Top of the Flops

---

It seems that buses have now become the pain in our travelling experiences! On checking out of the hostel in Puerto Iguazu we go into town to book our coach trip for that evening, but are told we should just buy it at teh Brazilian bus station as there are more bus companies there! So we do just that. Over the border once more, passports stamped and to the bus station. Only when we get there, there are still only 2 bus companies that go where we want to go and all the buses that go direct to Florianopolis - where we want to go - are full!! We have a mild panic, unsure of what to do, which is made worse by the fact that here they speak Portuguese not Spanish! Though my Spanish was not the greatest it was a whole lot better than my Portuguese!!! We find some other travellers who are in the same predicament and it turns out we can get there by getting two buses, but after telling us that the buses become full!! Disaster!!! Then the ticket man tells us we can get there via three buses, the other guys who we meet quickly book their tickets so we go to book too so we can travel with them and yes you guessed it no more seats!!! Those gits nicked our seats! So then we really do start to wonder what our options are - its then that the ticket man finally brings out someone who speaks English - of course that makes sense!!! We then manage to book three coach tickets to get us in Florianopolis tomorrow afternoon - what a nightmare!!! But the bus nightmare doesn´t end there!!! We get on the bus and about 5 minutes into the journey we stop at some sort of checkpoint and two policemen, with rather large guns board the bus and begin to check in everyones seat! Of course whose bag does the policeman want to check - mine of course, my face is really that dodgy!!! After discovering that i´m only carrying some dodgy Argentinain tea, we´re finally on our way, problem free!!!

We arrive at our hostel and go for a little wonder round the town in search of somewhere to eat, which proves unsuccessful so we end up at the Pizza Palace next door to our hostel - and its rubbish!!! Its winter here in Florianopolis so everywhere is quite quiet and our hostel only has a handful of people, but despite being winter its still hot, hot , hot - pushing on for 30 degrees! This place is a holiday resort for the well to do in Brazil - so we're in good company!!
On our first day here we head in search of the market. So we make our way to the bus station, manage to find the bus stop and wait for the bus. Buses here are really random, you board the bus and walk past the driver to the ticketmaster, who you pay then he presses a button and you have to go through a turnstile to get to the seats - all very bizarre! Eventually wind up in Lagoa de Conceirge and start looking for the market. Now this place isn't that big, but there is truly no sign of a market anywhere!!! So we start to think that maybe we should have got off the bus later, so we get back on a b us and that ends up going back to where we started so we quickly jump off! We have another hunt and around and find an information shop - handy you might think - no!! They don't understand English or Spanish and end up giving us about 50 maps of Florianopolis and try to sell us some tours, so of course we thank them and go on our way!!! Eventually we just give up and decide that today just isn't market day and head back to the hostel!
The next few days we spend relaxing on the beach - our favourtie being the holy moley beach!!! Its just a beach called Mole and we sit and watch the surfers - and i can confirm that Brazilians are beautiful!!
Back at the hostel we get roped into a night out on the tiles, of course we accept the invite - the guy who invited us was after all Columbian - you can't say no to a guy from Columbia!! Half a bottle of vodka later and we're all samba-ing with the locals. The night ends on a high, when i meet some local boys and we sing a magnificent rendition of a Backstreet Boys song, it truly brings a tear to the eye!!!
Saturday is out last day here, as we have a bus booked for Rio for saturday night, so in the day we go with our new Columbian friend to the beach and he takes us to a local bar, where we have a slap up meal of some lovely local fish, caught that morning. Thats when the cachaca caprinis come out! Cachaca is the local drink out here and is quite lethal! So we're sitting on this rppf terrace, with a little band playing, looking out over the sea with the sun shining down on us, drinking our caprini's and then more friends we know turn up and it turns into something of a party. How can we possibly leave this scene - so we don't!!! We hurry back to the hostel, get our bags and arrive at the bus station 20 minutes before our bus is about to leave and the Columbian guy who speaks Portuguese feeds the ticket guy a story about how ill Michelle is and can we swap our bus ticket for tomorrow night. He falls for it hook line and sinker! So then we go back to the hostel, get ready and go and meet up with everyone else and have ourselves a last night party in Florianopolis - it was a good job i made friends with the barman who kept me supplied with extra special caprini's!!
Lets just say the bus journey to Rio the next day was interesting!!!!
Rio here we come!!!

---

Comments

[Mum no 1]

Oh Dear
Oh Dear Beth you will definitely be suffering from alcohol depravation when you get home. You do realise that since you went Dad and I have become tea total. You won't have trouble with the No 9 now will you?Good Luck in Rio and see you in 6 days time. XX

[The great wise one]

On the buses
Sounds like a bus mans holiday---Cliff Richard film---Summer Holidays have a good time

[The Sage]

comments
Yes I guess words fail to express what I am thinking, reading comments from Mum no 1 , only 6 days left, so I guess fewer blogs, anyway point of clarification how many mothers do you have ? Or is this something you would not want to let the world know about---understand---some things best left unsaid. Now down to biz--it appears from this part of your adventure that transportation arrangements is not one of your strong points---be interesting how you catch the plane back--hope all goes well in Rio

[mother number 2]

party time again!
Certainly sounded like a good party with more than the usual beverages it seems. Just been to our local Sainsburys where what did I see for sale - well bottles of caprini no less - in fact its flying off the shelves at a rate of knots - seems the word has spread from the other side of the world of its potency!!!! Just bring us back a little of the winter from there to supplement our pathetic summer - floods, chilly and lack of sunshine is what we have at present. We are on the countdown to the weekend and your return and looking forward to seeing you. Enjoy the last few days knowing what wonderful times you have had. Take care and don't miss the plane!! P.S. Does The Sage not understand the advantages of two mothers?

[Trailblazer]

On the go
Keep at it, but it doesn't get much easier the longer and further you travel. I guess you just get used to the continual problems and conditions, you know what they say---there is no place like home-( I think)