Florianopolis, Brazil

Friday, Feb 8 – Day 53

I did not seem to get much down-time in Rio, so am looking forward to Florianopolis. It’s an hour and half flight or a 36 hour bus ride, so I chose the flight.

Floripa, as the locals call it, is an island city of about 400,000, and is the capital of the State of Santa Catalina. Nearly all of the local population lives on the inter-coastal side of the island (and across the bridge in the mainland city of Sao Jose), and the oceanfront is either sparsely populated or part of a biology reserve. The island has become quite popular over the past few years, as it has 42 beaches and very consistent waves for surfing.

I’m in an area called Barra da Lagoa (locally known as just “Bara”). It was originally a small fishing village, and while a small amount of commercial fishing still goes on here, it has now become more of a tourist area. Barra sits at the southern end of beautiful crescent beach that’s +/- 13 km’s long. The northern +/- 11 km’s are part of a nature reserve are completely untouched. Look at it on Google maps, it’s pretty cool.

I’ve booked a week at a “pousada” that’s right off the beach, and 5 days of surf lessons from a former national champion. A pousada is kind of like a small extended stay hotel, though not as nice. Most are simply homes that have been converted or added on to in order to take advantage of the tourism opportunity. Mar do Leste is probably the nicest pousada in the area (that’s what I get for using a travel agent). It’s got maybe 8 units, and is only 50 meters from the beach and the surf school. I get a light breakfast every morning, and I’ve got AC and a slow internet connection.