Remember the Paris mind-bending scene in the movie Inception?
I thought the town of Itapema and the city Balneário Camboriú, right next door, were going to fold in on us.
After a day in Pôrto Belo, we quickly realized there wasn’t much to do and explore—the most lively spots were the giant 24/7 Fort Atacadista supermarket and the constantly jammed stretch of BR-101 highway crossing the town.
So we went to Itapema, a forty-minute walk—… and possibly a forty-minute drive—from Pôrto Belo. We spent the first cloudy day walking on Praia do Centro and Praia do Canto. I didn’t feel like swimming, the water didn’t look very clean after a night of rain.
This didn’t matter. The highlight of the town wasn’t the beach but the crazy cityscape—so many tall buildings for such a small town!
Apparently, Itapema is booming. The entire city seems to revolve around real estate and construction. There are real estate agencies and promoters every two metres on the main street, all selling fancy condo apartments with a “partial sea view” (no shit, considering the number of towers emerging from the ground!)
“What do you want to do today, honey?”
“Not much, maybe just go to the beach and buy a condo afterward…”
Trust me, it’s quite funny to see real estate agents discussing “opportunities” with potential buyers in their swimsuits, eating ice cream.
The thing is, there isn’t much yet in Itapema except real estate professionals and furniture stores. The town isn’t that developed so you’ll find old-style malls and supermarkets next to “Château something residence.” It’s a weird mix.
We spent the following day in Balneário Camboriú where the cityscape feels like Hong Kong. This tourism hotspot is considered the “cheap” version of Rio de Janeiro—basically, you can enjoy some coconut water on “Avenida Atlântica” and see a 33-meter-high statue of Jesus Christ for much less than a holiday in Rio.
We actually drove to the top of the hill where the statue stands but it was too early to get it—Jesus was hungover, much like the rest of the city, it comes to life at 4 p.m.
Then later in the day, we realized the entrance fee was 60 reais and I’m not paying $20 to see a lit Jesus at night so we skipped it.
Next up, beach life in a remote corner of Bombinhas!
[…] villa but a roof over our head with basic amenities because Bombinhas is the exact opposite of Balneário Camboriú—we’re not even staying in Bombinhas but in Canto Grande, it’s the end of the road, no giant […]