Check out those umbrellas, even out in the middle of the water!
Our friend Wendy and my lovely wife enjoying fried cheese!
Sarah and my cousin Duda enjoying the ice cold beer (well not Duda, but Sarah)
Cashew salesman walking by as we enjoy the beach!
So, I love beach! Who doesn't? Well actually a lot of people don't, but that is beside the point.
I have been to beaches all over the world, and at face value they are all great. They all have the basics of a beach. Salt water, sand, beautiful scenery and sometimes sea life.
Brazil is different. Brazil has a beach experience that in all my travels I have not found or replicated again. Brazil does the beach right!
So unlike when you go to most beaches in the US or Europe, once you are arrive on the beach you are not left alone to fend for yourself. You don't have to bring your own chair, table, food, umbrella, sunscreen, or anything else for that matter.
Most beaches in Brazil are lined with chairs and umbrellas that you can sit at for free as long as you purchase just one thing...So you can go to the beach, buy one coconut water and sit in the beach chairs all day long, with someone watching your stuff and with the protection of an umbrella.
But the good part about most of these beaches with chairs and umbrellas (at least here in the Northeast) is that you can have a full day of food and drink at a reasonable price (I am going to talk about costs going up in a a future post).
To give you an idea: a soft drink, 500ml costs about R$2.50, almost a liter of beer R$4.00, a coconut water straight out of the coconut R$2,50, a whole fish with french fries and salad, R$18,00.
And if you aren't interested in what your vendor is selling just wait a few minutes and someone will be walking buy selling something else. Anything from quail eggs, hot dogs, crabs, shrimp, ice cream, to tanning oil and sunglasses. It really is quite the treat.
The fresh fish/crab served on the beach is absolutely phenomenal! I'm a big fan of the fried cheese, too.
ReplyDeleteI also love the tons of beach sports - soccer, volleyball, futvolei, frescoball, kite-flying, capoeira, etc. I love the fact that you can actually DO all this stuff on the beach. Some of the beaches in the U.S. are over-regulated (NO frisbees! NO dogs! NO balls! NO horseplay!)
Only thing I try to avoid is going to the beach alone as a female - especially a foreign female... in general, one will not be left alone. Fortunately, I think I may have perfected my standoffish vibe. Last week when I went to the beach alone and my blindingly white skin attracted a guy trying to "puxar conversa," the second thing out of my mouth was "I'm married" - and then I buried my nose in a book. It worked :-p
The US certainly does have too many rules for the beach! They are much more fun here. The fresh food is wonderful. I had a fresh fish yesterday!
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