Brazil can be very rainy. I’ve learned to hide quickly during short torrential downpours because you’ll get very, very soaked—can’t win against water, but at least it stops at one point. I find it worse when it rains on and off for two days because it’s impossible to plan anything.
On Sunday, we drove to another nearby city but ended up taking shelter in a casa de pastel eating, well, pastéis (deep-fried squares of dough with a sweet or savoury filling) and drinking coffee because the rain wouldn’t stop and it was getting chilly. It seemed a bit better on Sunday. We went to Barra da Lagoa, one of Florianópolis’ popular district, and since it was briefly sunny we thought we could make it to Praia Mole across the hill. It was the perfect pick because a trail leads to a small nudist beach and I didn’t bring my (brand-new!) swimsuit. But it started pouring again just as we were reaching the top of the hill and it didn’t seem it was going to stop.
“Let me guess… blue sky and sunshine for our last day?”
Exactly that. Feng got to pick the last beach on Santa Catarina Island—no surprise, Praia do Matadeiro, his favourite.
Waves were huge and the word was apparently spreading because tons of surfers were hitting the water.
I grabbed the bodyboard. Time to get a revenge on (rain)water.
Watching waves, catching the perfect one with the perfect timing, feeling the push, the water rushing along your body and the power of the ocean, riding a fast-moving wall of water and doing it over and over again—this is pretty much how I spent the afternoon. Mark caught a few nice waves as well, then we walked on the beach and gave the bodyboard to another kid—a little girl, this time. This is our tradition, the way we say goodbye to Santa Catarina Island.
Next up, packing, flying… and the unknown.
