Cliffs, beaches and boats

Most people who know me know that I love the sun, sand and beach. Don't worry...I still do and these past four days have really hit the spot. I have seen some breathtaking scenery, sweet snorkeling, fantastic boat rides, played beach volleyball and just enjoyed the sun. And I have done this with some of my favorite people in the world - my daddy, a brother and his family, another brother, and one of my sisters and her husband.

There is a picture of me on the canal at Paraty (pod-a-chee). We were walking back from a breathtaking boatride out in the bay. We saw some amazing sites - multiple homes only accessible via water. A bed and breakfast with bungalows on an island which I think would be perfect for a get away with my lover (the one I don't have, that is). I have pictures of that too but I'll not clutter the page documenting everything that I have seen. We spent a day and a half at Paraty - did some shopping, ate some good stuff, toured one of the oldest port towns in Brazil, had an amazing boat ride in the bay, etc.

The next day we went to Trindade (trin-dodg-ee). Amazing scenery!!! I just laid on the beach and smiled after hiking around the rock formations there. We spent the entire day there...I opted to soak up the sun instead of going for a long hike up to a "waterfall". I was so happy that I made that choice because my daddy said it wasn't really a waterfall...more like a sprinkling of water coming out of the mountain.

The scenery was gorgeous...jungle on the side of cliffs that just drop off into the ocean of perfectly clear green and blue. Even the wanna be SI swimsuit models don't ruin the scenery. There are some Brazilian women here that wear really skimpy thong bikinis and I must say they probably shouldn't. Then their boyfriends take pictures of them and they pose in all of these various positions that are the poses of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. It is pretty entertaining really. As my dad said today, "that boy keeps telling her she looks like a model because he knows who butters his bread." I really wish the men would quit feeding that because the cellulite is not cute...

Today we were in Angra and went on a boat ride around to lots of little islands. We went snorkeling in some beautiful coves, then we went on a short hike through a small island, then lunch on another island. All in all, we were on the boat for over six hours. When we returned from the boat ride, we played volleyball on the beach for a few hours and it was SO fun! There is a picture of all of us on the boat.

One of the funniest things today was my dad playing volleyball with us. He is 66 in July and quite the agile man. We were trying to avoid getting the volleyball wet and it got hit toward the water. My dad took off running and yelling like a banchee Indian. Right when he was about to save the ball, he fell face first into the water and totally missed the ball. It was SO funny that the other five of us playing almost fell over laughing. One of the funnier parts was that he had been trying to avoid getting wet all day long...well when you fall face first into the ocean, you pretty much get wet all over. Poor old man!!

So...I'm not saving orphans like Jess or helping women in India get businesses started like Rachael, but I sure am having fun and loving this South American sun. Maybe one day I'll travel to help people versus just enjoying the scenery and the sun. I'm off to Rio de Janeiro the city (not just the state) tomorrow and will update on Friday or Saturday.