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Published: March 24th 2006
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Learning scuba in Buzios
What are you, retarded Rick? Put the hose in your mouth and breath! Buzios (Feb 20-27) and Buenos Aires (Feb 27-March 6)
Buzios... muy tranquilo- as the locals would say.
I was last seen at a Rolling Stones concert in Rio celebrating my 19th birthday preparing to head south to El Calafate. It was such a good time I missed my flight the next morning to Buenos Aires and down to Patagonia where some friends I was supposed to meet were heading to tackle the cold southern mountains of the world. I couldn't make it down so I had to figure out what to do; that Sunday was one of those hungover days trying work things out while feeling like dirt for messing things up in the first place- but things always seem to work out. I needed a break from the hectic pace of Rio and a destination not too far... I had heard about Buzios- 2 hours by bus, filled with beautiful beaches and country pousadas. The bus ride through the countryside of Brazil allowed me to see villages and how the people in the country live- neat little towns littered with favelas and the poor conditions found throughout Brazil. It really gives you a sense of the great disparity
Dolphins in Buzios
During my last day of diving, we were blessed by a pack of dolphins swimming near the boat for a bit... found throughout most of the third world countries- the ritzy beach-front properties of Ipanema on one hand and the poor villages on the other.
I quickly settled in and found the center of Buzios and the favorite watering hole, Chez Nouz, which was also showing the U2 concert broadcast from San Paolo- so the place was fun and it was a preview for their concert in Buenos Aires. My introduction to Buzios the next day by foot was ´tranquilo: 17 pristine beaches filled with pousadas- country houses with rooms for guests. I spent that morning negotiating a pousada in the center part of town; it is pretty funny going to each place and asking ´hablas ingles, hablas castellano?´ to get a language down first and try the intercambio of spanish responses to portugues questions. The brazilian pousada ranges from pristine resorts to simple country houses- I was able to find a nice room with a balcony all to myself for the week which was one third the cost of Rio; it was the perfect respite from Rio.
In Buzios, you can feel the sigh of relief people from Rio and San Paolo exhale as they arrive from the
Buzios beaches
Scenic shot from the heights overlooking 1 of 17 beaches... tranquilo. hectic pace of the city. Many consider it one of the top resorts of Brazil, with much of the beauty of other beaches and the establishment of a tourism industry more developed than its northern rivals- and a fraction of the crime. The beaches of Manguinos and Giraba were my favorite with places like Fishbone and Privilege as the marquee places within Buzios.
I also decided to get scuba certified in Buzios so went out for several days of diving as I look forward to trying it in different places around the world. The initial feeling underwater is a bit unnatural but the scenery is well worth the time spent on certification. Along with fish and plants of all shapes and colors, I followed turtles around down under and even saw a pack of dolphins swimming around our boat. It reminded me: no matter what man can make, the greatest show on earth truly is nature.
After a week in Buzios highlighted with the weekend rush before Carnaval, I took the bus back to Rio and the Carnaval chaos in Ipanema for 1 more night before flying back to Buenos Aires. And after most of the month in
I miss work
Chillin in front of Giraba beach at Buzios. Brazil, it was comforting to come back to Buenos Aires, which was starting to feel like a home- spanish spoken, I knew the city, could get an apartment again, save some money and gain some sense of health again. I made it a point to exercise every day, being addicted to their steak. The highlight of the week was seeing U2 play at River Platt stadium with some 80,000 fans. Amy, Agustin, Paul and I had a full day starting at the Marketplace early for a pre-party and transportation. While I am used to more of an open forum for concerts- tailgating and general hysteria, I was surprised at the orderly sense at this concert: no tailgating, not much craziness. And it was a great show as they played all their best hits. And 2 days later I did get to celebrate my 34th year in existence with Amy and friends at Mott after missing it with my plane on the 19th (am I really doing this trip at that old age???). BA will always be a welcome break in my travels.
Next it was on to Mendoza, Santiago and Vinha del Mar in Chile!
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Scuba
Castro, good work getting your scuba certificate - that's something you can do for the rest of your life. I'll go diving with you some time. Keep the blog entries coming!!!