A Different World

Needless to say, I tried to sleep in as late as possible. My computer is on the edge of crashing and I've gotten the blue screen of death a few times so I worked on it for a few hours. Nicole and I had plans to go to Vitoria to visit with Fabi from our UFES Portuguese class, so I made the mistake of taking a run in the middle of the day. Usually it always extremely hot here, but the midday sun amplified the heat and for some reason I decided to run really far again. I found myself in the middle of Vila Velha on the edge of dehydration. I even hydrate before my runs, but I have never sweated this much in my whole life. By the time that I return from my runs, my entire mop of hair is soaking, I have to wring my shirt out (I take it off halfway through my run to wipe the sweat out of my eyes), and there is literally a puddle in the bottom of my shoes when I take them off. This day was no different. This picture doesn't really do it justice, but I am soaking from head to toe. It takes me no less than an hour after my run and a cold shower to finally return my body temp to normal without sweating.

Nicole and I left for Vitoria around 3 and finally made it to Jardim da Penha by 4:30. This is a different world from where I live. It reminds me of Europe and I actually feel really safe on the streets. We ate sushi at a small shopping center and then walked to the beach where I just relaxed. I didn't get in the water because Geli had warned me about the beaches in Vitoria. The raw sewage of Vila Velha is dumped beneath the third bridge (shown in this picture) and there is a very dirty foundry directly across the bay from where we were. Again, this was a different world. The beaches of Vila Velha are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen, but there is the houses are not as nice and it is a little more dangerous. The beaches of Vitoria are dirty with trash and brown water, but the apartments are modern and there is much more access to options. I guess this is the classic tradeoff.
Fabi's "sister" (Gabi) drove us back to Vila Velha so that we wouldn't have to ride the bus. Also, Gabi is a lesbian and lives with her partner. Apparently Vitoria is a very large gay community in Brazil. Maybe this would explain one reason why Vitoria is a much cleaner, safer oasis in Brazil.

When we got back to my house we bought some alcohol and went to the beach. I really enjoy the no open container law, but I still have the habit of looking over my shoulder everytime we drink in public. I just doesn't feel right but it is so nice. I ordered a pastel (deep friend shell with cheese and chicken inside) from a local padaria and then took it to where Amanda and Nicole had ordered food on the beach. This is so weird for me. You can eat other food and mix drinks at a restaurant where your friends are eating. In America you pretty much have to order something just to sit down.

After dinner we walked out to the "pedra" or rock which is a peninsula out into the water. I really like this place because you can watch the huge container ships go into the Vitoria port, star at the stars, and people watch the fisherman. The only thing that could make it better is if there was less light pollution and you could see the stars more clearly. I really miss being able to drive out into the country and star at the stars. I guess I'll just make up for it in Yellowstone!

We walked back around 2:00 and of course it started to rain. It actually felt really good but we got soaked. All in all, pretty great day.