“Look, coconuts are super cheap here!” one of my new Brazilian friends noticed when we arrived at Praia do Gunga, 50 kilometres south of Maceió.
She waved to the coconut seller who came over with his large cooler, then she promptly grabbed her phone to transfer him three reais (US$0.60) through Pix, Brazil’s online payment system.
I chuckled. I still find it funny that absolutely everyone accepts Pix, from churros sellers to airlines. I wonder if you can make your down payment on a house with Pix… Mind you, in Florianópolis, Feng used a fancy American Express credit card to pay for a load of laundry because the laundromat didn’t accept cash and guess what, we don’t use Pix.
The coconut was cut open, a straw was inserted in the hole and it was passed around like a spliff.
The Brazilian couple nodded approvingly. “Bem gelada!”
Yes, coconuts are cheap at Praia do Gunga. I mean, take a look around…. There’s a coconut tree plantation just by the beach. It’s impressive, I had never seen that many coconut trees before.
One of the reasons why I wanted to go back to Maceió was because I would finally have the chance to explore the coast. In 2020, I focused on the city and downtown beaches. And last year, day trips weren’t an option, pandemic and all.
So I signed up for one of these “the van will pick you up at way-too-early-o’clock” day trips for 30 reais—a really good deal—to discover the beach everybody is talking about in Maceió, Praia do Gunga.
It is an amazing beach.
There’s a huge parking lot with restaurants, bars, eateries, tables, beach chairs and a million activities from zip lining to beach buggy rides. It’s packed and lively in a good kind of way. But then if you just keep on walking on the beach for like ten minutes, you’ll be alone, really alone, and it feels wonderful as well. I like beaches with some infrastructure and the option to find peace and quiet easily.
And so I spent six hours on this amazing beach with coconut trees, a book and my camera. Totally worth the trip and the 7 a.m. pickup time.
