Brazil, Part 2
Plans to write more about Brazil soon after I got back from vacation fell apart. A case of blogger’s block, perhaps, other excuses such as work and painting and too many late nights.
The truth about Brazil is that I captured most of the food highlights in my first rushed entry. We trekked once again to Pariso Tropicale, for another amazing meal involving fish and seafood mocqueca and a spectacularly grilled octopus and fish, surrounded by a dozen different grilled fruits. We hired a cook for New Years Eve, who made us delicious fejoada, black bean and pork stew. We ate well on the island of Fernando de Noronha, but the meals were simply good, and nothing really stood out from a food perspective.
Really, it’s the people and adventures along the way that I’ll remember about the rest of my Brazil vacation.
On our last day in Salvador, while climbing into a cab to head to Pariso, I stumbled and sprained my foot. Later, John taught me that the “C” in RICE stands for “compression” and kindly, and gently, wrapped my foot. Spending the next day traveling (from Salvador to Fernando, two one hour plane flights with eight hours of wait time in between) with a sprained foot was, well, unpleasant. I tried my best to keep up with everyone, but it was hard. I’d limp behind the group, falling further and further behind. Eventually, one of the guys would turn around, see me bravely trying to keep up, heads would confer, and then one would peel back and walk with me. I have to admit, the extra special attention was nice, especially the offers of luggage carrying help. And, thanks to some miraculous pills from Kirby, the Recife airport, already modern and clean and lovely, was extremely pleasant.
I really liked Fernando de Noronha; my favorite moments involved the ocean. We saw giant pods of dolphins, swimming and frolicking in the water. I admired the giant rock, visible from almost all parts of the island, as its appearance changed, depending on position and light. In one instance, it was a giant mermaid, praying. Another, it resembled King Kong, gazing into the distance. And another moment, a giant pile of rocks. I snorkeled around a reef, at first finding nothing, then seeing bright colors emerge. Snorkeling was even better another day, when we swam with the sea turtles; while we battled the choppy currents, the turtles paddled around, adjusting their swim to the currents, periodically popping their heads above water for air, and perhaps to see the sights. Or the rock. And then there was the beach and pool time; beautiful beaches that stretched on forever and ever, with very few people (completely the opposite from the social experience of the Salvador beach crowds).
I’ve never rented a bike while on vacation, and after Fernando, may never again. The bike rental market is limited and it appears that no one on the island has the skills necessary to tune up bikes. We ended up renting three somewhat questionable bikes and after John insisted that we had been promised a fourth bike, one that had recently been ready for landfill. Despite the fact that the brakes on our bikes didn’t quite work, and the gears didn’t stick and everything else was held together with bubble gum (the word “janky” applied), we didn’t kill ourselves and had fun and lots of laughs (laughing while trying to bike up a steep hill is well, hard). Our biking goal was to get some exercise and find a beach. We didn’t find the exact beach we were looking for, but found one that was amazing and beautiful.
Really, that’s all that counts in the end.