Day 6

Day 6 and I have bad news. On a day where we’re going rafting, swimming, and lounging in the sauna, I’m in a bathing suit and robe sun up to sun down. The result: I have no pictures of an unbelievable day. We had more good times on the bus after we say our final goodbye to Floripa. Our home for the first leg of the trip could not have been better to us and it isn’t much fun to walk away without knowing when the next opportunity to return will be.

What is fun is that our bus ride was taking us to Santo Amaro. For everyone following along here’s the map of where we’ve been. Starting in Floripa and heading south; then returning north; and now making our way west.

It is freezing cold outside, but how many chances do you get to go white water (well, brown water) rafting in Brasil? We throw on wet suits, helmets, and soaking wet shoes then head for the vans. They’re the most rickety vans you’ve ever been in, but they have some serious character and we’re on our way to the river with our rafts on the roof. Just like you did back when you played soccer as a kid, we start with stretching out. Rafting isn’t for the faint of heart as it turns out. Then, we hop in the boat and go in circles to make sure everyone is thoroughly confused. It turns out that our guide is simply making sure we can follow his instructions. For the next 30 minutes, hour, 2 hours, 3 hours -  I really have no way of knowing – we have a blast going down the rapids. We get a chance to stop and do flips off a rock ledge, get pictures under a waterfall, and ram the other boats at full speed. When it is freezing outside this all may have been a horrible decision, but I had a great time and would do it again in a heartbeat.

After our rafting trip a ride back to the hot springs could not come quickly enough. A shower was heavenly after the cold water earlier and then the next few hours were all about the hot spring pool, the sauna, and the steam room. I don’t think it would take much convincing to get us to spend a couple extra days at Aguas Mornas. Dinner was excellent as usual, and the evening’s festivities were a group trip to the game room. Pool, ping pong, foosball, and air hockey kept us entertained for the whole night. The hidden gem, however, was dominoes. We had seen plenty of men playing in the park while touring Floripa, and our buddy Ihor took the time to teach our group how to play. He had quickly created a monster and dominoes became an instant hit. Soon our man Joe would be searching Brasil high and low for his own set so that we could play on our bus rides.

Until tomorrow everyone – Thanks for reading