And then there were two...

Monday started the same as Anyday. I awoke to unfamiliar surroundings and two other people in my room: Travis and Monica. However, today things would be different. Instead of the usual chirping of birds and natural light, the sound of a desperate someone pumping up his kite woke me up. It was 6:30am and a mere mouse fart of wind was blowing through the window. I suppose it was a forgivable offense assuming that he may have been leaving Brazil that day. 

The usual Brazilian breakfast (complete with cake) was a prelude to packing up for what promised to be another hellish drive into Fortaleza to drop Travis off at the airport. It was sad to see Travis go, and not just because he was really good at sharing the blame for my stupidity. If you compare the below to his initial arrival, you will note that he is now a slight shade of pink.

Which superhero am I?

We only got lost once getting out of Fortaleza this time, excluding the fact that we at one point found ourselves on the highway heading south towards Rio, instead of north to Taiba.

For the most part of the week, we were in Taiba. Reading, sleeping in hammocks, kiting on the lagoon and a noted lack of trips to the pharmacy since Travis departure. A real treat was doing a downwind kite trip from Taiba to Paracuru to discover some beautiful sections of deserted beach for riding and two "secret spots".

Secret spot number 1

Although sad to see it go, we left Taiba for Ilha do Guajiru to get in some more flat water riding and visit our friends at the Windy Addiction Pousada.


Monica has been progressing every day, and has been keeping her calm as I wildly gesticulate unhelpful kiting tips from the beach. We have generally just been chilling out and enjoying the slower pace of life over here. That and another amusing mishap when Monica found out that the peanut butter and jam toast she had this morning was in fact Brazilian meat jam!? Tasted delicious!

Fisherman never seem to use their boats, and most can't swim either. Instead, they put on a life jacket and bob around in the water dragging a fish net behind them, and then hope that the tide brings them back to shore.

Buy me so that I can finally be used to go fishing

Today we also got the chance to visit a Brazilian farm, where Monica got to sample a fresh Caju fruit, and we got to see a small  sample of what the non-touristy Brazil really looks like.

Mmmm

The farm house - I didn't get a chance to photograph the inside, but thought the dish was a great touch.

Monica  is fascinated by paw paw trees

It also happens to be a special someone's birthday tomorrow, and if you really want to help make it a special day for her, then you can post your wishes here, and maybe say something about how amazing she is to you, so she can find it here in the morning.

The Birthday Girl!