Florianopolis

Last Wednesday we flew down to the south of Brazil to Florianopolis in the state of Santa Catarina. This area of Brazil is known as the European Valley. For some reason there are a lot of European immigrants living in this area, most of them German. We didn't feel as out of place in this area of Brazil as we do here in Rio. The people have lighter skin and some even have blue and green eyes, something you never find here in Rio.

We stayed at a Pousada (Bed and Breakfast) on a farm. We had a fantastic time horseback riding, hiking, and fishing. There were several waterfalls on this farm, which were amazing.

While at the farm, we saw capybaras- the world's largest rodents. They were HUGE-about the size of a pig. I am terrified of mice so I'm not sure how I survived seeing these things-yuck. Our host told us these animals are really a pain and when he gets the chance, he shoots them.


Probably the most memorable thing we saw on the farm was a calf. We were out horseback riding while it was born, but when we came back it was about 30 minutes old. He was shaking and scared with his mama hovering over him. About two hours later we went to see the calf again and he was standing up and doing just fine. It was truly incredible.

The people who ran the pousada were great. They showed us around and really went out of their way to be sure we had a great time. We ate all of our meals there because it was pretty far from town. Dean asked if there was a place we could have a campfire-something Grace loves and something you can't really do in a city of 12 million people. Not only did we have a campfire, but they grilled that night, something Brazilians don't do often. Dean and I had chicken and Grace ate something else-thank goodness. Dean and I took a bite of the chicken and realized it wasn't done. Well, one bite was all it took. I went to bed with a stomach-ache and woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible case of food-poisoning. About an hour later, Dean was sharing my pain. We were miserable. We're just so thankful that Grace didn't get sick. Although we were up most of the night, we did not have the heart to tell our hosts what the problem was. After all, they went to a lot of trouble for us. We couldn't stomach eating breakfast, but decided to press on with the day's activities. By noon, I couldn't take it anymore. I admitted defeat. I went to bed and laid in the fetal position trying to sleep it off. Dean showed great stamina and acting skills. He managed to make it through the rest of the day. I don't know how he did it. I know now that my husband truly loves me. We had one Imodium AD left and he let me have it. We are doing better, but still haven't fully recovered. As I told Dean, this was one vacation we would not be gaining any weight on!

After we left the pousada, we stayed along the beach of Florianopolis. This area is very touristy in the summer. A lot of people go there to surf and do other "extreme water sports." The beaches are beautiful but unfortunately it was raining so we didn't get to enjoy them. This area is known for its seafood and while we didn't get to enjoy it as much as we would have been able to had we not been sick, we managed to eat some shrimp which were excellent.

One night while we were sleeping, we awoke to a loud noise and flash of light. Being a carioca (someone from Rio) my first thought was: get Grace and head for the bathroom to get away from the gunshots. Dean woke up thinking we were still at the pousada and that the farmer was shooting capybaras. What the noise really was: fireworks. Are we paranoid or what?

As with any trip, we were so happy to get home. Dean had to stay behind for the geography symposium. He has the camera but as soon as he gets home I'll post the pictues. It's too bad I didn't have the camera because on the way home from the airport I saw a police car driving down the road with an assault rifle sticking out the window-home sweet home Rio!