Total Relaxation

Monday, Feb. 18 – Day 63

Today, I believe that I have reached total relaxation. I am on an island; I have few possessions; and I am +/- 6,000 miles from home. I have few responsibilities, and I don’t really need to deal with the outside world at all. Now that my situation is set for the next two weeks, I don’t have to think any more than an hour ahead. And when I do think, it’s about something doing something fun.

Today was a stunning day with moderate temperature and sunny skies. I walked down to the beach, but waves were small, so I went to my favorite lunch spot and pulled up a chair. There, I met two girls from Ireland. They are off to Rio in a few hours, which is 36 hours by bus. The only reason they are going to Rio is because they have to catch a flight to Santiago, Chile. They have “round-the-world” airplane tickets that allow them 10 stops wherever they want, as long as they keep going in the same general direction. They expect to be gone for seven months. They had only planned on being here in Florianopolis for 4 days, but ended up staying for two weeks.

I stopped at the fruit and vegetable stand on my way home from Beer Praia. Everything is the same price. You just put it all in a single bag and weigh it, then pay by the kilo. I bought two mangos, a papaya, four bananas, a lime, some carrots and a head of broccoli, all for about US$3.00. I just love having a fresh mango as part of my everyday breakfast.

I have not worn shoes or long pants for 3 weeks, and am happy to spend the afternoon just sorting out the 883 songs on my I-pod. Later, I’ll read out loud from my book on the history of Buenos Aires to try and keep up my Spanish. After that, I'll look for an interesting new restaurant for dinner. That’s a pretty full day for me right now.