Floripa

My week in Floripa is coming to a close. This means I must leave the beach, say goodbye to my husband, Jake, and go back to work. Life here has been interesting, though.

Carnaval was not what I was expecting. The big parades of samba schools and floats existed, but the stands weren’t full. Instead, everyone seemed to be a few streets over at the concert, drag show, or whatever else might be happening on the stage. Yet, one night, on the way downtown from the beach, there were so many people on the bus we were like a can of sardines. At some point, our group decided to sing random songs. By the end, we were singing “Barbie Girl” and a large group of Brasilians were singing with us. It is crazy how international music can be.

Tuesday night of Carnaval waiting for the parades!

Although our hotel was close to the center, I began to feel isolated and, instead, we headed towards the beach for the last few days. We ended up staying in Barra do Lagoa, which was a 5 minute walk from the beach. We traveled to Praia Joaquina and Praia Mole over the last few days, as well.

Jake in Floripa

One of the best experiences out of this trip was learning to surf. Jake and I had a great instructor who was very patient and helpful! We learned close to shore so that we could catch a handful of waves to practice repetition. A few times I did so well I had to fall off of my board so I didn’t hit the shore.

After our Surfing lesson with Floripa Surf Club at Praia Mole.
We had an amazing instructor and great waves! 

Paddle boarding in Lagoa, Floripa.
People kept falling, but Jake and I stayed on our boards the whole time!

However, one of the strangest experiences was ordering white rice at a Japanese restaurant. For some reason, I was craving sticky white rice. It took at least 10 minutes for the staff to understand that I only wanted white rice. The first guy might have laughed at me when I ordered it.