Week 6: Salvador & Lencois Brazil
*Sorry there aren’t many pictures this week.  I didn’t want to lose my phone or camera and pickpockets are common at Carnaval. It’s hard to express the experience but imagine being completely surrounded by people and music for miles and miles. It’s also hard to capture on camera but if you google Salvador Carnaval I’m sure there are cool pictures. **My memory card malfunctioned so I may have lost some photos. But I have a brand new memory card and a lot more photos coming. 

Day 36: February 7th, 2016

After a hearty breakfast we packed our bags and took them to the front desk. Then we walked through town for a bit before taking a taxi to our new hotel closer to the ocean. The taxi couldn’t drive through the crowd so we ended up walking a mile carrying everything we own through a very crowded parade. But we made it to the hotel and stayed for awhile but eventually we left to wander the city and look for food. Once we got lunch, we walked a little bit further and then headed back to the hotel. There were already people dressed up for the night! We hung out for a little bit longer then went back to Carnaval in campo grande. This one was very different than the one in Pelourinho. There were a lot more people and there were blocos which were essentially huge moving vehicles the size of a city bus or semi with a band performing on top and speakers that stretched from top to bottom. Around the vehicle were thousands of people with specific tshirts or costumes who walked in pace with the vehicle.  After walking around for a long while we finally ended up in front of a stage with a DJ and some dancers! After watching, we went back to the hotel exhausted. Sarahi fell asleep and I went to look for some food and found some amazing hotdogs for 3$R ($0.75 US).
Day 37:

After another great breakfast, we relaxed in the hotel preparing for an even bigger Carnaval experience. We ended up picking some chips and some more of those amazing hotdogs for lunch. That night we went to the biggest Carnaval of all of them in Barra. The crowds were so full it was extremely hard to walk through without almost losing each other! If you don’t like huge crowds and people all around I suggest going to Pelourinho. It felt like the true Carnaval experience which is impossible to describe. You can walk for miles without breaking away from the parade and it’s almost impossible to escape the loud music. We walked up a hill to a statue and had an amazing view of the oceanside street stretching for miles and completely covered with people. We were exhausted and eventually had to make the long journey home. Luckily, it was getting late and the parade slowed down or it would have been impossible to move against the flow of people. 
Day 38:

We were sad to realize that carnival was almost over. We spent most of the day relaxing and preparing to make the most of our last carnival night. We ate lunch at a local bakery/grocery store. We watched a movie or two and then headed back into the madness that night. We stayed in campo grande and enjoyed many “blocos” and some stage performances. We met a few people and tried to stay at the same pace as the parade. We were exhausted by the end of the night and were a bit relieved Carnaval had ended.
Day 39:

The next day we mostly just relaxed and enjoyed the quiet. We watched some movies and did some laundry. We had McDonald’s for lunch and hotel food for dinner. It wasn’t glamorous but we both needed a day to nap and relax. 
Day 40:

One of the main reasons we traveled to Salvador was for the history and museums. Because of Carnaval all the museums were closed. Finally two days after Carnaval some museums in the area opened up. We walked to three during the day and enjoyed looking at the exhibits of the geology museum, art museum, and nautical museum. Then we took some photos of the sunset and headed back to our hotel. We made travel arrangements for the following day but were sad to leave Salvador. 
Day 41: 

The next day after breakfast and packing we took a taxi to the bus station. From there it was about 7 hours by bus due west from Salvador to Lencois. Lencois is the main town for exploring Chapada Diamantina national park. After arriving we had some awesome sandwiches at a shop where nothing on the menu cost more than $3. We had a lovers quarrel. Then we wandered around looking for our pousada and were soon fast asleep. 

   
   

 Day 42:

We had read that many trails originate in Lencois so we set out to find them. After walking briefly up river we decided to try another route. We walked through town until the road ended and turned into a path. We decided to try it but had to guess which fork to take a few times. Eventually we ended up by a beautiful waterfall and river and swam there for a couple of hours. Chapada Diamantina used to be a diamond mining area and several people told us, jokingly, that we might find diamonds while there. We took this as a challenge and while swimming in the river collected around 100 potentially diamond looking stones. We weren’t quite sure the criteria for a rough diamond so we kept them all for future evaluation. Two weeks later we still have them all and after some research I’m pretty sure we didn’t find anything valuable… Anyway we took another trail for awhile but ran out of water and turned around. We spent some more time at the river and took a trail home where we found a much easier trail we failed to see that morning. We returned for more cheap sandwiches before heading back to our place, sunburnt and exhausted. 

   

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
It was a really fun week. Sarahi loved Salvador and Carnaval. I thought it was fun but was really happy to escape the crowds and go back to a more remote place. Lençois is an amazing town and we were both happy to be there! We’re missing a few things from home but still having a blast on the road! 

Week 5: São Luis & Salvador Brazil
Day 29: (January 31st, 2016)

We had a great breakfast early and tried a new fruit called barracuri (or something like that) with the flavor of a lime and texture of a banana. We quickly packed our bags and were picked up at our hotel and taken to a boat which set off toward the coast. Our tour guide told us a lot that we didn’t quite understand and we soon stopped at a sand bar in the middle of the river. We navigated a narrow channel full of crabs before stopping at a small beach with massive sand dunes and hungry monkeys. We continued on to Cabure island which has salty river water on one side and crashing ocean waves on the other. We ate leftover subway on the beach and then took a nap in some shady hammocks. We made one more stop at the lighthouse before our boat stopped running. We were stranded here for awhile and worried that we would miss our bus to São Luis. Eventually another boat showed up to take us back to our hotel. We waited at our hotel for the shuttle/bus to the city but it never arrived. Luckily a couple of European guys who worked in São Luis were driving back after a weekend vacation. They gave us a ride for free and despite the literal 80+ speed bumps we made it within a few hours, much faster than the bus would have been. We ordered some Chinese food and relaxed in our hotel for a bit before bed. 

   
    
 Day 30: 

We had a great breakfast and a lazy morning before heading to lunch with my friend Elba and her sister. Somehow we became Facebook friends and started talking last year so I had to stop to meet her. She is very sweet and fun and we were thrilled to hang out with a new friend who speaks surprisingly good English. After some great fish next to the ocean we drove around the city and went to the historic city center.We wandered around looking at some beautiful old architecture before heading back to the middle of the city. We stayed with Elba pretty much all afternoon, went back to the hotel, and then Elba picked us up to go to this restaurant. The restaurant was sort of like a churrascaria and was very delicious. We were exhausted by the end of the day!

   
    
    
 Day 31: 

Elba picked us up earlier in the morning and we headed back to the historic center. We walked around for awhile looking at the old buildings and looking at some displays of Carnaval costumes. Then we got some great lunch at a cheap local place. After that we spent the afternoon at Elba’s place playing with her dog, swimming in the pool, and trying Brazilian fudge. Then we went with her sister to dinner by the ocean and ate “toc toc” crab which is named after the sound of cracking the whole crabs shell with a mallet. We enjoyed the crab here even more than in Fortaleza. We were sad to say goodbye to our new friends but we needed to get up early the next morning for our flight. 

   
    
   
Day 32:

We got up around 5 and headed to the airport. We flew to Fortaleza and then Salvador. By the time we reached our hotel we were starving and headed into the historic district looking for food. We found multiple groups of drummers parading around the city among festive decorations and lots of tourists. We ate some great chicken and steak while watching the Carnaval festivities. We wandered the city a bit more before getting some much needed sleep. 
Day 33: 

We spent the first part of the day exploring the historic center but found that most museums were closed. We continued on through the shopping district and down the public elevator until we reached the ocean. We explored a bit more, bought some masks for Carnaval, and headed to lunch. We chilled at the hotel for a bit before heading back out for dinner and drinks. The Carnaval festivities had begun and after dinner at o cravinho we wandered around for a bit among the Carnaval parade before heading to bed. 

   
    
   
Day 34: 

We woke up early and went out to take some pictures of historic Pelourinho, a neighborhood of Salvador, before the Carnaval festivities began. We returned and had a great breakfast in the beautiful centuries old section of our pousada. Then we relaxed for a bit before having some great beer and filet parmigiana at a local restaurant. We played some cards and then went to the Carnaval area as the sun set and made friends at a local rasta bar with the friendly bar tender. Then we wandered around the city for a bit checking out the various live performances going on. We drank a few too many beers and decided we had better head back. At about 9 o’clock… 
Day 35: 

After a big breakfast we relaxed by the pool and read our books in the sun. Later we went to a restaurant for some great burgers. We did a little shopping but didn’t buy anything and went to our hotel to get ready for Carnaval. We walked around for awhile looking at all the different musicians on the various stages. We found some bands we really liked and enjoyed the view of old churches contrasted by wild parties. After taking part in some dance parties we were tired and left the party. 

Week 4: The Route of Thrills, Brazil
Day 22: (January 24th, 2016)

After breakfast we headed from Jijoca to a new pousada (bed&breakfast) named Aloha Aruba in Jericoacoara. It took a couple hours to take off-road trucks but this time we went through the national park and it was really cool. We were starving and ate a huge lunch of chicken and steak with rice and beans for $12! Then, we had to take relax a bit and do laundry. After that we headed to the beach and this giant sand dune right next to the ocean. We swam a bit and waited for the sunset. That night we met up with our Finnish friend Sini who we had met on the bus. We had some dinner and talked with our friends Thiago and Fernanda from Rio who we had met in Jijoca the day before. Then we headed to a local party with live rasta music before getting some late night munchies at the only store open in town. It was a great day but we were exhausted when we went to bed at 3:30. 

        
Day 23:

The next day we had a great breakfast and headed to meet up with our French friends Charles and Flofly (nickname). We joined them on a dune buggy tour and it was fantastic. We first drove over the giant beach dune and then continued to a channel we had to cross by boat. Here we ate fresh raw oysters and caught a sea horse to look at up close. We continued through large mangroves along the ocean until we arrived at a beautiful lake between sand dunes. We ate some awesome grilled fish here for lunch while sitting at a table in about 2 feet of water in the lake. After lunch and a swim in the lake we took the buggy to the bottom of a large sand dune and hiked to the top. We took some great pictures before riding the buggy the long way back. We then checked into our new hotel and went for a hike up a nearby hill with our French friends to watch the sunset. We returned for a shower before heading to dinner. We had a very rude American waiter but the food was great. We intended to stop by our room for just a few minutes before we hung out with our friends but were soon fast asleep. 

   
    
    
   

Day 24: 

We intended to leave Jericoacoara and continue North along the coast but after meeting the English speaking husband of a local travel agent we instead reserved tickets for the following day. We found that two separate bus companies were necessary to reach Parnaiba and were lucky to reserve tickets for the next leg of the journey. We bought our other tickets, checked into our new pousada, Douro de Piexe, and then after a lunch of shrimp and cheese sauce in a hollowed pineapple we headed to the beach. We had some incredible cocktails made with fresh mango, pineapple, and star fruit. We walked to the other beach of Jericoacoara which is beautiful in a different way. Then we returned to watch the, once again, cloudy sunset and met some awesome fellow travelers from Philadelphia! After talking for a bit and swapping tips and stories we headed back to our hotel for a shower before heading to dinner for wonderful grilled lobster, shrimp, and fish, for $15 for both of us. I had a caipirinha made with cashew fruit at an artisanal drink stand, and soon we headed back to our room. I stayed up for a bit and a parade of spiders invaded our apartment but were gone by morning. They reminded Sarahí about her obsession – Harry Potter.

   
   

Day 25: 

After breakfast and a short walk to the beach we packed our bags and went to the bus stop. After the off-road journey back to Jijoca we took a bus to Camocim with several other international travelers. Upon arriving we found that the bus onward was completely full. Luckily, we had reserved tickets but we were the only ones who made it on that bus. We walked around Camocim with our backpacks and received some strange looks so we returned to the bus area and played some cards. When we arrived in Parnaiba we took a taxi to our pousada, and went to dinner at a nearby restaurant. We had caranquejo torta which we discovered is a massive pie made almost entirely of crab meat. It was good but very rich. Then, we reserved a boat tour for the next day and went to bed. 
Day 26: 

After a nice breakfast we were picked up by a shuttle and taken to our boat. The boat was two stories with a bar, live band, and great lunch. We were a bit disappointed because we hoped to see flamingos and monkeys but instead only saw crabs. It was a good time with fun Brazilians and a lot of sun sand and water, but I wouldn’t recommend stopping in Parnaiba. We returned to our hotel in need of a shower and found that the water tank was empty. We walked to dinner and had some pizza and calzones and returned to our room hoping for a shower. The water was still off but we were too tired to care. 

   
   

Day 27: 

Woke up at 5 am to take a bus to the small town, Tutoia. From here we took a shuttle to an even smaller town Paulinho Neves and then we took an off-road truck for an hour or two to Barrerienhas, the gateway to Lencois Marenheses national park. We were starving and had a burger for lunch. We spent most of the afternoon relaxing and napping in our hotel room. We went to the bank, grocery store, and lined up a tour for the next day. Then we watched Harry Potter and ate sushi for dinner before retiring early. 
Day 28: 

We had a great breakfast and were picked up by a off-road truck. I had an upset stomach but decided to suck it up. What followed was a miserable 1.5 hour ride through the most bumpy road imaginable sitting in essentially a seat bolted to the bed of a pick up truck. You had to hold on with both hands in order to stay in the truck. Obviously, Sarahí loved it. We arrived at a beautiful small lake among the sand dunes. After taking some pictures we swam in the lake. We made friends with an Irishman named Patty and a couple of little Brazilian girls. Then we headed back down the incredibly rough road hanging on for dear life. It was fun but we were left bruised the next day. We went to subway for a late lunch/dinner and finished watching Harry Potter. We lined up a boat tour for the next day and a bus to São Luis for the afternoon. Then we passed out, exhausted. 

      
More pictures coming soon! 

Week 3: Fortaleza, Brazil
Day 15: (January 17, 2016)

Headed to the beach early and took a bus half way down to croco beach restaurant. Spent the morning frolicking in the waves and working on our tans. By 11:30 we headed to lunch where I realized I was quite sunburnt. We ate the seafood buffet and hung out in the shade. Then we started walking back and stopped to build a sand castle. We finished walking back to the hotel and slathered me in aloe gel. We found a pizza shop down the street for dinner. No air conditioning in our room mixed with sunburn made for a rough nights sleep. 

   
   
Day 16: 

Still sunburnt and feeling miserable without air conditioning or wifi we found a mall and movie theater a few miles away. We rode the bus close and walked there, finding a burger shop nearby. We ate there and were so happy to have a nice burger. Then we returned to the mall, played some arcade games, watched two movies, did some shopping, used the wifi, and ate mall fast food. I started feeling pretty crummy by this time so we headed back to the hotel and went to bed. I got extremely sick and spent about half the night in a shower with no hot water. 

Day 17: 

Woke up burning with fever and unable to keep down food or water. We headed back the mall knowing we could find AC and wifi to distract me. It was freezing… But I got a smoothie and Sarahi got a haircut and McDonald’s and we were both feeling happier. We returned to the hotel with some subway sandwiches and relaxed till we were hungry again and got some pizza. We quickly fell asleep after eating. 

Day 18: 

We woke up early to take some pictures of the sunset and the local graffiti. Afterwards we were so happy to check out of this hotel and returned to the Casa Blanca hotel where knew there was air conditioning and wifi. Ate leftover pizza for lunch and relaxed all afternoon while doing some laundry and watched the Martian on my phone. Then we headed to a Brazilian steakhouse for some amazing meat. We returned to the hotel and Sarahi started getting sick. It was a rough night for her. 

   
    
    
    
    
    
 Day 19:

Sarahi woke up feeling sick. We took it easy in the morning and I enjoyed the wifi while she slept. We returned to a favorite churrascaria for lunch and took a short walk. Ate Popsicles. Returned to the room and watched a movie. I met a new friend from Argentina. Then we went to another favorite restaurant for chicken parmigiana for dinner and walked a bit on the pier. We returned to the room and Sarahi was asleep within minutes. 

   
   
Day 20:

We woke up at our wonderful air conditioned room of our hotel and had no idea what we were going to do after we checked out. Our goal was to get to Jericoacoara, but getting there was a challenge bigger than expected. 

The company didn’t let us buy over mobile – obvious problem – then after a few other struggles we decided to try and find the place to buy the tickets and we ended up finding the headquarters of the bus company. #fail  

As an act of desperation, we went to the airport and finally found the place to buy tickets and with sheer luck we got exactly the tickets we wanted. 

On our bus trip we hung out, made some new friends who spoke English, and saw some great countryside. 

We arrived in Jijoca and found that our connecting bus was a safari-looking open-sided bus. Bumping along the moonlit scene felt like being on an African Safari on Mars.

Once we got there, we had two goals: food and WiFi. 

We found the food but not the WiFi and it turns out that our B&B was back in Jijoca which was another bumpy hour ride back where we came from. 

Sadly, it was about 1:00am and there were no rides available. We walked around Jericoacoara and asked if there were any rooms but nothing was open! 

That night we slept under a tree somewhere behind someone’s horse barn (because as luck would have it, there were no pairs of trees for our hammocks).

   
   
Day 21:

We set an early alarm in an attempt to catch the sunrise, to not get caught sleeping on the ground, and to get an early bus back to our hotel for some food and sleep. 

We ran into some ladies who were drinking and carrying a sack of beer at 6am and invited us to sleep in their living room! 

But, we said no and continued on our journey back to Jijoca.
After another beautiful bumpy ride back and a little walk, we made it back to our hotel, ate breakfast, and took a quick nap before our host took us on a small excursion to Alchemist Beach Club where we made even more amazing friends! 

We had fresh tilapia with rice and beans and then took another long nap and then sat, played games with our new friends, listened to live music, ate shrimp pasta, and finally went to bed in a nice, air-conditioned room.

   
    
    
    
    
   
It’s been a great week! We’re loving the small town coastal scene! 

Week 2: Aruba, Suriname, Brazil

Day 8 (January 10, 2016): 

Woke early and walked to the beach for the sunrise. Ate some bread, cheese and watermelon for breakfast. Returned to our room and did some yoga. Walked back to the beach for awhile. Found a random food shack with some great Pastechi for lunch. Took a nap, walked around the beaches and downtown before eating all you can eat burgers for dinner. Watched finding nemo and went to bed. 

   
 Day 9: 
Packed sandwiches and went to the beach. Took some pictures and ate our sandwiches with some beers. Ate at west deck tapas bar for an early dinner. Took a taxi to eagle beach for the sunset. Stopped by a grocery store for snacks before our red eye. Headed to the airport. 

 

   


Day 10: 

Arrived in Suriname at 3 am. Slept. Woke up and had breakfast with some Dutch visitors. Went on a canoe trip with Jos, our super cool Belgian host. Then we went with the Dutch guests on a jungle expedition. This was Sarahi’s favorite day. After walking through the jungle and almost getting lost we found our way back and stopped at the swimming hole to cool down and had some lunch and drinks. Then we returned to Bana Beki B&B for a shower before flying out. We enjoyed Suriname much more than expected. 

 

    
   
Day 11:

After spending the night on planes and in airports we arrived in Brazil at 5 am. We dropped our packs at the casa Blanca hotel and headed to the beach to catch the sunrise. Then we wandered the streets of Fortaleza looking for breakfast. We found some coffee and bread and headed toward the shopping district. We found a six floor market that sells everything imaginable and didn’t make it past the second floor. We bought two awesome pairs of sandals for $25 (Sarahi is still learning the art of bargaining) a backpack for $10 and a pair of shorts for $2.50. We continued on and visited the cathedral, finding the shopping stretches on for blocks around the market. Then we continued to the art museum dragao do mar and loved the murals and some cool displays. Next we headed to the cultural center and attempted to read children’s books in Portuguese. We escaped the sun and grabbed some lunch. By noon we were quite excited to check into our hotel, shower, and take a nap. We went back down to the beach for a walk before eating some great meat, rice and beans at a nearby restaurant. We stopped by a convenience store and bought a liter bottle of cachaca (the Brazilian liquor similar to rum) for $2.25. We were very happy to go to sleep in a hotel rather than an airport. 

   
    
 
    
 Day 12: 

We woke up and ate an awesome hotel breakfast before heading to the beach. We played in the waves and did some exercises on the beach. Then we headed to a beachfront restaurant for some fried fish and crab claws. We returned back to the hotel and broke into the bottle of cachaca. The rest of the night was a blurry disaster but we walked around town and made some new friends at a local bar where we made the mistake of drinking even more. Somehow we made it back to our room and into bed.

   
 Day 13: 

Woke up feeling like we’d been hit by a train. A lot of sickness and moaning followed and we realized we’re not 21 anymore. We spent most of the day sleeping off our hangover and made it to lunch by the afternoon. It wasn’t until this point that we realized we hadn’t eaten in over 24 hours… So we returned to our room and watched some movies, ate some leftovers for dinner, went for a walk down Beira mar avenue, ate a gyros, and headed to bed, swearing to never drink again. 

  
Day 14: 

Hung out in the morning, packed our bags, and took a taxi to our next hotel. Checked in, put on swimsuits, and headed to arapoe beach restaurant where we ordered calamari and whole crabs. We walked several miles on the pristine Praia do futuro beach which stretches for 5 miles and is scattered with families and surfers. We returned to our hotel for a bit and headed back to the beach after dark and found it was completely deserted with no restaurants open. We walked two miles and found the one bar/club that was open and ordered some delicious crepes. We headed back down the desolate beach and went to bed. 

   
   

Week 1: Aruba
Day 1 (January 3, 2016):

Flew to Aruba. Stayed at Solar Villa.  Got a ride from the owner and his friend to Smokey Joe’s BBQ and ate some delicious ribs and jerk chicken by the hotel pool. Passed out by 9 pm.

   
   
Day 2: 

Walked to the beach and stopped at a grocery store for some pastries, juice, and rum for breakfast. Walked several miles on the beach until sunburned and exhausted. We ate a late lunch at salt & pepper, a tapas bar, and loved the fried mahi mahi so much we came back later in the week for three orders. Walked home and ate cold leftovers by the pool. And it was awesome. Then we made friends with a fellow hotel guest from France before retiring early again.
Day 3: 

Packed our bags and hiked to the bus stop before taking a bus and hiking another couple miles in the midday sun. Ate an awesome brunch at Linda’s pancake house. Spent the day hanging by the beach and made friends with a nice guy and his family who love to travel as well. We ate a late lunch at salt & pepper and had three orders of fried mahi mahi with the local beer, balashi. No rooms at the inn so we stayed with a very nice family on the far side of the island after a tour of the desert side beach. 

   
    
    
 Day 4: 

Hiked to the chapel and water tower in the morning before heading to de Cuba bed and breakfast. We ate some great seafood at a local restaurant before going to the beach. Sarahi built a Zelda sand castle and made new friends. We stopped at wacky wahoos for one of the best dinners of my life. Then we headed back to the B&B for some relaxation and shuteye. 

   
    
 Day 5: 

Walked to the beach, took a bus to another beach, and hiked several miles along the coast. We saw some awesome coral beaches and cool wildlife. Continued walking until we reached the end of the island. Found an ocean cave. Walked to the lighthouse. Tired and sunburnt we tried what I thought was a shortcut through the desert. It wasn’t. Covered in thorn scratches and cactus needles, we eventually backtracked and made our way back to the beach. Then we had to walk another couple of miles to the next bus stop. We couldn’t decide where to eat dinner and walked all the way back to the hotel finding most restaurants had not yet opened for dinner. We stumbled upon a Dutch bar only a block from our hotel and had some amazing fried foods and chicken schnitzel. It was so good we came back for more later that night before heading to bed. 

   
    
    
    
 Day 6: 

Relaxed in the morning and got a ride to our next B&B. Once we dropped our packs we hiked on into the Arikok National Park. We hiked through the barren landscape for several miles before reaching the natural pool and dos playa beach. We spent the afternoon here snorkeling with the fish, cliff jumping, and taking pictures of the breathtaking views. We hiked back and were starving so we continued on to a little pizza place another mile down the road. It could be that we were starving but it was the best pizza we’ve had in years. We headed back to the B&B, made some cocktails, and read by the pool until bed. 

   
    
    
    
 Day 7: 

Enjoyed an unbelievable breakfast with fellow guests from Europe. The B&B owner is a former chef and we felt so spoiled. We spent the morning relaxing and reading before heading to the south side of the island at noon. We walked quite a while after giving up on waiting for the bus. We found a beautiful beach and relaxed for awhile. We took a secret path through the mangroves and continued on. While waiting for a bus a couple of tourists from Virginia asked us for directions to Zeerover’s, which is exactly where we were trying to go! So we hopped in and made it there in a few minutes. After waiting in line for close to an hour, I picked out our fish and a bucket full of shrimp which had been caught and delivered to the restaurant dock that day. Soon it was fried up whole and we were digging in to some incredible seafood. We ended up sharing a table and a ride back with our friends from Virginia. We wandered around until finally finding out hotel and relaxed for awhile before exploring downtown Oranjestad. 

   
    
    
 It was a fabulous week!

We arrived in Brazil at 5 am on the 12th and headed to the beach to watch the sunrise. We were alarmed to find locked gates and empty streets everywhere we went, as well as a large pack of dogs roaming the streets. We were worried that perhaps we had made a mistake coming to Northeast Brazil. But within a couple hours the city woke up and we found spectacular beaches, museums, architecture, and people. We also explored the city’s cathedral and found the cheapest shopping market in the world. Sarahi was so excited for the deals she didn’t even try to negotiate the price. Over the next few days we found that you can buy an incredible meal for $10 a person, a beer for $1, water bottles for $.50, and a chilled green coconut for $.75. Our relatively nice hotel room was less than $40, including a great breakfast, and was only a couple blocks from the beach. We loved the food and the weather, and felt that we were making huge strides with our Portuguese language skills after just a few days.

 Then we moved to a new hotel on the other side of the city. For only $25 a night and 100 yards from the beach, and we were even more excited for Brazil. We soon found out that our room has no air conditioning, wifi so slow I can’t load a thing, a leaky window and shower door, breakfast covered in flies, and lumpy pillows. But we decided to make the most of it and set out early for the beach after a sleepless night. It was a beautiful cloudy morning but I was severely sunburned by 11:30. We found a shady restaurant with a seafood buffet and hung out for most of the afternoon to avoid the sun. We also realized just how difficult it is to learn a new language after watching “O Bom Dinasorro” and failing to understand the dialogue… The next day I had a serious case of food poisoning/ montezuma’s revenge/ fever. I’ve spent most of today trapped in my hotel room with no wifi, air conditioning, or tv but I’m hoping later I can post this and keep some food down. 
Do I dream of my own bed in my own air conditioned room? Yes. Do I think I might be crazy for attempting this at all? Yes. But do I wish I had never set out on this trip? Not for a second. Am I excited for what tomorrow may hold? Absolutely, yes. 

In summary, it’s the best of times and the worst of times but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Keep on following the adventure here! I promise I’ll post more often once I recover from the worst of times!