ubatuba

i met sandra and naiara and began the 3 hour ride to Ubatuba on friday afternoon. one hour was spent on the highway with tons of são paulo traffic, the rest on the most beautiful ride of my life. through the mountainous country side passing ever shade of green and deep reds. i saw tiny towns scattered with small houses and empty grass fields. forests of eucalyptus trees that are planted and harvested for their wood. rolling clouds that lined the horizon. we climbed higher and higher into the mountains. my ears began to pop and the fog began to form. we were now driving amongst the clouds. the moist air clinging to the car and my hand as we twisted and curved on the winding road that began our descent to the shore.


this journal entry is from my first full day in Ubatuba. saturday, december 11th, 2010.

"today i woke up very early feeling cold and damp and sticky. i was tired but had to pee, so i got up with my eyes closed and went to the bathroom. i went back to bed only to awake a bit later to a crazy sound, much like the sound of an electric beater or hair dryer in the next room. i realized that it was some kind of animal or insect and fell back asleep. i had dreams of kate and michael-lynne trying on clothes in a fancy dressing room. i awoke to helio calling at about 9:30am, but i was so asleep that it was not much of a conversation. i slept a bit more because i could tell that no one else was awake. i awkwardly twisted and turned in my wet feeling sheets, trying to feel warmth but keep my skin from sticking to itself. sandra had told me that here in Ubatuba they call it Ubachuva (chuva is rain) because it rains A LOT here, or at least always feels wet. at about 10 o'clock i got out of bed feeling tired and lazy, i went xixi then heard sandra leave her room. she told me to get my bikini on and get ready to go."

this is sandra's house. very cozy and decorated with beautiful things that she had collected while in india. the house is very close to the beach. the crazy sounding "thing" mentioned above turned out to be an insect. the locals use it as a rain timer. depending on the start and duration of it's song, you can tell when it will begin to rain. also, "chuva" is pronounced "shuva."

"we left the house in a flash and went for breakfast at her friend's organic restaurant, "integrale". it was lovely, with a beautiful garden and outside seating only. the fabrics were bright and floral with a vintage feeling. beams for the ceiling with sheer white beach wraps draped among them. inside was the kitchen and check-out. i ordered a "recheado doce de leite com cacau é castanha" a whole grain bread with coco and burnt sugar with some kind of creamy white sugar substance baked inside. i also got a dish of smashed banana topped with honey and fresh oats, which was excellent."


"then we were off to the beach. we drove about 20 minutes to a beach called Puruba. it was off the main road about 5 minutes. we had to drive on a sand road through a small neighborhood of little houses that were all different colors and had clothes hanging on their front porches. we parked the car under a tree and next to a small empty building. it was square and plain with no windows or doors. we got our things and headed down a small dirt path that lead us to the water. the water was still and dark, not like an ocean. on two sides there was thick green, the other sides were open and there was a small channel that lead into the ocean. then it clicked, i was looking at a fresh water river. fresh water next to salt water, i was amazed. it was separated from the ocean by a thin strip of beach. to get to the beach, we had to cross the river. when sandra told me the guy was on lunch break for another hour and we would have to swim across, my heart dropped. i told her my story of swimming in the barton springs while in texas with hughie when i felt something nibble on my feet. i swore to never swim in fresh water again. she laughed and said it was the only way there, offering her hand as a way to tease me. i took my first step and watched the tiny bottom-feeding fish scurry away. i remembered the saying to do something that scares you every day. so i did it. i walked across that river onto the sand of my very first brasilian beach. Puruba was quiet and empty, with only a very few people. we swam in the warm dark sea water that was filled with debris from the foliage that lined the shore. alone, i walked silently and meditatively to the end of the beach where i was introduced to a large rock. it was was tall and flat, steeply slanting upward and colored in every kind of orange, pink and earth red. covered in thin rivers that leaked into the crashing waves beneath. i attempted to sit on the giant rock but was shocked by the amount of heat it had soaked up from the sun. it stung my butt cheeks and left me smiling as i ran back to sandra and naiara. we went for one last swim before getting the boat back across the river to the car. we drove out of the tiny neighborhood and to the next beach called Promirim. we took a tiny dirt road to an even tinier dirt road that took us to a little beach bar called Osmars. here we met the owner (sandra's friend) and drank fresh juices. i had manga (mango) and sat with my eyes closed listening to the water. when my eyes weren't closed i was in awe by the mountainous islands that crept into the ocean from the left. the air was thick and salty and full of silence."



"we went back to the car and headed to the next beach called Itamambuca. we entered a small town on a dirt road with only a few small buildings of necessity. there was a grocery market, an açai hut, a restaurant, and a string of other little stores. the main dirt road turned into a terribly bumpy red dirt road. it was like a horrible ride, throwing us in every direction no matter how slow we went. finally we pulled up in front of sandra's mother's beach house, only a few houses from the shore. we quickly looked around, used the restrooms and i pulled a splinter out of the side of my right foot. we walked to the beach where there were many people for the são paulo surfing contest. we walked down the beach and followed it as it turned to the right and lead to another river entrance. we left the beach and walked around the neighborhood and stopped to see sandra's old house which she recently sold to travel the world. on the way back to the car i walked barefoot on the red muddy road, squishing it between my toes and feeling it fold away under the pressure of my body. our next stop was food at the Concha do Mar (Sea Shell). immediately, sandra ordered a 2ft palmito (palm heart) served with capers. it was so delicious and soft and sweet. palmito is my favorite food in brasil thus far. sandra then ordered 3 palmito pastel ("pas-teu"). pastel is a traditional brasilian food. it is like a large fried dough pocket filled with various things, sweet or savory. i ate it in one second."



"we drove back to Ubatuba stopping briefly to see the mangue, which is like a mixture of a swamp and a bay. i am unsure if we have these in the United States. we picked up some popsicles and watched a movie before heading to bed."

Ubatuba is very much a beach town, people walking around in bathing suits, skate boarding and riding bicycles. bikes are actually the main form of transportation. in rain or shine you will see mothers with their children clinging on, workers holding bundles of.... whatever it is they are holding and church goers dressed in their finest, peddling to salvation. fun fact: Ubatuba is the surfing capitol of brasil.