So Paul left on a Sunday night for two weeks. In the middle of it all, me and the kids landed in Floripa, dragged my husband away from his learning and escaped out of the urbanity of the small regional center to a very very remote sanctuary south of the island: The Pousada Sitio dos Tucanos.
I mean we really escaped.
It was like landing in a jungle garden from paradise. An old German lady, Gerta, came there 30 years ago. Slowly she transformed this portion of a mountain into a lush garden of eden. One our third morning, Noam excitedly reported that hundreds of iris bloomed overnight. A few rooms and a couple of cottages, all simple but decorated with creativity and care, make us feel that we had all we needed. Scrumptious breakfasts of bread, muesli, jams, cakes and cookies, jams and fruits sauces, all homemades, fresh juices and fruits from the garden. Yummy! Dinners, even if simple, were delicious, and so pretty to eye. I really like the fresh salad decorated with edible flowers... The kids also were able to enjoy the company of one of Gerta's dog, Firula, who was the sweetest. Every time she would see Noam, she would turn herself on her back, waiting for a few caresses. A very good cure to the dog fear my two little ones had recently developed.
Do you see the nice parrot?
We also took time to explore the island. On our first day we drove north of Floripa in search of the perfect oyster spot. We ended up on the West coast, near a village called Sambaqui. Oysters were perfect. On our way back, we pasted some nice surf beaches on the East coast, where the kids played tirelessly in the foam of the waves.
On our second day, avoiding the more touristic and commercial north of the island, we went up our hill and pass to the other to the other side of the island. It was so rough we almost regretted not having rented a 4X4. There on the other side, we found a more authentic village, more secluded, and more typical, with the same divine mollusk. I think it is named Lapa, but I am unclear...
We returned via the long route around the lagoon Peri, and stopped in Reibeirao da Ilha to join the villagers cheering a girls football match. Later we tried to get some food in the village of Armaçao, a surfer hangout, but could only get some pastels, a pastry filled with various filling.
On the Monday, Paul took the car to get back to his school, in the city. The commute was a little "extreme" with a two hours of traffic, for only 45 km (or maybe less)...
On my side, I just spend the day at the beach a little village near the pousada, Pantano do Sul. There, I sat on a deck of the restaurant of an old lady with a captain hat. I spent three full hours watching the kids play with a little boy named Davide, running in and out of the water, building dams and ponds, rolling themselves in water, constructing and demolishing castles. The waves were small and the water shallow, the beach empty and the weather just perfect with some clouds. For the first time in five years, I found myself almost "forgotten". Nobody really needed anything from me. But as Murphy's law goes, I didn't carry that one book that I meant to read, as usually it is just added weight to my bag...
At the end of the day, we returned to the center of the village and waited for Gerta to pick us up in this eerie restaurant with walls covered by small notes left by patrons since 1968...
The kids landed in their bed and were gone in seconds that night.
The landscape on our way to the pousada. Isn't this beautiful?
On our last day, we went to the city and spent the morning in the market. The city is a nice escape from Brazilia. It has some street life, some sidewalks and a beach (even if bordered by a highway), so all of this is a plus. We pick up our flight later that day.
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