Oh my lord, what a fantastic last few days. We left early Monday morning, none of us all too sure of where we were heading and what the next few days' adventures would bring.
We got on a small tour bus and headed out for the small town of Cambará, which is about 3 hours away from Porto Alegre. On the way, we stopped in this little lake town that I don't know how to describe other than calling it a romantic place. Snapped this picture that melted my heart. Kasey and Sarah both get so googley-eyed over little kids or animals... I don't care if this doesn't sound manly to say, but it's nothing short of adorable to watch.
When we finally got there, we had lunch at this great South American cowboy style restaurant whose name slips my mind. We actually ended up eating there a couple more times throughout the course of the past few days, and each time we were far from disappointed.
The highlight of this place was the free "cachaça," which is a type of liquor that I've only heard of being brewed in Brazil. The catch with this stuff though is that they let it ferment with various fruits, vegetables, or spices, thus giving each variation a very distinct and vibrant flavor. We had some fun sampling these liquors, which they had maybe 30 different variations of to try... for free. Some were just delicious, and I ended up picking up a bottle of chili pepper and pineapple cachaça to take back to the states. Those of you who would like a sample, I'd be happy to share.
After a 1 km hike (super short), we made it to these gorgeous waterfalls. I only took pictures at one point because we ended up going swimming for a while after, but I'll probably end up being tagged in a photo here and there on Facebook. But WOW did we have fun. Climbing waterfalls, swimming around, being in nature is what makes me happy. Wish I had words to describe.
Day Two- The Canyon
Probably the most impressive hike I had ever been on in my life. We went for hours, miles and miles, along the side of this remarkable canyon. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, but let's just say at the peak of where we were, it was about 950 meters to the bottom and 2000 meters across, all of it green, lush, and untouched. OH MY GOD it was incredible. I'll never forget it.
Made a good friend out of our tour guide, named Levi. Talked for hours about his family, his job, our lives, and especially the peacefulness and beauty that lies in nature. I love having meaningful conversations in a place like that, not to mention in another language. He was a wonderful individual, and I hope to hike with him again in the future.
Day 3- Waterfalls/ Horseback riding
We started out our morning going to these gorgeous waterfalls. The sun was out, people were happy, and the views were spectacular once again. Levi was once again a great guide, and you could tell he was really enjoying himself too.
Later, we went to this horse farm about half an hour away. I had never ridden a horse before today, but I had always wanted to. Dad and Suzanne, if you're reading this, I know you'd be proud. I loved it. The trail we went on was gorgeous, and I learned firsthand what people have known for centuries... there is nothing quite like riding a horse.
We got back to PA a few hours ago, and now it's time for bed. What a great past few days... really looking forward to doing more things like that in the future. Boa noiche!
~1/23/13
No comments:
Post a Comment