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Published: April 29th 2016
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When I was a kid growing up in Southern California I went to the beach a lot. Now that I'm older any time I am around the ocean it always brings me back to those days as a kid hanging around with friends in San Clemente on T-Street Beach surfing, chasing girls, and soaking up the sun. Here in Itacare I have been transported once again to those times and I've been up to the same old tricks of surfing, chasing girls, and soaking up the sun. I've enjoyed every moment. I was going to stay for 2-3 days, I've been here a week.
Getting to Itacare was a fun travel day. Up early from my pousada in Morro I walked to the main dock in town and tried to arrange for a ferry back to the mainland. Their were two options. The fast boat for R$18 or the slow public ferry for R$5. I opted for the latter and had an enjoyable ride across the bay back to the mainland. Once here I was transferred to a small bus for the final leg of the trip to the city of Valenca where I would get transport to Itacare. Of
course arriving in a strange city and trying to find the bus station is always a bit of a challenge but I managed and found the depot with 10 minutes to spare before the 5 hour trip to Itacare. The ride was nice as I had been walking for a while and I enjoyed the views out of the window whilst listening to some good tunes on the trusty iPod. After I arrived at my destination I had no idea where to go so I just set out walking and knocked on the door of
Bananas Hostel. The place is run by a young British couple, Peter and Debs, who wanted a slower pace of life away from London. When Peter answered the door holding a machete and a whip, I knew I had stumbled into the right place for me.
The hostel has a real family atmosphere and I've met some really cool people including Sam a British lawyer traveling Brazil for a few months and Dave who is an Australian who lives in Norway and cooks for a living. Dave decided to quit his job and surf Brazil for a while. He is the real deal surf bum.
When I first met Dave he was streaming snowboard videos (he lived in B.C. for a while) so we had a good conversation about where the best mountains are and the best snow. He also has a Bad Religion "Against the Grain" tattoo on his leg so we got along strait away.
Itacare is a total sleepy surfer haven. The vibe here is so laid back and everywhere you go the sounds of reggae greet you and the friendly Rastas are quick to give you the hang loose sign. The beaches are incredible with white powdery sands and tropical Atlantic Rainforests. Dave was nice enough to let me borrow one of his surfboards and my days here have been spent trying to regain my skills I had so very long ago. I've done alright, even managing to stand up a few times and getting a ride, but it is a lot tougher than I remember and a lot tougher than it looks. Good fun though.
These truly have been lazy days surfing, hanging around the beach and chillin in the local reggae beach bars at night. I have however managed to get a few activities in. I played
in the local soccer match which was fun. I opted to be the goal keeper even making some crucial stops in our 6-4 victory. I got more than a few nods from the better players in town. I also took a boat up the river into the forest and did a waterfall hike which was a nice little change.
Nighttime here at the hostel consists of everyone cooking together and I've had some great meals. One of the highlights was barracuda steaks grilled in banana leaf. Dave being a cook did a really good job and everyone was pleased at the result. After dinner the poker tournament begins until late in the evening. Unfortunately I haven't had any success in winning.
The good times and the great people I've met have really made my trip to Itacare a superb experience and I'll always take with me the fond memories. I could see myself staying here another week but I've begun to get a little restless. So when I feel this way it is time to move on which I plan to do tomorrow. I'll head south along the coast until I find another chill spot and hang there
for a few days.
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