Florianópolis, Brazil; Ilha de Santa Caterina

Diary:

We have finally made it to Brazil! From the hot and humid interior town of Foz do Iguaçu at the huge waterfalls, we endured another marathon bus journey and in due course were deposited at the Brazilian coastal town of Florianópolis, a place full of "pretty people" as one of our traveling companions had noted. Of course, that's why we had come too.

Florianópolis is on the coast several hundred kilometers south of São Paulo and Rio, and is an interesting city that is half on the mainland and half on the island Ilha de Santa Catarina, the two halves joined by a long bridge. The island is renown for its numerous beautiful beaches so we decided to head out of the city and find place to stay somewhere on the north coast. After considering the many choices we had we set off for Praia dos Ingleses and before long had settled into a quaint pousada right on the sand.

As we had found in Punta del Este, the summer had gone from these southern beaches. The days were mostly overcast, windy and cold. The streets were deserted and most shops had closed for the season. One day we hired a car and drove around to the other beaches nearby, many of which were also beautiful. No doubt in the peak of summer this would be a gorgeous and fun escape.

Photos: (click on images to see full size)