Look out don't let the bus run over you

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We got up around 7:30 to pack for the day and head down for breakfast early. Today we are heading for a hike. Well Shelly will hike while I sit at the restaurant waiting for them. My knee just could not take this hike (very step and unsteady). Our guide meets us and we walk to the bus station where we board a local bus to head to Paraty Mirim. Once we get there we take a boat (30 minutes) to the base of the mountain. Shelly and the rest of the group head off for the mountain, I sit at well, not sure I would call it a restaurant but it has tables and benches and a couple chairs. Luckily, I got one of the chairs. I read and worked on writing the blog entries (no internet at all here) but I can write.

The scenery is great. This part of Brazil is called the Verde Coast (green coast) and I can see why. All the hills are green and lush with vegetation and the water has an emerald green tint. On the way in the boat we saw the house where they filmed part of the Twilight series.

While I was reading and waiting for everyone to get back, I watched a dog that was fishing. He was jumping around in the water and staring then jumping around and digging in the sand. I never saw him catch anything but he did this for at least an hour. It looked like he was having the time of his life.

A little over 2 hours after they departed Shelly returned. She looked over heated bad. She said it was a tough hike, probably as bad as the sand dune in Namibia. She had run out of water on the way up. But she did summit Mamangua Sugarloaf Peak in Paraty Mirim. Lots of water and sitting revived her to her normal self. We all had lunch at the restaurant, fish, rice and beans all for 25 R$ (reals) we had enough for that and the beer plus a bit more. Shelly ordered a shrimp as she was starved and it was great. Too bad she forgot to ask the price. She thought it would be about 20R$ but no, it was 60. We didn’t have enough and had to borrow the rest from the guide. After lunch it rained so we just watched the rain until the boat returned. Once back on land we had to wait for the bus. Of course it was late. Then there were a ton of people. When the bus finally arrived we all queued to get on, then the bus started backing up. We all jumped out of the way. Then we ran to queue again. I really wanted a seat for my knee. But no, the bus moved again. I was back more but Shelly was closer and whoa, watch those feet, don’t let them get run over (Shelly's feet almost got taken out). Safety is just not the same here in Brazil. Finally the bus stopped but now we were near the back of the line. We pushed to get a bit closer which was good because I did get one of the last seats. The road is a really, really bumpy dirt road and I knew I couldn’t stand for it for 40 minutes. Back in town we headed to the bank. Again no luck but this time it was patience. They had only 1 machine out of 3 working, the line was long and the people in front of us were horribly slow so we went back to the internet café and exchanged a bit more money and checked email.

We came back for a quick nap and then out for New Years Eve. We had made reservations at the Thai restaurant and headed there a little before 9. Our meal was wonderful and we had a nice bottle of champagne but when it came time for us to pay the bill, the owner could not get cell service for the credit card machine. He tried forever but no luck and we had no cash (well definitely not enough for our dinner). He asked us to come back tomorrow and pay. Wow they trust you here. We then headed to the beach for the huge party and bandstand and fireworks at midnight. The band was good; they played a lot of American 70s music and then Brazilian music. The crowd was lively. After midnight we drank a beer and were just hanging out listening to the music. I decided to head back to the hotel around 12:30. I got there and the outside door was closed. Oh no, I have the key, I can get in but what of Shelly. Should I leave her to her own mischief??? No, I decided I had to be good. So I waited. After a half an hour, I went in to get my kindle and a bottle of water and saw the owner. He was getting ready to lock up for the night. He kind of bug eyed when I said I would have to wait since the outside door was going to really be locked up tight at 1:00. So up to the room and back down, but as soon as I got to the front, there came Shelly. If the door had not been closed when I first came back, I probably wouldn’t have thought to stay and if Shelly had gotten locked out with only 4 rooms, I’m not sure… She said she would have just partied (and yes there was a party outside our window until at least 4) so I bet she would have.

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Photos

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Shelly at the summit

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Claire reading her Kindle

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dinner at the Thai restaurant (New Year's Eve)

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The Band Stand - New Year's Eve

Comments

[Patty]

New Year's Eve
That sounded like fun - except for the wait at the end. Take care of your knee! You wouldn't want to try and find a medical facility if it gets worse!!