Days 73-79 – Internet-less in Buzios

Buzios is a nicely developed quaint little colonial beach town, 3-4 hours from Rio. The nature here is very different from Ilha Grande, and the scenery is not Chinese anymore by any means. Buzios is, in fact, one of the driest places in the country, with official record of 50 rainy days a year. However, this time even Buzios was affected by the last week’s monsoon, although it wasn’t raining as severely here as it was in Rio or Ilha Grande, but there was a consistent couple of hours of downpour every morning and every night, as we learnt from people here.

The scene is quite different as well. The Brazilian Hamptons was first “discovered” by Brigitte Bardot in the 1960’s and doesn’t really have the room for many backpackers now, so Melanie and I do the “high life” leg of our trip here.

Buzios is universally regarded by both Brazilians and tourists a paradise. And rightfully so. The views here are absolutely unearthly, and the colors are so bright that sometimes I am afraid that the shrieking blue of the sky can hurt my eyes. The vegetation is beautiful – very lush for a dry place (I guess tropical rains are very effective), but with a lot of gorgeously shaped cacti.

Melanie and I arrived in Buzios with Renata’s parents on April 12th after Dima and Tanya left for NYC. The trip took us five whole hours because of some terrible traffic, but so what. I don’t mind road trips, especially when the landscapes outside the car are gorgeous and the conversation inside the car is engaging. Renata’s parents are amazing. They are both very interesting people, and it is a great pleasure talking to them. Elisio and Isabel spent one night with us in Buzios, then showed us all the interest points around the place, helped us get started on the beaches, and left back to Rio.

Melanie left on Friday morning, and I continued my stay till Monday afternoon. It is the most spectacular spot for me in Brazil so far. For example, this is the view from my bedroom. Do I really need to say more…

Highlights of our stay in Buzios are:

DECENT PROPOSAL. Mel and I were having a drink at some nice bar outside, when I overheard that two guys were discussing Melanie… in Russian! So far, these are the first Russians I encounter in Brazil. Turned out that they are both from St. Petersburg, but one guy has lived in this country for the past 8 years, and his friend was visiting. Their English was not spectacular, but after a short introduction the Brazilian Russian somehow managed to convey his message to Melanie anyway:

- [The guy – to Melanie] Oh, you are American. Hmmm, do you have an American passport then? Interesting. Will you marry me?
- [Melanie] I don’t know, why would I marry you?- Well, I can cook and Russians make good love.- Both definitely valid points for consideration, but she (Melanie points at me) also has an American passport.
- [The guy is clearly not interested in me, and immediately responds] But she doesn’t have a job!Fair enoughJ. Declining the intriguing marriage proposal, Melanie and I wandered off into the night.

THE FIRST DRY BOAT RIDE! Finally, it did not rain on the boat ride for a change. We couldn’t believe our luck. Melanie even swam on every stop. I swam only on one – really, the fish is not that interesting here, and the water is not clear at all. But I got a chance to practice my Spanish, because the guys who worked on the boat spoke it. One of the guys – from Uruguay – was way too funny. His English was nowhere near understandable, and it took me a while to get that when he says “It’s false, it’s false!!!” with a lot of emphasis, it actually means “I am joking”. Another linguistic funny was from the girl who we booked this trip with. When I said “Thank you” to her, she actually responded, “Nothing” (I guess, de nada).

THREE AMERICANS FROM CALI. On the boat we met 3 Americans – two guys and a girl. Super nice people, so we proceeded to hang out with them for the next two days of Melanie’s and their stay in Buzios. Went to the beach together, had dinners together. I have to say, I have been very fortunate to meet only super nice people on my travels. Lucky me! And – knock on wood… Or maybe knocking on wood is not necessary and all travelers are just nice by definition.

THE REAL SIZE OF THE WORLD. Brazilian people are super friendly and hospitable. And I have also noticed that they really like their country and never miss an opportunity to proudly show it off (which I absolutely love). Melanie and I first met Priscila, our Buzios condominium neighbor, on our way to town. We were walking down the road, and she simply stopped the car and inquired if we needed a ride. Mind you, we didn't really display any signs of dying of heat on the road or anything. It was just such a nice gesture on her part. Then she gave us a couple more rides here and there, whenever our going out times coincided. But I got a chance to really hang out with her after Mel left. Again, I was walking to town, when she stopped her car and said the following in her charming English, "You are going to see the most beautiful sunset now with us." It could have been meant as a question, but it certainly sounded more like an order, so I obeyed. She was with her friend who lives in Switzerland (but who is originally from Patagonia!), so yet again I had an opportunity to practice my Spanish. And I was worried that I would lose all my limited knowledge while in Brazil! We spent that night over dinner and drinks together, laughing, exchanging stories, the usual. Her brother works in one of the lounges on the sea that we visited, and for some reason he gave us Havaianas as a gift, just because we were "guests". Priscila is originally from Buzios, but used to live in Switzerland for several years, and then moved to NYC for three months. And in NYC she lived on... 34th and 3rd - MY corner! Can the world be any smaller, really?



After Melanie left on Friday morning, I was supposed to go diving, but… aha, the downpour! It lasted only a couple of hours, but I could not even imagine having yet another rainy boat ride, so I cancelled my dive trip. Oh well, I guess I will never know how cold the Brazilian waters really are.

The next few days I literally stayed at home, eating buckwheat that Tanya brought for me from NYC, and venturing out only a couple of times for some delicious dinners in town. The hammock on the deck is too comfy, and the views from it are too spectacular to want to move anywhere. Those several days were definitely not very lazy though, as I finally finished reading the stupid “Committed” by Elizabeth Gilbert and caught up with all my blog stories, so now I am ready to post them all in bulk when I finally get my hands on the real internet connection in Rio on Monday.