Hello May.

my new favorite picture

Hello May and Hello Chilly weather. It was a good thing the MIL stuck around long enough to still enjoy some Brazilian summer. We headed to the beach for her last weekend here and boy was it ever so maravilhoso. We have friends that head to the beach often usually checking the weather beforehand and it may look hot and sunny but then I see their poor facebook uploads and its gloomy and rainy. The beach is only about 2 hours away but you drop about 3000ft in elevation so you really can jump between climates. Originally the plan was to see Maresias and after reading O Jeito Brasileiro's blog I thought we would try a pousada she recommended. But, we had dinner plans at Manaca, which is in Camburi (about 20 km closer than Maresias) so we stopped there first. In the end we got to talking with some people and scrapped our idea of going on a little further and just decided to stay at a place near the restaurant with a golf cart shuttle to the beach. It was already 10am so it was silly to waste more time in the car on such a gorgeous day. I was a little bummed since this will probably be one of the last beach trips of the season and I was eager to try something new, but Camburi doesn't disappoint. Our pousada was just what we needed for one night but it was covered in ants. Ants everywhere, in my bags and on my wet hanging bathing suit. I know its par for the course but I thought it was a little extreme so I don't think I will be recommending. I cant believe I am even complaining about anything to do with the beach though, my american friends would slap me!

Once on the beach I realized again how much I love living here. Paradise (minus ants) is only a quick drive away and since it's fall, Brasilians have already started their retreat to the interior for weekend vacations leaving the beaches empty. Yet, it was still 80 degrees and lovely, maybe we were lucky, maybe just smart to take in one last opportunity for our feet to taste the sand.

If you haven't tried Manaca, you must add it to your list. Its pricey so beware but I don't think you will be disappointed. I had only been for drinks before with friends so I really wanted to show it off to Alex and his mom as a special send off dinner. They were awe struck. If it sounds familiar, Anthony Bourdain featured it as one of his Sao Paulo stops on his show, "No Reservations." Here is a snippet if you missed it.... It was a great chance for the MIL to try Moqueca and while I have had it in SP and was told it was the best in the city (its a Bahian dish), it was nothing like her dish. She wanted to lick the plate... as did I once my fish-grilled-in-Banana-leaves had quickly disappeared off my plate. Its hard to photograph the restaurant at night with a small camera and looking back I should have at least taken a picture of my insane dessert but the time was better spent eating, laughing and taking in the beautiful amazonian atmosphere.

Yet another amazing trip. I think we are done with traveling for a little while, looking forward to relaxing at home and getting back to our Saturday market then cook a fresh feast routine, but my oh my the things you see when you step outside this city! As Anthony Bourdain says, "Life does not suck."