I took every medicine in my GI goody bag today. Not sure
what it was, but I knew this was inevitable. Maybe it was the eggs I bought at the market?? They don’t refrigerate
them here, but I fried the crap out of that egg to kill any potential bacteria.
Maybe it was the ocean water. At any rate, my belly didn’t feel very good at
all. But since my stints in Mexico I have learned to bring my own stuff for trying times such as this: Pepto, Imodium, and lactobacillus. Let the good times
roll! No pun intended J
Decided that maybe some fresh juice would hit the spot, so I
went back to that organic jugo bar with one of my friends from the hostel. It
was delicious – pineapple, spinach, and mint. As I was savoring the last sips
of my delicious smoothie, it started raining like crazy. A torrential downpour.
We decided to wait out the storm as there were no taxis anywhere. But it didn’t
show signs of ending anytime soon! So we finally ran most of the way back, with
all our valuables in a plastic produce bag. The rain was really heavy, kind of
like hail. We got hosed!!!! Played a lot of pool that afternoon.
I’m starting to get this South American timing thing down
now. It’s 10 pm and I thought it was only 7. The sun goes down really late,
around 9, so it tricks you. My body is a mess over it though. I’m definitely
not getting enough sleep. Hopefully I can catch up in Patagonia! Getting pumped
for that little side trip.
Punta del Este is definitely a ritzier, wealthier area. I’ve seen a
lot of nice fashion and nice cars. Even the taxis are white Mercedes
with tinted windows. I noticed that drivers tend to follow rules of the road a
little better here than in BA where people follow absolutely NO rules
whatsoever. In BA, they careen across lines without warning, drive down the middle of
2 lanes, and don’t stop for red lights if they think they can get away with it. At any rate, the town here is amazing. But as far as the food goes, everyone I’ve talked to
so far has complained about. Worst pizza ever, I heard. And horribly
expensive!! I’m saving my pesos for when I’m back in Argentina. My diet here in Punta
consists of a lot of tomato and cheese sandwiches. Stopped by the market and bought some fresh veggies to stir fry later! I’m trying to figure out how
pizza became such a staple. There are tons and tons of pizza joints. Also, everyone
here is obsessed with this “mate” tea. They have special cups for it that look
like metal sippy cups with a built-in straw. The top is a mesh basket filled
with the tea leaves, which are rich in caffeine. They carry these things around
everywhere – the beach, the grocery store, on their afternoon walks (even when
the sun is beating down) – sucking on their straws and refilling the mugs with
hot water from a thermos. It’s interesting to me that they don’t just make a
big batch of it at home and carry it around in a water bottle or something.
Seems a bit cumbersome. But they do look pretty cool. I really want to try it
but haven’t had the chance yet!
After the rain cleared, I walked to the beach to see if I
could surf. That probably wasn’t a good idea because of the heavy rain, but I wasn’t
even thinking about it at the time. I just wanted to get in the water and get
some exercise! The surf shack was closed, which probably saved me from getting
a bad case of giardia. A handful of brave kite surfers were breaking down their
gear. They all used wakeboard type boards with the foot straps, not actual
surfboards. Took a long walk on the beach and played a little “volleyball” with
a drunk local. The volleyball was actually a small foam waterlogged soccer ball
and the net came up 2 feet off the ground, but it was fun to run around and
laugh at the ridiculousness of it. I went for a swim and it felt like heaven - the water is surprisingly cool. Did I mention yet that all the ladies at the beach here wear
Brazilian bikini bottoms? It doesn’t matter the shape, size, age, or condition
of the bum... they are all proudly displayed. There was not a single girl
topless however. You’ve never seen so many beautiful people in one place in
your life – not even San Diego! But I hear Rio has just as much eye candy J
Back at the hostel they were cooking up a BBQ. It cost 500
pesos per person, which is about $20. I asked the girl at the front desk if
there would be any vegetarian items, and she said it would mostly be chicken
and beef, but “lots of ensaladas!!” Well, I love salad and I was curious how
the beef here compared to the steak I had in BA, so I forked over the 500
pesos. Dinner was served at 9:30 pm. There were cheese and salami platters,
bowls of peanuts and potato chips, and sparkling cider to start with. After the
appetizers, heaps of chorizo sausages and beef short ribs hot off the wood
fired grill were plated, accompanied by 3 ensaladas: caprese, a trio of
lettuces, and a type of potato salad which had frozen mixed vegetables in it.
Not my favorite dinner by a long shot – the beef was tough (only ate a couple
bites) and the salads bland – but the company was excellent! I seriously
couldn’t have asked for better people to bring the New Year in with.
Like I said earlier, pretty much everyone in the hostel is
Brazilian. It’s constant merriment around here! One of the many things I love
about them is that they are so warm and congenial, eager to share their
culture. I am soaking it up and learning as much as I can. People are probably
getting tired of my never-ending questions. Melissa’s boyfriend, Paul, likes to
joke around, “Here we go with Heather’s 21 questions!” Had a really amazing
time talking with one of my roommates, Marina. She’s a young thing – only 23 –
and beyond gorgeous. She is like this little china doll with creamy tanned
skin, perfect teeth, greenish eyes, and the richest shiniest hair. The girl has a good head on her shoulders. We talked about
love, relationships, societal expectations, family, and differences between our
cultures. I learned that it’s very common for people my age to still be living
at home. It’s crazy expensive to live on your own in Brazil, and most kids don’t
leave town to attend schools “out of state”. So it makes sense to live at home
and save money. She said everyone has a maid, regardless of how rich or poor they are. We talked about traveling and being open-minded… getting out of your
comfort zone and opening yourself to new experiences. “When you are open,
better things come to you.” You are wise beyond your years, Marina.
Practically everyone and their mom was going to a big NYE
celebration near Barra Beach called “The Box”. There were a couple other
parties around, but my 5 meninos AKA “papais da Punta” were going to this one
and invited me to tag along. “We’ll look out for you” Murillo said. Such a
sweetheart! We went to the beach for the countdown to 2015. Punta definitely
isn’t known for their fireworks haha… SeaWorld probably has a better show. We
took 2 glossy white Mercedes taxis to the party, which started at 1:30 am and didn't actually become packed until 3 am. It
was outdoor, with a huge open arena and stage. We, along with another big group
from the hostel, were in the VIP section. Later, I realized just how awesome it
was that we went with this option. The VIP section was raised off the ground
and had actual plank floors. When the sun rose, we saw that the huge open area below was
straight up mud. Hoards of muddy partygoers streamed out of the gates,
blissfully unaware of their condition. It was a really really fun party. So
much dancing!!! My favorite part was when the sun began it's ascent and the
DJ started playing traditional Latin music to welcome the 1st day of
a new year.
Needless to say, we slept all day. I woke up at 3 and went
for a bike ride to the marina, but the weather was overcast and drizzly. Made
that veggie stir fry and booked my Brazil flights. I decided to do
Florianopolis à
Jericoacoara à
Rio à
Ilha Grande. So gutted I won’t be able to squeeze Bahia in this trip because of
time constraints :/ But I’m super excited for my week of kite surfing in
Jeri! I met a friend of a friend in Tahoe a few weeks ago who spent a lot of
time in Brazil. He told me I would love this spot, and even recommended an eco
beach villa. I booked 6 nights at “Vila Prea” – can’t freaking wait!!! I will
have a private beach bungalow with a king size bed all to myself and kite
surfing lessons every day for 2 hours! Surprisingly, all of this wasn’t even
that expensive. Great tip John, thank you!
2014 was a good year. I completed the hardest task I’ve EVER
undertaken – nurse anesthesia school; moved to a thriving, bold, diverse,
beautiful city practically bursting with energy and talent – San Francisco;
embarked on my 2nd solo exploration of the world. Many beautiful
things happened for me and I am blessed with far more then I deserve… but this
was also the hardest year of my life so far. I can’t really explain it fully. Growing
pains, perhaps? There is a proverb I’ve always loved. It says: “Weeping may
endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Ahhh… there was some
weeping. But SO. MUCH. JOY.
To all my family and friends: You are my heart. I missed
celebrating with you this year, but know you are always with me and I love you
infinitely much!!! Happy New Year! <3
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