Adios, South America

We pulled into the Recife bus station missing our amazing surfer buddies and then we meet Carlos, another amazing friend. He was an exchange student with my cousins a few years ago. My Cousin Kayla’s family owns a farm in Indiana so he learned to speak English and all about agriculture. Carlos met us at the bus station and drove us back to his family home. His mom and step dad then moved out of their master suite so we could be comfortable.

In the afternoon his step father took time off work to take us on a tour of the city. We started with the oldest jail in Brazil; all the cells are now little shops. Next we went down to the waterfront to see the new cruise ship dock. They are preparing for the World Cup and the Olympics here too. Later we went to the old city that is more than 500 years old.

To end the incredible tour we went to dinner and had some more authentic Brazilian food. I had tapioca tacos filled with cheese and coconut.

The next morning we were invited out on Carlos’ Uncle and Aunt’s yacht. It was beautiful. We cruised in the sea out to a little island. When we arrived they set up the perfect picnic with tables, umbrellas, seafood and sweet treats. It was so much fun and the island was fantastic. Everest and I explored the tide pools and found a purple crab and lots of little fish.

We also went swimming in the crazy warm water and before we left we got to jump of the back of the boat. It was super duper awesome. We rode the boat back as the sun was setting. They turned the music up really loud and we danced all the way back.

We had such a great time with Carlos and his family, but we wanted to spend our last days in South America in a little beach town so off we went to Porto de Galinhas were we found a nice hotel just steps away from the ocean. We spent hours in the water. We rented surf boards and boogie boards and savored the waves. On our last night we went out on a little sail boat and went snorkeling. They had roped off a little section of the coral reef that was perfect for snorkeling. It was super fun. We also built a huge sand castle and everyone had a part in the creation.

We sat on the beach under the stars with tears in our eyes remembering all of our amazing memories from the estancias in Uruguay, to the vineyards and mountains in Argentina, to the parks in Paraguay to the beaches in Brazil, and many more memories that were coming to an end. We were not ready to leave but in the morning we had to say goodbye.

Adios America del Sul. Muchas gracias por de muchas memorias!!!