and hangs out in the winter, and then on the beach in the summer :)
Food shopping:
So far I've found that, ironically, the supermarkets in the huge shopping centres are actually cheaper and more worth your money than the corner shops. And in these bigger supermarkets, there is a lot more fruit and veg (some that I've never heard of) and also tables by the Deli counter where you can sit and eat freshly made meals too. It's cute. I now know where I'll be shopping!
Ooo! And they hang bananas instead of stacking them in crates like we do. Saves bruising I guess!?
Friday 26th July 2013:
This afternoon I went to the "Continente" (the mainland) with one of the other students. Our landlady dropped us off at one of the beaches (Iguatacu Beach) and then we walked back along three beaches and got a couple of buses home.
There was an indigenous myth about Iguatacu beach (which I'll research and update on later).
You could see more of the mainland, Floripa and a smaller island from these beaches and it was such a beautiful sight! There were loads of rocks all shapes and sizes that rose out of the water and they didn't really look like they should be there in a way.
The bridges:
There are two bridges that link Floripa with the mainland but one is now closed for renovation. It kind of looks like a grey San Francisco bridge...
This evening I gatecrashed (kind of) the USAC get-together with a couple of other students. Their director had organised the evening like an early celebration of Festa Junina. He had dressed his daughters in the cutest little outfits - representative of country bumpkins or something. They had made hot dogs in tomato sauce and there was "Guaraná" (a kind of fruity fizzy drink) and they made "Quentao" which is a Brazilian variant of mulled wine with cachaca... Note: cachaca is not only strong to drink refrigerated/chilled, but is also a pain to drink too hot as well, so you really have to pick your moment when you drink this concoction xD
We then had a quick predrinks with homemade cachaca and then hit a bar/club in the Centro. The predrinks destination was at the top of *the* highest hill ever!! As in: the Great Wall of China (I have walked the Beijing section, this is a valid comparison) could not top the effort it took to walk up it! One of the guys decided to start a casual fight in the garden (it was an intentional harmless fight). Ooo! And I met my first 'Frat' boy as well. Lovely guy, nothing like the stereotype, but seems to have done some of the stereotypical things one might imagine them doing at parties etc.
Once at the club, you're given a ticket at the bar-club door and then you have to make sure you pay at the bar (18 reais/about a fiver) before leaving and get a stamp, otherwise they don't let you leave xD When ordering in the bar, you queue, order and pay at one end, then get your drinks at the other end. Today, I tried my first proper beer (Heineken) and actually liked it! I'm not sure if it was made better because it was bought for me (by one of the students, not some stranger in case you're asking questions) but yeah, finished the whole bottle. And that's another thing! The bottles and liquid quantities are a lot bigger here! That's alcohol, fizzy drinks and water. But I wouldn't say it's either because they can handle their alcohol better nor that they drink in moderation...
"Cool story" of the night though was that I got compared to Cyndi Lauper! Of all people!! I'm not sure if it was my hat or not? And talking of the hat, it was very popular, and kept getting switched around and tried on by others - I may have had some input in this too...
We left at about three AM - I had to be up early - but I'm sure it stayed open for a lot longer. Although by then I did start to get a bit bored because it was a small venue with limited dancing and socialising space.
For my first Brazilian night out, it was great fun!! But I hope that there will be some slightly more exciting places to go to in the future :)
This afternoon I went to the "Continente" (the mainland) with one of the other students. Our landlady dropped us off at one of the beaches (Iguatacu Beach) and then we walked back along three beaches and got a couple of buses home.
There was an indigenous myth about Iguatacu beach (which I'll research and update on later).
You could see more of the mainland, Floripa and a smaller island from these beaches and it was such a beautiful sight! There were loads of rocks all shapes and sizes that rose out of the water and they didn't really look like they should be there in a way.
The bridges:
There are two bridges that link Floripa with the mainland but one is now closed for renovation. It kind of looks like a grey San Francisco bridge...
This evening I gatecrashed (kind of) the USAC get-together with a couple of other students. Their director had organised the evening like an early celebration of Festa Junina. He had dressed his daughters in the cutest little outfits - representative of country bumpkins or something. They had made hot dogs in tomato sauce and there was "Guaraná" (a kind of fruity fizzy drink) and they made "Quentao" which is a Brazilian variant of mulled wine with cachaca... Note: cachaca is not only strong to drink refrigerated/chilled, but is also a pain to drink too hot as well, so you really have to pick your moment when you drink this concoction xD
We then had a quick predrinks with homemade cachaca and then hit a bar/club in the Centro. The predrinks destination was at the top of *the* highest hill ever!! As in: the Great Wall of China (I have walked the Beijing section, this is a valid comparison) could not top the effort it took to walk up it! One of the guys decided to start a casual fight in the garden (it was an intentional harmless fight). Ooo! And I met my first 'Frat' boy as well. Lovely guy, nothing like the stereotype, but seems to have done some of the stereotypical things one might imagine them doing at parties etc.
Once at the club, you're given a ticket at the bar-club door and then you have to make sure you pay at the bar (18 reais/about a fiver) before leaving and get a stamp, otherwise they don't let you leave xD When ordering in the bar, you queue, order and pay at one end, then get your drinks at the other end. Today, I tried my first proper beer (Heineken) and actually liked it! I'm not sure if it was made better because it was bought for me (by one of the students, not some stranger in case you're asking questions) but yeah, finished the whole bottle. And that's another thing! The bottles and liquid quantities are a lot bigger here! That's alcohol, fizzy drinks and water. But I wouldn't say it's either because they can handle their alcohol better nor that they drink in moderation...
"Cool story" of the night though was that I got compared to Cyndi Lauper! Of all people!! I'm not sure if it was my hat or not? And talking of the hat, it was very popular, and kept getting switched around and tried on by others - I may have had some input in this too...
We left at about three AM - I had to be up early - but I'm sure it stayed open for a lot longer. Although by then I did start to get a bit bored because it was a small venue with limited dancing and socialising space.
For my first Brazilian night out, it was great fun!! But I hope that there will be some slightly more exciting places to go to in the future :)
Saturday 27th July 2013:
With only four/five hours sleep (still kinda jet-lagged at this point) I met with Zuzana and Brunno (her UFSC buddy) at 9am for a day trip to Lagoa (eastern part of the island). You drive over a hill and the view you get of Lagoa and the beach is actually stunning!
We took a boat out on the lake to Cachoeira (a small waterfall in the hills). On this lake the boats are like cars and buses, you take a boat to and from certain points on the lake instead of a bus. They even have little hut shelters out on the water with timetables, just like bus stops. Except riding on these boats is nothing like buses because no one is on their phone or has their iPod/MP3 plugged in; everyone chills and takes in the view sight instead. As Zuzana pointed out, it's mellow and relaxed, lovely!
We walked to the Cachoeira waterfall and took some photos and took in the atmosphere. Then we walked back and had a quick snack in a restaurant that had a deck on the water - so naturally we of course sat right on the water's edge.
We ordered "Suco de Poupa", a fruit juice (made from pulp I think) mixed with ice and of course: sugar. I had a strawberry one ("Suco de Morango") and it was the best thing ever!!
It was great watching people drive by in their boats, like people in their cars: families, merchants; there was even the idiot with his music playing full blast who passed a couple of times. Made us all laugh though.
We then made the horrific decision to trek across the Joaquina Sand Dunes to get to the beach on the other side instead of taking the bus or walking along the road. It's supposedly quick to cross in summer, but in winter when it has rained a lot, mini lakes form. So there were many times when we had to double back on ourselves and take an even longer route because there was no way over or around these over-sized puddles. Being tired already I wasn't in the most talkative mood and the others knew it, which made me feel bad (sorry guys!!), but after about an hour and a half we finally made it to the south sand dunes, *the* destination for sand surfing. If I hadn't been in skinny jeans and sans cash, I would have hired a board there and then, but as it were we trekked it up the dunes (not easy to do), sat and watched others speeding down the dunes on boards similar to a snowboard and sledge style ones as well (for two people to sit on and slide down together). Of course it wouldn't have worked with the wind changing the sand formation all the time but it has to be said that the dunes needed a lift or something at the bottom... I really want to try sandsurfing, but the idea of trapsing up those hills for about 10 seconds of downhill thrill, doesn't entirely enthuse me. Even so, it will happen!
After admiring the view we then made our way (along the road this time) to Joaquina beach where we sat and share some food and a beer. It was my first Brazilian beer ('Antártica') and I actually loved it! Definitely something I'll be getting more of in the warmer weather. We had a really bizarre and surreal moment though when a dead penguin washed up on the shore!It was horrible to see but unbelievable at the same time. Strangely, people started taking pictures of themselves and their children smiling next to the animal. A memory for a travel blog, but not quite for the mantelpiece I would say...
On the bus ride home, I saw quite a few bars by the water that I will most definitely be visiting when the weather is warmer. It took a lot of effort for me to stay awake and alert. The view of the Centro as we came over the hill was again breathe-taking, especially as it was sunset.
What I should've done when I got home was go straight to bed, however, I told the landlady that I wanted to speak with her about the apartment, so I went upstairs and talked to her about moving to another apartment. Then they invited me to have wine (from South Africa) and "Churrasco". Now, I had been told a lot about "Churrasco" (a kind of BBQ-style meal) and so, as tired as I was, I really didn't want to pass up the opportunity to try it: so I stayed. They served us medium rare beaf with a lot of salt which you could dip into breadcrumbs. It's simply called "Carne e sal" which is basically "Meat and Salt". I preferred to eat the meat on its own, it was delicious!
I slept like a baby that night.... :3
With only four/five hours sleep (still kinda jet-lagged at this point) I met with Zuzana and Brunno (her UFSC buddy) at 9am for a day trip to Lagoa (eastern part of the island). You drive over a hill and the view you get of Lagoa and the beach is actually stunning!
We took a boat out on the lake to Cachoeira (a small waterfall in the hills). On this lake the boats are like cars and buses, you take a boat to and from certain points on the lake instead of a bus. They even have little hut shelters out on the water with timetables, just like bus stops. Except riding on these boats is nothing like buses because no one is on their phone or has their iPod/MP3 plugged in; everyone chills and takes in the view sight instead. As Zuzana pointed out, it's mellow and relaxed, lovely!
We walked to the Cachoeira waterfall and took some photos and took in the atmosphere. Then we walked back and had a quick snack in a restaurant that had a deck on the water - so naturally we of course sat right on the water's edge.
We ordered "Suco de Poupa", a fruit juice (made from pulp I think) mixed with ice and of course: sugar. I had a strawberry one ("Suco de Morango") and it was the best thing ever!!
It was great watching people drive by in their boats, like people in their cars: families, merchants; there was even the idiot with his music playing full blast who passed a couple of times. Made us all laugh though.
We then made the horrific decision to trek across the Joaquina Sand Dunes to get to the beach on the other side instead of taking the bus or walking along the road. It's supposedly quick to cross in summer, but in winter when it has rained a lot, mini lakes form. So there were many times when we had to double back on ourselves and take an even longer route because there was no way over or around these over-sized puddles. Being tired already I wasn't in the most talkative mood and the others knew it, which made me feel bad (sorry guys!!), but after about an hour and a half we finally made it to the south sand dunes, *the* destination for sand surfing. If I hadn't been in skinny jeans and sans cash, I would have hired a board there and then, but as it were we trekked it up the dunes (not easy to do), sat and watched others speeding down the dunes on boards similar to a snowboard and sledge style ones as well (for two people to sit on and slide down together). Of course it wouldn't have worked with the wind changing the sand formation all the time but it has to be said that the dunes needed a lift or something at the bottom... I really want to try sandsurfing, but the idea of trapsing up those hills for about 10 seconds of downhill thrill, doesn't entirely enthuse me. Even so, it will happen!
After admiring the view we then made our way (along the road this time) to Joaquina beach where we sat and share some food and a beer. It was my first Brazilian beer ('Antártica') and I actually loved it! Definitely something I'll be getting more of in the warmer weather. We had a really bizarre and surreal moment though when a dead penguin washed up on the shore!It was horrible to see but unbelievable at the same time. Strangely, people started taking pictures of themselves and their children smiling next to the animal. A memory for a travel blog, but not quite for the mantelpiece I would say...
On the bus ride home, I saw quite a few bars by the water that I will most definitely be visiting when the weather is warmer. It took a lot of effort for me to stay awake and alert. The view of the Centro as we came over the hill was again breathe-taking, especially as it was sunset.
What I should've done when I got home was go straight to bed, however, I told the landlady that I wanted to speak with her about the apartment, so I went upstairs and talked to her about moving to another apartment. Then they invited me to have wine (from South Africa) and "Churrasco". Now, I had been told a lot about "Churrasco" (a kind of BBQ-style meal) and so, as tired as I was, I really didn't want to pass up the opportunity to try it: so I stayed. They served us medium rare beaf with a lot of salt which you could dip into breadcrumbs. It's simply called "Carne e sal" which is basically "Meat and Salt". I preferred to eat the meat on its own, it was delicious!
I slept like a baby that night.... :3
Sunday 28th July 2013:
Today was sleep-til-midday-and-put-my-vlog-together day. Nothing of particular interest to report :)
Today was sleep-til-midday-and-put-my-vlog-together day. Nothing of particular interest to report :)