Going to the bus station in Buenos Aires, I couldnīt belive just how many bus companies they have. They have like 120 some-odd companies that I still find unbelieveable. I booked a ticket on a company called Fecha for 230 pesos (about 80 bucks). I got this ticket called "cama" class or literally "bed". It was the most expensive, so I assumed it would be the nicest.
The bus ride was 26 hours but was unbeliveably smooth, if you can belive it. "Cama" class turned out to be better than first class on an airplane, with fully reclining seats, multiple free meals, snacks, wine, beer and whisky, and movies that played the entire time (in english). Also there was a really nice family from Buenos Aires that I talked with a lot of the way, and got to practice my spanish. Their 7 year old daughter was learning english, so wanted to test it out on me. I found my spanish is not yet at a 7 year old level, which was slightly discouraging. Regardless, these people were nice and it helped to pass the time. They also liked Florinopolis, which I knew absolutely nothing about.
Arriving at the bus station, I was waiting for a cab, and a girl came up to me and asked to share a cab to town. I agreed, and the girl turned out to be Israli and seemed nice and normal enough. She told me she was meeting two of her friends who were also from Israel at a beach house and asked me if I wanted to share the house with them. She said the house was 40 real a day (about 13 bucks or 3 bucks a person), clean, and right at the beach. It was incredible timing meeting this girl, since everything was booked out since it was in the midst of Carnival week. I had no idea where I was going to stay and I really hit a stroke of blind luck.
The house did turn out to be on the beach and was very nice and the other Isralies were nice as well. It was interesting hanging out with them (when they did speak english), since I hadn`t ever really gotten to know Isralies before.
Durning the day it was pretty much hitting the beach every day, and there was a beautiful beach about a 30 minute nice hike from our house. The beach by the house was nice as well, but the the hike and the excercise was nice too.
This beach was a really good surfing beach, popular with young Brazilians. It was funny because as you hike the trail, you see tons of young Brazilian guys carrying a surfboard and always with a Brazilian girlfriend in tow. As the guys surfed, their chics watched them and painted their toes. I thought it must be the the biggest from of embarassment or something to be a surfer and not have a girlfriend to bring with you to the beach.
At night our quiet beach turned into a huge Carnival party of live bands, homemade capirinas, and dancing people. We met some nice Brazilians who had come to celebrate Carnival there, and they were cool about teaching us the music and keeping us safe. In general the parties were a good experience and it was fun dancing and listening to the music on the beach. What I really didnīt like was that every night a big fight would break out. Fortunately the police on the beach would intervene in a matter of only a minute or two, but by that time there was sometimes a lot of violence. Itīs not like the U.S. where 2 guys spend 20 minutes yelling and posturing and 90% of the time nothing happens. It would be a burst of violence where often one guy would end up on the ground and getting punched and kicked by several others. It was ugly to see.
That was the thing that struck me most immediately about Brazil, was the passion with which they lived. It was almost like animalistic or something. I also saw it in the way people are very friendly in taking you in to their circle after only just meeting you (like the ones we met at the beach), or the way you see couples meet for the first time, talk for 2 minutes and immediately start making out. Itīs bizzare. I guess nice in some ways, and not so nice in others.
The few days I spent in Florinopolis were nice, and it was good to see at least some of the Carnival, the way most Brazilians celebrate it. I was ready to move on though and meet my friend Dave in Rio.