Paradise Blues

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It appears that I will not last long in Florianopolis or more accurately Ilha de Santa Catarina. I was planning on staying for 10 days, but find myself leaving after only 4 days. This place is beautiful, at least since the sun came out yesterday, but for some reason I haven't really been feeling it. Maybe I chose the wrong neighborhood. I chose Barra da Lagoa because it was close to the beach and the hostel that I chose sits high on a hill with amazing ocean views. But all semblance of life, shops, and entertainment are in a neighborhood called Lagoa. My first night a hostel friend and I took the bus to check it out. However, we had to wait like 20 minutes for the bus to take us there, and almost an hour for the bus back. That kind of put a damper on the night. The Sunday nightlife wasn't that good anyway, unlike the big cities of Rio de Janiero and Salvador where every night was a good night.

While I am complaining about things let me also add that I seem to have picked up a parasite or some weird food poisoning since I arrived here. Damn islands! Anyway, I have decided to head back to Rio. Nearer city life, nearer my friend's weekend barbeques, and nearer more international hospitals for whenever this parasite decides to pop out of my stomach and say hello.

On the plus side it has been nice to see a Brazilian town for the first time. It is a much slower pace. The sea breezes are constant and help me get some very sound sleeps. After Salvador this place seems far safer than I imagined Brazil could feel. The beach is beautiful and long, back dropped by the green hills of a protected national forest. The dunes make a great sofa and a wonderful place to lay your head and look out at the ocean and the beauty of nature. However, I've had my fill and am moving out.

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