We left the hotel shortly after 11:00 with the name of the beach restaurant in our hands. We assumed the cab driver would know where it was. What we didn’t know was that there was 15 miles of beach where we were going and it was packed with hundreds of restaurants that had very similar names. (I think the Portuguese word for Restaurant was the significant part of the name we were looking for - we saw it everywhere) The cabbie stopped and consulted with other cabbies and finally we found it, only half an hour late.
Everything you imagine about the beaches in Brazil is true. The most striking thing was their beach culture. On the weekend everyone near the coast was at the beach, rich, poor, and in between. All of the women wore string bikinis (and looked great in them) and all of the men wore speedos (and looked great in them also!!).
The restaurant we met in had a good solid roof and tile floor, but the sides were open to the beach. Families sat at the tables and ate and drank while children ran in and out of the water and played in the sand. You could sit there all day. There was no feeling that you had to make way for other customers.
Armando’s parents were charming and his mother is very beautiful. With the help of the Portuguese/English dictionary and, of course, Armando’s translating skills, we shared stories and laughed and had a wonderful time.
Left to right back row– Eloisa and Armando, Sr, Danny, Rhonda, Scott.
Front row – Armando, Sonia, and Madeline.
Armando Sr. showing Danny how to crack a crab.
We ordered a number of dishes and shared. The soup in the right top corner is ray stew – yes, as in stingrays.
Although this was a restaurant with menus and waiters, if you wanted something that was not on the menu, the waiter was happy to go out on the beach and bring in a beach vendor that had it. Scott wanted raw oysters, which were not on the menu, so the waiter brought in a kid from the beach who sat on a bucket next to our table and shucked a dozen oysters.
After a long and luxurious lunch, Eloisa and Armando Sr left for home and we started down the beach headed to our next destination.
The beach was beautiful, but parts were not safe. Brazil is a country that has so much natural beauty, but it is also a land of extreme poverty. The lack of opportunity has made it one of the world’s most dangerous countries. As we were warned to not leave the hotel area on our own, the beach also had its dangers. At first we did not notice anything. We were laughing and talking (in English) and generally making ourselves very conspicuous. At one point Rhonda pointed out that a shot of Scott and Danny walking ahead of us would make a nice picture. As I started to pull my camera out of my backpack, Armando was on me in an instance and told me to put it back.
Later down the beach a guard from one of the restaurants approached Armando and told him that we were attracting too much attention. We moved up to where the guards were and continued the walk away from the beach. At that point Madeline mentioned that she had started noticing passing the same people, in other words they were circling us.
It was a sobering thought, made more so since Armando had been robbed at gunpoint just two nights earlier. It is a real danger and so sad.
Eventually we arrived at our destination. It was another beach bar, but this one had a stage and band. The band was excellent, playing modern songs with a strong latin beat. Besides looking good in swimwear, Brazilians are natural dancers. Scott and I were the only ones in our party who did not dance, but I loved just watching.
The table we sat at was the table where Armando first met Sonia two years earlier. How romantic!!
Danny & Rhonda were fearless dancers, as was Madeline.
Danny & Rhonda, Armando & Sonia
But it was Rhonda who won the heart of Roger, one of the best dancers on the floor. Danny had a hard time competing, Roger monopolized Rhonda the rest of the evening and gave her lessons in how to dance like a Brazilian.
Roger, Rhonda, and an unknown cowgirl in golden platform boots! When we left Roger bowed and told Rhonda “You are my Queen!”. Rhonda replied – “No, you are my Queen!”.
We ordered a number of dishes and shared. The soup in the right top corner is ray stew – yes, as in stingrays.
Although this was a restaurant with menus and waiters, if you wanted something that was not on the menu, the waiter was happy to go out on the beach and bring in a beach vendor that had it. Scott wanted raw oysters, which were not on the menu, so the waiter brought in a kid from the beach who sat on a bucket next to our table and shucked a dozen oysters.
After a long and luxurious lunch, Eloisa and Armando Sr left for home and we started down the beach headed to our next destination.
The beach was beautiful, but parts were not safe. Brazil is a country that has so much natural beauty, but it is also a land of extreme poverty. The lack of opportunity has made it one of the world’s most dangerous countries. As we were warned to not leave the hotel area on our own, the beach also had its dangers. At first we did not notice anything. We were laughing and talking (in English) and generally making ourselves very conspicuous. At one point Rhonda pointed out that a shot of Scott and Danny walking ahead of us would make a nice picture. As I started to pull my camera out of my backpack, Armando was on me in an instance and told me to put it back.
Later down the beach a guard from one of the restaurants approached Armando and told him that we were attracting too much attention. We moved up to where the guards were and continued the walk away from the beach. At that point Madeline mentioned that she had started noticing passing the same people, in other words they were circling us.
It was a sobering thought, made more so since Armando had been robbed at gunpoint just two nights earlier. It is a real danger and so sad.
Eventually we arrived at our destination. It was another beach bar, but this one had a stage and band. The band was excellent, playing modern songs with a strong latin beat. Besides looking good in swimwear, Brazilians are natural dancers. Scott and I were the only ones in our party who did not dance, but I loved just watching.
The table we sat at was the table where Armando first met Sonia two years earlier. How romantic!!
Danny & Rhonda were fearless dancers, as was Madeline.
Danny & Rhonda, Armando & SoniaBut it was Rhonda who won the heart of Roger, one of the best dancers on the floor. Danny had a hard time competing, Roger monopolized Rhonda the rest of the evening and gave her lessons in how to dance like a Brazilian.
Roger, Rhonda, and an unknown cowgirl in golden platform boots! When we left Roger bowed and told Rhonda “You are my Queen!”. Rhonda replied – “No, you are my Queen!”.
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