Last Stop: Tropical Buzios, Paradise Found

Alas, all good things must come to an end. And so I bid a final farewell to Brazil as I sunk my toes into the warm sands of Buzios-a quaint, coastal city 2 hours south of Rio de Janeiro. Known for stretches of fine white sand, half-moon bays, sparkling waters, and unique marine life, Buzios and the beaches of the Costa do Sul, was a tranquil paradise.

After carpooling down with a van full of tourists from Rio, I dumped my bags (and my abnormally large box with the ceramic chicken inside, lest you forget) at the inn, and headed out to explore the town. I think I was having an artistic flare-up that day. I couldn't stop photographing a) boats, and b) windows and doors. In fact, that's pretty much all I have to show for my time in Buzios. Have a peak...
I took a taxi downtown and enjoyed strolling along the waterfront--

admiring the charm of everything around me. Small. Artsy. Breezy. Lazy. Colorful.

And when I'd had my fill of boats (yeah, I realize I just posted a whole, heck of a lot of boats), I got wrapped up in windows and doors. Here are my favorite picks of the day.

Yes indeed. I spent well over an hour photographing some local abodes until I finally got it out of the old system.

I spent the next day doing the unthinkable. Since I didn't have the time or money to go out on a fancy-pants adventure to secluded islands or isolated beaches, I went on a boat ride. Another dang boat ride. Yes, it was voluntary. And yes, I just happened to choose Buzios' Party Boat, at that.

Yep, here's a sampler of the fine people with whom I got to share my outing. I felt like a fish out of water. Like an Eskimo in the desert. A Lone Ranger of sorts. For starters, I was alone. I didn't drink, and I had "grandma's" bathing suit on underneath my clothes. Which meant that I sat awkwardly and fully-clothed between posh honeymooners, large vacationing families, babe & hunk tag-teams, and of course an array of older folks who were not afraid to let it all hang out and shake it to ethnic dance music.

So here I am in all my glory. Now I'm gonna go ahead and share a small observation I made. I noticed multiple women on board the Party Ship who were sporting a new look that I hadn't seen before--they had their pant-flies unzipped and their waistbands rolled down, as to reveal an ever-so-slight glimpse of their bathing suits underneath. Now I figured since I couldn't take off my pants at that point (out of sheer embarassment), that I might as well jump on board the bandwagon and become one with Buzios' trend-setting, boat scene. So in an effort to fit in, the fly came down. Have a look (don't judge).

But in reality, I don't think this helped. In fact, I felt weird. And I thought I caught a few awkward glimpses coming my way... I guess I just couldn't pull off "the look" quite like I had planned.

And then I saw various honeymooning couples posing for the camera on the front tip of the boat. They had their arms flung around one another, hair blowing in the wind, with plenty of sexy, South-American swimming attire to flaunt in all the right places. It just looked like the 'happening' thing to do at the time, so I waited in line for my own photo opp'....and like I said, I just didn't fit the description on that boat. I couldn't portray The Image. I was in fact the Lone, Whitey with the unzipped fly.

But I'm okay with that. There are times and places where we're going to feel on the outs. We're going to try to fit in, but fail. So why not run with it?

The scenery, on the other hand, was gorgeous. We sailed out as far around the cape as the choppy waters would allow us, grasping tight to the railings as we were tossed about. We then pulled into various beaches so that people could jump ship, cool off, and snorkel.

Uh-huh. I was still sitting on the boat, in the tiny spot I had carved out for myself, imagining how wonderful the sparkling turquoise water would feel...

But it was all worth it when the whales showed up. A beautiful mother and child pair at that, followed by a handful of others. My new friend, Bruna, a young marine biologist on board (who just happened to have lived in DC for a year), had been tracking the migration patterns of these awe-inspiring creatures for several months. She was ecstatic to find them, and I was too.

I spent a care-free evening in the downtown section of the city, where quaint streets, unique artisan shops, and plenty of fine dining establishments made for a great time. And it was here, that I may, or may not have, decided to complete my Brazilian beach experience buy buying the perfect, racy, South-American swim suit of my very own. Given the peer pressure on board the Party Ship earlier that day, my less-than-sightly appearance from weeks of travel, and the excessive prevalence of swim shops dotting every square inch of the city, I figured that I had best get my act together and do as the locals-- one last time.

And so I may, or may not have, done just that! You'll never know!

It was then back to the inn; my favorite of the entire trip. Located right beside the beach, these colorful bungalows let me nod off and wake up to the sound of ocean waves ...and screaming children peering in from the pool outside my window. I learned to make good use of the blinds.

At dusk, I took off for a stroll along the water to watch the sky light up.

This has always been my favorite time of day. There' s just something about the light that captures and illuminates the sky at sunset,

when it becomes entangled in the clouds and in the water. And then I did what I had done nearly every night since I arrived in Brazil; I watched and I watched and I watched. Until every color yielded to the night sky and was gone. The most peaceful and perhaps pensive night yet. A proper farewell, if you will.

Farewell to an experience that caught me in the act of laughing, exploring, learning, tasting, trying, seeing, feeling, and even believing.

The next morning before I left, I played in the ocean for the first and last time on my trip. You heard right. For the first and the last time, I let the salty waves sting my eyes and have their way with me. It was freedom in its most unadulterated form. I guess I just needed to save the best for last.

And that I did. Perhaps I even did it in a racy, Brazilian bathing suit. You'll never know...