Peruíbe ᛫ April 26 – May 3, 2018

We went to Peruíbe thanks to Couchsurfing and absolutely loved it. After visiting Rio de Janeiro, our plan was to go to Florianópolis. Because many people had recommended it to us and said that we would really like Floripa. Since there are 1,100 km/684 mi between those two places, we wanted to break the journey up and stay in a small city somewhere. So we contacted a couple of couchsurfers in different towns along the coast. A host from Peruíbe accepted our request and we were happy to be able to surf our first couch together.

Our host Vanessa and her family were very welcoming and sweet. We spent good times together and enjoyed the delicious local food.

But first… São Paulo

We started our journey in Rio in the afternoon with an Uber taxi to the bus terminal. From there, we took a bus to São Paulo. We sat on the upper floor and were surprised at how comfortable it was. The seats were big, could be moved back quite far and there even was a pad for your legs. Besides a bathroom and complimentary water, the bus also had another section downstairs with even better seats. Those could be adjusted to a completely horizontal position. We paid R$ 110 (25 €/US$ 29) each for the 6-hour bus ride.

Thankfully, there was even Wifi. While we were on the way, our host told us that she was also in São Paulo. She said that we could stay with her in the city for the night and go to Peruíbe together the following day. That was great because otherwise, we would have arrived very late at night in Peruíbe. When we arrived at the bus terminal, we couldn’t reach her anymore though. We thought she might have fallen asleep and it turned out later to really be the case. So we ended up spending the night at the bus terminal.

Sleeping “Well”

As a result, we looked for a quiet spot and built a more or less comfortable resting area with our sleeping bags and blankets. Just five minutes after laying down, some security guards told us that it was forbidden to lay down. And that we were only allowed to sleep sitting. Since Tarik had already slept a little on the bus, he told me when the securities were gone to lay back down and that he would wake me up if they came back.

I woke up several hours later, wondering why no securities showed up. So Tarik explained that they had actually come back every hour. Due to the fact that the guards were different persons every time, he pretended not to know about the ban and to wake me up. But he never really did. 😀

Around 8 am, we got a message from our Couchsurfing host Vanessa and took an Uber to her place in São Paulo. We connected with her from the beginning. She was very hospitable and friendly, with an open mind and heart. After eating the delicious vegetarian food she had prepared, we could rest and sleep for a couple of hours.

In love with Brazil: We can’t stop admiring its nature, vibes, street art, and lovely people!

First Time Couchsurfing Together

In the evening, we went to Peruíbe with her friend in his car. It was a 2-hour drive and a lot of fun. Apart from listening to good music, we chatted and got to know each other. Tarik and I speak a couple of different languages, but Portuguese was not one of them. Besides Portuguese, Vanessa also spoke Spanish. So I could talk to her. Tarik understands a little bit Spanish and I often translated into English for him. And Vanessa translated into Portuguese for her friend. 😀

Vanessa lived with her aunt in Peruíbe. So we actually had two amazing hosts! Her aunt Maria was lovely and hilarious. We were sorry that we couldn’t speak (Portuguese) with her, so we communicated through Vanessa or using gestures and signs. She made us laugh many times anyway. Her house was nice with a big covered outside area, where we often ate and hung out. Our first time Couchsurfing together was not on a couch though, but we were lucky to have a bed in our own room.

We love shopping at farmer’s markets. Seeing so much fresh food, just makes us happy. 😉

We had a really fun time in Peruíbe. Due to meeting many members of Vanessa’s big and lovely family. They were very welcoming and shared their food and homes with us. Of course, we also went to the beach. It was wide, long and had many colorful kiosks along the seafront. On the right, there were mountains overgrown with plants. And on the other side, the beach stretched pretty far until it also met rocks and mountains.

Barra do Una

Vanessa had the great idea to go camping in a natural reserve nearby called Barra do Una. We prepared our bags and food to take with us. It was a lot of fun making our own whole-grain bread. With the help of Vanessa’s aunt, one of her friends and delicious homemade Caipirinha, we kneaded the bread dough very well. Everyone was trying to get a piece because feeling the dough run through the fingers felt amazing. 😉

We started our adventure after only two hours of sleep, in the middle of the night. The plan was to take the bus at 2:30 am. But it actually took until 3:20 am until it came. The journey cost only R$ 3 (0.7 €/US$ 0.8) per person and took a little more than one hour. Although the distance was not that far, the road made the ride more challenging.

On our way to the beach in the small village of Barra do Una.

The first few kilometers, we went on a normal paved street. But then it turned into a dirt road with stones and potholes. It winded through the forest and up and down mountains. The driver went pretty quickly and the whole bus was shaking. In order not to get scared, I had to remind myself that he knew the way and drove it probably every day. On top of swinging left and right, the bus also made rattling noises as if it was going to fall apart. It was so loud, that we didn’t hear the music of our iPod on maximum volume. 😀

Camping in Nature

Needless to say, we were really happy when we finally arrived in the early morning. Since it was still dark we put our stuff at the camping ground Vanessa already knew. It was a beautiful green space with a shared bathroom and kitchen. Then, we went to the beach, which was only a 5-minute walk away. We relaxed, slept a bit and waited for the sunrise.

There were too many clouds to see the sun, but the sky still transformed into beautiful colors. When we returned to the camping site, we met the nice owners, assembled our tent and then fell asleep immediately. We couldn’t sleep long though because it got very hot inside. Ultimately, the sky had cleared completely. After some nourishing brunch, we couldn’t wait to explore Barra do Una. At first, we went back to the beach from our tent.

Barra do Una is a small village surrounded by mountains covered in lush forests and with a stunning beach and lake. Its houses were cute and there were several camping grounds. Nature there was just stunning. At the beach, there were also cliffs and rocks. When we arrived, we climbed over some cliffs to another smaller beach. Compared to the beaches we visited before, there were very few other people. The perfect place for relaxing and meditating! ☺️

Being in the right place at the right time and enjoying every moment!

Lots of Positive Vibes

At night, we made a nice campfire not far from our tent. Apart from spending warmth and coziness, it also warded off the mosquitos. As you can imagine, this place was filled with them. The next day, we explored the area more and went to the river called Rio Una do Prelado.

There, we met some of Vanessa’s friends from Peruíbe and could borrow one of their paddle boards. It was the first time we tried stand up paddling and really liked it. At first, it was a little challenging to keep the balance and not paddle into the river’s current. But after a while, we figured it out. 😉 Since Vanessa is a yoga teacher (visit her studio in São Paulo >), we also did a workout in front of a beautiful setting. We were even joined by two strangers.

Afterward, we enjoyed a breathtaking sunset and a peaceful meditation. Then, we ate one last dinner at the camping site and took the shaky bus back to Peruíbe. We had an amazing time, stayed four days longer than planned and met wonderful people and new friends. Of course, we are very grateful to Vanessa, her family, and all the other nice persons. As a consequence, we only said farewell and plan to return to Peruíbe. We left the city at 1:20 am on a bus to our next destination: Florianópolis.

We went to Peruíbe thanks to Couchsurfing and absolutely loved it. After visiting Rio de Janeiro, our plan was to go to Florianópolis. Because many people had recommended it to us and said that we would really like Floripa. Since there are 1,100km/684mi between those two places, we wanted to break the journey up and stay in a small city somewhere. So we contacted a couple of couchsurfers in different towns along the coast. A host from Peruíbe accepted our request and we were happy to be able to surf our first couch together.

Our host Vanessa and her family were very welcoming and sweet. We spent good times together and enjoyed the delicious local food.

But first… São Paulo

We started our journey in Rio in the afternoon with an Uber taxi to the bus terminal. From there, we took a bus to São Paulo. We sat on the upper floor and were surprised at how comfortable it was. The seats were big, could be moved back quite far and there even was a pad for your legs. Besides a bathroom and complimentary water, the bus also had another section downstairs with even better seats. Those could be adjusted to a completely horizontal position. We paid R$ 110 (25 €/US$ 29) each for the 6-hour bus ride.

Thankfully, there was even Wifi. While we were on the way, our host told us that she was also in São Paulo. She said that we could stay with her in the city for the night and go to Peruíbe together the following day. That was great because otherwise, we would have arrived very late at night in Peruíbe. When we arrived at the bus terminal, we couldn’t reach her anymore though. We thought she might have fallen asleep and it turned out later to really be the case. So we ended up spending the night at the bus terminal.

Sleeping “Well”

Our spot for the night at the bus terminal in São Paulo. We arrived at night and went to meet our Couchsurfing host the next morning.

As a result, we looked for a quiet spot and built a more or less comfortable resting area with our sleeping bags and blankets. Just five minutes after laying down, some security guards told us that it was forbidden to lay down. And that we were only allowed to sleep sitting. Since Tarik had already slept a little on the bus, he told me when the securities were gone to lay back down and that he would wake me up if they came back.

I woke up several hours later, wondering why no securities showed up. So Tarik explained that they had actually come back every hour. Due to the fact that the guards were different persons every time, he pretended not to know about the ban and to wake me up. But he never really did. 😀 Around 8 am, we got a message from our Couchsurfing host Vanessa and took an Uber to her place in São Paulo. We connected with her from the beginning. She was very hospitable and friendly, with an open mind and heart. After eating the delicious vegetarian food she had prepared, we could rest and sleep for a couple of hours.

In love with Brazil: We can’t stop admiring its nature, vibes, street art, and lovely people!

First Time Couchsurfing Together

In the evening, we went to Peruíbe with her friend in his car. It was a 2-hour drive and a lot of fun. Apart from listening to good music, we chatted and got to know each other. Tarik and I speak a couple of different languages, but Portuguese was not one of them. Besides Portuguese, Vanessa also spoke Spanish. So I could talk to her. Tarik understands a little bit Spanish and I often translated into English for him. And Vanessa translated into Portuguese for her friend. 😀

Vanessa lived with her aunt in Peruíbe. So we actually had two amazing hosts! Her aunt Maria was lovely and hilarious. We were sorry that we couldn’t speak (Portuguese) with her, so we communicated through Vanessa or using gestures and signs. She made us laugh many times anyway. Her house was nice with a big covered outside area, where we often ate and hung out. Our first time Couchsurfing together was not on a couch though, but we were lucky to have a bed in our own room.

We love shopping at farmer’s markets. Seeing so much fresh food, just makes us happy. 😉

We had a really fun time in Peruíbe. Due to meeting many members of Vanessa’s big and lovely family. They were very welcoming and shared their food and homes with us. Of course, we also went to the beach. It was wide, long and had many colorful kiosks along the seafront. On the right, there were mountains overgrown with plants. And on the other side, the beach stretched pretty far until it also met rocks and mountains.

Barra do Una

Vanessa had the great idea to go camping in a natural reserve nearby called Barra do Una. We prepared our bags and food to take with us. It was a lot of fun making our own whole-grain bread. With the help of Vanessa’s aunt, one of her friends and delicious homemade Caipirinha, we kneaded the bread dough very well. Everyone was trying to get a piece because feeling the dough run through the fingers felt amazing. 😉

On our way to the beach in the small village of Barra do Una.

We started our adventure after only two hours of sleep, in the middle of the night. The plan was to take the bus at 2:30 am. But it actually took until 3:20 am until it came. The journey cost only R$ 3 (0.7 €/US 0.8) per person and took a little more than one hour. Although the distance was not that far, the road made the ride more challenging.

The first few kilometers, we went on a normal paved street. But then it turned into a dirt road with stones and potholes. It winded through the forest and up and down mountains. The driver went pretty quickly and the whole bus was shaking. In order not to get scared, I had to remind myself that he knew the way and drove it probably every day. On top of swinging left and right, the bus also made rattling noises as if it was going to fall apart. It was so loud, that we didn’t hear the music of our iPod on maximum volume. 😀

Barra do Una’s landscape was fantastic. We enjoyed every moment we could spend there.

Camping in Nature

Needless to say, we were really happy when we finally arrived in the early morning. Since it was still dark we put our stuff at the camping ground Vanessa already knew. It was a beautiful green space with a shared bathroom and kitchen. Then, we went to the beach, which was only a 5-minute walk away. We relaxed, slept a bit and waited for the sunrise. There were too many clouds to see the sun, but the sky still transformed into beautiful colors.

When we returned to the camping site, we met the nice owners, assembled our tent and then fell asleep immediately. We couldn’t sleep long though because it got very hot inside. Ultimately, the sky had cleared completely. After some nourishing brunch, we couldn’t wait to explore Barra do Una.

Tons of peace, love and positive vibes with our awesome Couchsurfing host Vanessa! <3

At first, we went back to the beach from our tent. Barra do Una was a small village surrounded by mountains covered in lush forests and with a stunning beach and lake. Its houses were cute and there were several camping grounds. Nature there was just stunning. At the beach, there were also cliffs and rocks. When we arrived, we climbed over some cliffs to another smaller beach. Compared to the beaches we visited before, there were very few other people. The perfect place for relaxing and meditating! ☺️

Lots of Positive Vibes

At night, we made a nice campfire not far from our tent. Apart from spending warmth and coziness, it also warded off the mosquitos. As you can imagine, this place was filled with them. The next day, we explored the area more and went to the river called Rio Una do Prelado. We met some of Vanessa’s friends from Peruíbe and could borrow one of their paddle boards. It was the first time we tried stand up paddling and really liked it. At first, it was a little challenging to keep the balance and not paddle into the river’s current. But after a while, we figured it out. 😉

Being in the right place at the right time and enjoying every moment!

Since Vanessa is a yoga teacher (visit her studio in São Paulo >), we also did a workout in front of a beautiful setting. We were even joined by two strangers. Afterward, we enjoyed a breathtaking sunset and a peaceful meditation. Then, we ate one last dinner at the camping site and took the shaky bus back to Peruíbe.

We had an amazing time, stayed four days longer than planned and met wonderful people and new friends. Of course, we are very grateful to Vanessa, her family, and all the other nice persons. As a consequence, we only said farewell and plan to return to Peruíbe. We left the city at 1:20 am on a bus to our next destination: Florianópolis.