January 17, 2015
After discussing our last trip to Bombinhas with a co-worker, Papai learned exactly where we needed to go to see the fish that someone had previously told us about. His co-worker, Rodrigo, told us we needed to leave around 6:30am to beat the crowds and he showed Papai exactly where to park and how to get to the right beach. So we thought we'd give that beach another go. I certainly can't get enough of the beaches here! This time we bought a couple of snorkel sets and some sand toys to take with us as well.
We tried really hard to get up and going by 6:30am. I had packed mostly everything the night before but we didn't quite make it off that early. That night was SO, SO hot! We did a lot of rearranging our sleeping arrangements in the middle of the night to try and get cooler and make it through the night. So we were pretty tired. We ended up getting up at 6:30am and by the time we got the kids up and going and eating and then down to the car it was closer to 7:30. Still, the traffic was great and we were on the beach before 10am.
Main road through Bombinhas
So many of the beach buildings have rounded corners and verandas.
We found the parking area Rodrigo told us about and to the parking attendant's credit he didn't try to overcharge us since we're American. Parking was only $20 reais and to my complete JOY (!!!!!!) there was a bathroom (clean!!) at the parking with enough room to actually change in there AND an outdoor shower to rinse off. WOW!!!! I was in heaven!!! That has been a huge concern for us going to the beaches here. Where the heck do you go to the bathroom because there aren't any on the beaches!? We've surveyed lots of Brazilians and they all say they buy something from one of the restaurants in order to use their bathroom. What a pain--and the restaurants on the beaches are usually more expensive than other places. Anyway, we were super thrilled with the parking lot and it's clean bathroom and shower.
This resort is how you know you've arrived at the correct parking....Parking is to the right of this.
Lagoainhas Beach was a bit of a hike from the car. I'm so glad we got directions from someone because we never would have found it all by ourselves when we were looking last time, and this beach was totally worth coming back. We had to cross a bridge and follow a boardwalk past a resort to get to it. There is no access just by following the sand. On our way to the beach, Papai thought he spotted a sea turtle. He wasn't sure but he saw a large shape in between two rocks and then it was gone, and we heard that you can see sea turtles in this area. How cool!!
A peek into the resort area
Following the boardwalk past the resort...
This beach was awesome! There were rocks and lots of shade and it seemed more family friendly. It was still pretty crowded but had fewer people than the day before New Years. The waves were small because the area is protected by an outcropping of rocks, which are home to crabs and some fish. The fish come right up in the shallow area and people like to feed them bread and chips so they'll swim right up to you. It scared our kids to be close to them, especially because Safari Girl spotted one that we thought looked a bit like a puffer fish (even though probably wasn't), but The Boss LOVED feeding the fish. I knew we weren't going to see bright, beautiful tropical looking fish but I was pleasantly surprised that they were prettier than just plain brown fish. The ones we saw were yellow with black stripes. In the shallow area it was easier to see them without our snorkels than with them.
We didn't have chairs or an umbrella so we picked out a rock under some trees in the shade and camped out there. The kids enjoyed the sand toys and Papai and I took turns staying with them and going snokeling. Papai took Safari Girl out first. After checking out several areas they decided to try and get to the other side of the outcropping of rocks. While they were trying to climb over some rocks, Safari Girl tried to grab a shell she saw, a couple of crabs suddenly popped up out of a crack, which completely freaked her out so that she slipped and cut her knee and her ankle on the rocks. That set her completely off, shrieking and screaming so that Papai had to give up on snorkeling and take her back to the beach. She was so visibly upset by the whole thing, and devastated that we didn't have a bandaid with us that I thought we might actually have to leave but I hadn't had a chance to go snorkeling yet. With Papai's blessing, I took off and found my way to the other side of the rock outcropping in a different way to get in some snorkeling before we left.
Our little rock space where we parked ourselves.
I was glad we practiced snorkeling in the pool. I was unprepared for how terrifying I found it to be in the ocean. I'm not sure why. Probably partly it's how it's a little harder to breath-- the pressure is a little different when you are snorkeling. Partly, it was seeing all those creatures right beneath my feet that I had no idea were there before and not knowing WHAT creatures I might see. Part of it was feeling like I was being pushed by waves and I wasn't entirely sure where other swimmers were and I didn't want to crash into them. I wanted to lift my head up to check my surroundings but when I did my breathing tube filled with water, so then I'd grab it out and try and swim with that in my hand but that made swimming against the push of the water harder. It was complicated. Later, Papai helped me attach the breathing tube to the mask better hel that I could lift my head out when I wanted and that helped. Part of my problem, too, was that in doing some research online about beaches in Brazil, I saw a video that a tourist happened to take right as a shark attacked a woman at a beach in Recife. While there have been problems with shark attacks in northern Brazil, I've never heard of a shark in the waters in Southern Brazil, but it was still kind of terrifying to look out to sea and feel like it could happen at any moment! It didn't stop me from snorkeling it just made the whole experience more thrilling.
Lagoainhas (Little Lake)--an outcropping of rocks creates this small area protected from the waves.
Millions of fishies! They are about the size of an adult's palm.
There's our "puffer" fish. Papai guesses it's a rock fish of some sort?
Our little rock space where we parked ourselves.
Outcropping of rocks that Papai and Safari Girl tried swimming to and climbing over.
Looking toward Lagoainhas (Little Lake) from our rock.
Obviously taken before the knee scrape!
I was glad we practiced snorkeling in the pool. I was unprepared for how terrifying I found it to be in the ocean. I'm not sure why. Probably partly it's how it's a little harder to breath-- the pressure is a little different when you are snorkeling. Partly, it was seeing all those creatures right beneath my feet that I had no idea were there before and not knowing WHAT creatures I might see. Part of it was feeling like I was being pushed by waves and I wasn't entirely sure where other swimmers were and I didn't want to crash into them. I wanted to lift my head up to check my surroundings but when I did my breathing tube filled with water, so then I'd grab it out and try and swim with that in my hand but that made swimming against the push of the water harder. It was complicated. Later, Papai helped me attach the breathing tube to the mask better hel that I could lift my head out when I wanted and that helped. Part of my problem, too, was that in doing some research online about beaches in Brazil, I saw a video that a tourist happened to take right as a shark attacked a woman at a beach in Recife. While there have been problems with shark attacks in northern Brazil, I've never heard of a shark in the waters in Southern Brazil, but it was still kind of terrifying to look out to sea and feel like it could happen at any moment! It didn't stop me from snorkeling it just made the whole experience more thrilling.
This area was to the left of the "lake" area and the outcropping of rocks. I walked over here and went snorkeling on the other side of the big rock in the center.
This is the area I went snorkeling--colder and it got deep fast! But there lots of fish!
In reality, I really didn't see a whole lot while snorkeling. There were lots of the yellow and black striped fish and I saw a bunch of white fish with a black dot near their tails. There was no brightly colored coral--just lots of green and brown seaweed clumps and rocks, mostly non-descript but it was still awesome for a first time snorkeling. I saw one more type of fish as well but it was mostly just silver. No distinct markings that I could tell. The water on the other side of the rock croppings got deep quickly and was noticecably colder than the water in the little protected area. It was nice and refreshing.
When I finished I headed back to my family and Safari Girl had calmed down. Papai went snorkeling again while I watched the kids. When he got back Safari Girl spent some time snorkeling in the shallow end hunting for shells. She was happy to find a bunch of tiny spiral ones. I was thrilled when The Boss wanted to go in the water and try snorkeling again. It didn't last long but I was impressed he still wanted to be in the water and he was getting wet up to his neck!
The Boss feeding the fish with Papai
When I had the chance, I took tons of pictures. The color of the water was just gorgeous!! We could see in the distance (based on a landmark) the general area on the coastline where we were last time we were here. The area where we were last time had gorgeous, clean sand without a spot of debri--not even sticks or little shells or anything. I've never seen sand so clean! In Lagoainhas, we saw a lot more natural debri but we loved that it was shaded, that the waves were almost non-existant,and that there was so much more to do. And did I mention the gorgeous crystal clear water? We parked ourselves unknowningly right in front of a pathway through the water that led to this little restaurant and snorkel rental place. We took turns wading over to their deck to take pictures from that angle as well.
Pathway through the water to the little snack shop/rental place. There was a waiter constantly walking back and forth from this shop to the beach with menus and food.
View of Lagoainhas from the eating deck at the left in the picture above.
Around noon it started getting really hot and Papai was a bit restless. I felt like my skin was burning even though we'd only been there a couple of hours and I applied sunscreen twice. So, despite it being early, and despite the fact that I can't ever understand why anyone would leave the beach voluntarily before the day's end, we ended up leaving around 12:30ish. On the way back we got a few pictures of some of the smaller beaches on the way that were also gorgeous! We hiked back to the car, rinsed off in the shower and changed into clothes and then headed down the freeway to find this restaurant Papai's co-worker recommended.
View of the same beach pictured above from the boardwalk looking back to it.
A view from the boardwalk
The restaurant was called Recanto da Sereia (Mermaid's Nook) and was located on it's own private beach with floor to ceiling windows facing the ocean. It was gorgeous! It also had a beautiful garden area with a birdhouse Safari Girl loved and a protected area for these little animals that are related to the guinea pig, called preá. (Or in English--cavy. Yeah, that doesn't really help, does it! That's the family that guinea pigs are in, so like I said, related to them....)
Recanto da Sereia from the beach.
We were a little worried when we opened the menu and saw prices of $100-600 reais. Then we realized each menu item was meant for 2 people. Still a little expensive for our taste but who knows when we'll ever have this chance again right? So we ordered some fish native to the area we were. I forget the name but it was in a creamy spinach sauce. It came with two plates of rice, a plate of roasted potatoes, and a plate of shrimp sauce. They served us Brushetta before the meal arrived and we ordered French Fries for the kids and drinks and it all came out to about $60 American. (You don't have to tip here, it's wrapped into the price already.) Not too bad for all that. The fish was delicious--a little rich in that sauce but very good. When we finished our food they brought out a plate of deep fried bananas bathed in cinnamon and sugar. YUM! And after that they brought out taffy-like mints.
The kids were amazed by the bathrooms there,which had automatic doors (why don't we have THAT in the States so you don't have to touch the door?!?!), a dental floss dispenser (cool idea, but just sounds so gross to have in a bathroom!), and at least one of the toilets had this plastic covering on the toilet seat that supposedly automatically replaces itself with the swipe of a hand over the sensor. It didn't work for us--it looked all bunched up on one side.
As you walk into the restaurant
Our food arrived
My view while eating!
The kids were amazed by the bathrooms there,which had automatic doors (why don't we have THAT in the States so you don't have to touch the door?!?!), a dental floss dispenser (cool idea, but just sounds so gross to have in a bathroom!), and at least one of the toilets had this plastic covering on the toilet seat that supposedly automatically replaces itself with the swipe of a hand over the sensor. It didn't work for us--it looked all bunched up on one side.
Dental floss dispenser
It took awhile to get the bill taken care of-nearly a half hour, which gave Safari Girl and I time to explore the gardens. I was getting anxious to go--Rodrigo told us to leave by 5 to avoid traffic. (Huh, I forgot until now that he does just about anything to avoid traffic--including taking a million side streets that still make the trip take just as long, but he gets to move instead of sit.) Also, we could see a storm coming in the distance. Papai, on the other hand, wanted to drive through the beach town of Balneário Camboriú. I think I mentioned it before--it made it into an article in Forbes magazine about being the capital of electronic music in Brazil. In the article, it's mentioned that it has the two best night clubs in the country, claiming they rake in over $1.6 million (I think that's American) per night. The other cool thing it has is a cable car connecting the central beach to another one in another city. It has a Christ statue over 100 feet tall, similar to the one in Rio, except that he's holding a hat in one of his arms, which has a spotlight that shines out to sea. In the summer, the population swells from 125,00 to 1 million people so it's not surprising that it's well known for it's abundance of sky scrapers and it's wealthy tourist. We have been impressed by the sheer number skyscapers we've seen from the freeway and we thought we'd like to go check out this city.
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It took a bit of navigating to find the correct exit for Avenida Atlântica, which is the main ocean boulevard but when we did we were amazed. It was 6pm and we drove that road for 3.5 miles and there were just people, people, people EVERYWHERE!! On our right side we saw (what we think are) mango trees lining the sidewalk between the road and the sand, all decked out with lights rods that drip color down.. That side also had TWO very well designated with reflector bumps bike lines (one for each direction) and it was full of rollerbladers, joggers, and bikers. On the beach there were dance parties going on, sand castle contests (we saw an elaborate sand castle taller than us), work out classes, bonfires and more. Huge parts of different areas were sectioned off with nets to be soccer fields. I can't even remember all that was going on! It was one HUGE beach party for three and half miles!!! On our left side there was just sky scraper after white skyscraper with restaurants, bars, and pubs. It was incredible!
Approaching Camboriu
Gardens at Recanto da Sereia
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Prea/Cavy
Ornate waiting bench near entrance of Recanto da Sereia
It took a bit of navigating to find the correct exit for Avenida Atlântica, which is the main ocean boulevard but when we did we were amazed. It was 6pm and we drove that road for 3.5 miles and there were just people, people, people EVERYWHERE!! On our right side we saw (what we think are) mango trees lining the sidewalk between the road and the sand, all decked out with lights rods that drip color down.. That side also had TWO very well designated with reflector bumps bike lines (one for each direction) and it was full of rollerbladers, joggers, and bikers. On the beach there were dance parties going on, sand castle contests (we saw an elaborate sand castle taller than us), work out classes, bonfires and more. Huge parts of different areas were sectioned off with nets to be soccer fields. I can't even remember all that was going on! It was one HUGE beach party for three and half miles!!! On our left side there was just sky scraper after white skyscraper with restaurants, bars, and pubs. It was incredible!
Approaching Camboriu
Three building sky scraper with skyway in between
Cruising Avenida Atlantica--two way bike lane on the right
Here you can see the nets up on the beach for soccer fields if you look closely.
Sailboat
A Praca (open area)
Trees with drippy lights
CAMBORIU!!! City of white skyscrapers!
I have to include some Google Map links with pictures because mine don't do it justice.
- Overview of the city
- In this picture the buildings colors stand out more than they did in real life but it gives you an idea of the buildings.
- From a distance
- Street, sidewalk, BEACH
- Unbelievable how many skyscrapers next to the beach
- Looking from the beach to the skyscrapers.
- At night
- This one you can rotate and see the excellent bike lines and the trees lit up.
So I'm slightly obsessed as you can clearly see. It really is remarkable. I realized this summer (or what we like to refer to as our 1st summer of 2014 since we're having our 2nd summer now) while we were in Chicago that I'm much more of a nature girl than a city girl. So this whole time I've been in Brazil I've wondered what my city lover friends would be impressed with and like about the places we've seen. Well, I'm pretty sure Camboriu would make both kinds of people happy!
After we drove that street we headed home. It was near 7pm and the storm was heading in. I wrote about how crazy the drive home from Bombinhas was last time with the storm. This time at least it was still light so we thought that would help but it turned out to be a worse storm than the previous one we encountered. The rain was coming down so hard so fast and so much at once that with our wipers on hyper speed we still could barely see anything in the millisecond after the windshield was wiped. What we could see was WAVES of rain washing over the road, and sometimes the lighting and thunder cracked in the same moment. During some parts the rain was so heavy that it sounded like hail on our car but there was no hail. Most people were driving carefully but every once in awhile when a car would zoom past we'd be swimming in the water it dowsed us with. I told Papai I think this storm definitely counts as our 2nd experience in snorkeling and I seriously wondered if we were going to get home and find out if we had been driving through a tropical storm. I mean, we were...but one of the sort that hits the news. You better believe I prayed the ENTIRE WAY HOME! People were pulling off the road right and left to wait it out but there were still plenty of people on the road so we kept at creeping along at 25mph (about 30-40kph) the whole way. Then just outside of Joinville (literally--the GPS said we had 7 minutes of driving left and it was taking into account our speed) the wind was so strong, and there were torrents of water washing over us, and the very last car that was on the road in front of us pulled off to wait it out so we didn't have any lights to guide us, so we followed that car off. It was INTENSE! Even just getting off the road was freaky because it was so hard to see the road itself. But we pulled off into a gravel parking lot of a random store on the side of the road selling lawn ornaments and there we waited for 10-15 minutes. That last car that pulled off before us was our storm buddy--it was nice to have a 2nd opinion on when we could get back on the road. We waited with it and it seemed to be ready to go at about the same time as we were so we followed it back to the freeway, which was still really bad and finished our drive home. Wouldn't you know it? Just as we were arriving at our exit the storm abated and we drove to our apartment in a light sprinkle. RAINVILLE, MY EYE! I swear there must be this huge storm cloud that exclusivly hugs just the freeway between Bombinhas and Joinville! I can't believe we drove home in yet another storm. I guess that's another reason we should have listened to Rodrigo and left around 5pm..
STORM AGAIN!
Pulled off waiting out the storm. You can't see it here but water was shooting off the tiled roof in a jet stream!
The kids are excited to go back to Bombinhas again this coming weekend. We've seen lots of things now. Why shouldn't we spend our last few weekends here exclusively at the beach? Our last weekend here we are planning on getting a hotel in Florianopolis to try out the beaches there. But you better believe we are heading home early in the afternoon!
