Day 16 - Floripa!

17:00
It’s just about possible that Florianopolis is my favourite name of a place I’ve ever travelled. It is, however, a bit of a mouthful, so the local folks have rebranded it as ‘Floripa’ for ease. Anyways, it’s our destination today, for a few days of beach, sunshine and relax. Our flight frustratingly was brought forward a couple of hours from its original time, so our journey involves an alarm at 06:00, and a Gabriel pick up at 07:45. Wowzies. I’ve had a better night’s sleep, and my cold finally, FINALLY *seems* to be abating. The airport is quiet. Ultra quiet in fact. I guess the holiday weekenders are headed out tomorrow?

The flight down is probably our best flight yet in Brazil. Seats are comfy, there’s lots of legroom, it’s not on GOL. It’s an up and down - only an hour or so in the air, and a really pleasant view down over the state of Santa Catarina. As we start to descend into Floripa airport, the sun looks warm and inviting. We’re actually headed to an island off the coast, called Ilha de Santa Catarina. The city of Florianopolis straddles the mainland and the island. The airport is (and this is going to sound a bit weird) one of my favourite airports ever. It’s just brilliant. Loads of space, cool areas to hang out, well laid out - all the good stuff. It’s a short drive to our guesthouse, which is lovely, and only a (long) stone’s throw from the beach.

Vicki and I head out for a wander, which turns into a hike. We need to work on our geography. We’re aiming for a supermarket that looks to be about 10 minutes on foot. 20 minutes later, we’ve been walking in the midday sun, and are conscious that we’re still not there yet. We dispatch ideas of supermarket shopping, and head instead for the beach. We seek shelter in a beach bar overlooking the sand and ocean. It’s idyllic. We order some drinks, then some more drinks and some food. The food’s ok. The Caipi is sensational though.

After lunch, we head down the beach. We could walk all the way back to our guesthouse along the beach, but choose instead to cut back up to the road. Entirely by accident, we end up in a rather lovely bar just back from the beach. Vicki has an affogato, while I dive into my 3rd Caipi of the day. Strictly speaking, 3 is the natural limit for Caipirinhas, so we move on after 1. From here, it’s a quick walk back to our digs, via a small bodega to grab some supplies - water and wine, basically. We bump into Tam at the store, and make some plans to head out for dinner later. Today feels like easy street…

23:00
A lazy afternoon, and we’re all set for dinner. After an earlier conflab, we elect to head up to the North of Ilha de Santa Catarina. There’s a large lagoon up there called Lagoa de Concecaio, with seafood restaurants dotted around its edge. We choose a restaurant called O Timoneiro, which translates to something like, ‘O Tim - thou art awesome.’ And cos it’s got great reviews, obvs. It’s a good 25 mins drive to the North of us, and we see (albeit in the dark) more of the island as we pass. There’s definitely a laid-back, surfer town kinda vibe. Lots of little wood-shack cafés, dusty roads and little in the way of built up areas. At one point, we pass something that resembles a night club. It’s Sunday, so that could be contributing to the sleepy feel.

O Timoneiro borders the lagoon, and we sit in a very peaceful spot by the water’s edge. We watch small crabs swimming in the water, and we realise this is the first time we’ve actually seen crabs swim. About 5 mouthfuls into my food (grilled white fish in a coconut sauce), I realise I can’t taste anything. Reflecting on the day, I come to the conclusion that things have been tasting a bit muted since I woke up this morning, but now - nothing. I soldier on, but grow bored pretty quickly. My wine tastes of nothing - I can pick up the acidity, but that’s it. I try a Halls menthol throat sweet, and - nothing. I’ve had colds a few times since the pandemic, and have lost of sense of taste and smell a couple of times without testing positive for COVID, so I’m gonna assume that’s what’s happening here. It’s a little strange that it’s happening as my cold FINALLY appears to be clearing up though.

We have what constitutes something of a late night for this trip, arriving back to our guesthouse a little after 22:00. Vicki and I are hoping for big sleeps. HOLD TIGHT FOR FEEDBACK.Leia mais