Florianopolis Day 2

Last night was rough...sleeping in the car when it's hot is horrible. The air in the car was stifling and the sweat was pouring off of our bodies. In the morning we booked a couple places to stay tonight and tomorrow to avoid the uncomfortable car experience again.

Our plan for the day is to visit the farthest points on the island starting with the south and working our way around to the east where we will stay tonight. The drive south from the bridge was slow. The roads were fairly busy and had so many speed bumps! They really take care with speed control. Once we arrived and parked in the parking lot, a little old man asked us to pay for our parking and then directed us to the trail that leads to the beach at the southern tip of the island.

The trail was a lot longer than expected with lots of rocks and tree roots. We also decided to take a small detour on the trail to go and visit the lighthouse. We were walking through tall grass and almost felt like the trails that we walked in the rainforest in Madidi. There were lots of big, blue butterflies as well as some smaller ones. The blue ones were as big as some of the birds! Sadly, they never landed so we couldn't get any pictures.

While we were walking along the trail, we encountered a couple of military area signs, so I was ready to get to the lighthouse and get out. Once we finally got there, it seemed like an abandoned military area, but I was still nervous and didn't go near the lighthouse like Allan did. As far as lighthouses go, it was pretty short and didn't seem to have a light on top, so I wonder if it's still working. We then went around the corner to an opening in the jungle to see the water. It was very beautiful and peaceful here. We considered having lunch here because it was so quiet, but there was no shade and it was very hot.

We turned around and walked through the jungle along the coast until we got to the beach. It wasn't busy and was very hot. The sand was soft, but if you stepped on it without shoes on, it would burn your feet. We walked quickly to a tent where it looks like you could go to rent things like umbrellas or chairs for the beach. There was nobody there and it was next to the lifeguard tower. The lifeguards gave us a thumbs up when we pointed to sit under it. We sat and had our lunch, but it was far too hot, and neither of us planned well and didn't have bathing suits on. We were also tired and grumpy from last night and the walk here took about 6km, and we still had to walk back to the car through the jungle. We finished our lunch while watching the waves, and then packed up to walk back to the car and continued our road trip. Along the way, I stopped at a small stream to rinse my sandy feet and I also put some of the cold water on my face and arms. It was very refreshing.

The walk to and from the southern mist point took longer than we expected. It was mid afternoon by now, and we had only visited one point. The western point wasn't far from the southern, but it was harder to access because of the placement of houses. We parked at a grocery store nearby. Allan went exploring, determined to find the point, and I bought some snacks and cold juice that we shared when he got back.

After the western point, we made our way to the place we were spending the night. We decided that the last two points could wait until tomorrow. Our accommodation was still in the process of being renovated, so it was rough and ready, but not too expensive so we couldn't complain. It also, importantly, had AC which was a must after last night. We went to the grocery store nearby to get some things for dinner and breakfast, had some food and took a much needed shower. Afterwards, we chilled out in our air conditioned upstairs room while sharing a couple of local beers before bed.Read more