The Sitio

We caught the bus at 9 outside the house for Guarapari. The bus was really crowded and I either had the option of standing while pressed up against four other people or sitting on the gearshift- I chose to stand the entire 40 minutes.

We got off the bus in the middle of nowhere and just started walking. I typically have no idea what we are doing, so I just go with the flow. The language barrier always keeps everything a mystery and I kinda like it because I have no responsibility. We eventually reached a roadside stand and waited for Carlos (my uncle) to pick us up. We drove for about 30 minutes and stopped by a farm to pick up some cashaca (sugar cane liquor). The picture is of a tank of aged cashaca that was made from the sugar cane on the farm. This is essentially their neighborhood liquor outlet. We drove past some eucalyptus trees that are used for paper fiber and I got to feel real latex (smells absolutely horrible and is hard to wash the smell off) as it dripped from rubber trees.

When we arrived at Carlos's sitio, it was overwhelming. There was about 20 family members there and I was meeting most of them for the first time. Anyways, this place is beautiful. If it were in America, it would be a state or national park. The large rock outcropping on top of the mountain is called "Tartaruga" or Turtle Mountain (not sure if you can see but it looks like a sea turtle). Below the mountain is Carlos's Banana Plantation and house. Surrounding the house are fruit trees with every fruit imaginable. My favorites were a tree with fruit similar to blackberries or the starfruit trees.

As soon as we arrived, the beer started flowing. The party started around 10:30 and keep going till about 2 in the morning. They drink beer here from cups and share a liter glass bottle. It is much different from the US but keeps people drinking because they refill your glass every sec and you have to drink it before it gets warm. I guess its a kind of tropical drinking game.

The entire day consisted of talking (or rather yelling, they people could have gotten a noise complaint and we were in the middle of nowhere), sitting by the pool, eating copious amounts of meat, and relaxing. They also have a sauna here which I find very strange. I have never stopped sweating while I have been here and they find it necessary to sweat even more. The ambient temperature already feels like a sauna to me, so this was just ridiculous. At night we celebrated Carnaval and watched it on the TV. The TV censorship here is essentially non-existent.

Before we went to bed, the whole family took a walk and looked at the stars. It was a very relaxing ending to a day in paradise.