Back to Camboriu

Travel Day

October 12, 2023

Camboriu is an important place to me. It's where my aunts, uncles and cousins live and a place where my family spent every summer (and some winters) when I was growing up. I was looking forward to going there and reconnecting with people I haven't seen in sixteen years.

We landed in Navegantes in the middle of rain, at an airport with no jetways.No problem, though, as the ground crew handed us umbrellas as we exited the plane and those were enough to keep us dry. I remember Navegantes as a small airport with barely any service but it has changed in these last sixteen years. It has grown from a one regional airline spot into a much bigger airport, with both domestic and international flights from several different airlines. The tarmac that with space for two regional airliners can now support four 737-sized ones and the number of baggage claim carousel has doubled from one to two.

We were able to get a big enough taxi that fit all our luggage and started the drive to the family's condo in Camboriu. Usually there are two options to get from the airport to our condo: ferry or highway. We took the highway this time, because it was raining and the water levels were high and the road would be slightly safer. The thirty minute ride was uneventful, but I got to see the first big signs of change: along the highway we could no longer see farms and empty land, only warehouses and factories.

We made it to the condo and got settled in. K was suitably impressed by the view from the balcony, but not as much by the dance we had to go through to get the hot water working again. After we unpacked and inspected the refrigerator, my sister and I were off to the supermarket to get the basics for the next day's breakfast, which in my case is mostly bread and requeijao and fruit and yogurt for K.

We went out to dinner, to the food court of a nearby shopping mall. There were many restaurant choices, but I convinced K to try one of the dishes that I associate with home that was not part of her list, pasteis. Pasteis are fried dough pockets filled with many different kinds of things and a great childhood favorite. The place at the mall offered over sixty different combinations of fillings for their pasteis, we picked two and did not regret it.

Family Day

October 13, 2023

My cousin H came from Florianopolis to spend the day with us, which was might nice of him given that's over an hour's drive from where he lives. I had seen him more recently than 16 years, though, as he is one of the cousins that actually came to visit me in California.

The first order of the day was to get some PJs for me, as I left my original ones in Rio. H and I made our way to what used to be the town's movie theater when I was growing up but is now a mini-mall. There were many stores selling pajamas to choose from and, as usual, I was tempted to grab the first one that fit me and call it a day, but H would have none of that. Under his direction we found the right store, selling pajamas made of the right material (cotton, apparently), with the right design and the right price. A sale was made and I had all the night-wear I needed for the rest of the week.

In the evening we went to my aunt's house to celebrate her birthday and meet the rest of the family. This was K's introduction to the extended family and with 14 of us there, all speaking in Portuguese at the same time, I believe it might have been overwhelming for her. Some tried to talk with her for a while, but English is not easy for them and it was hard to carry on a conversation. There was good food, though, and K got  to experience more Brazilian dishes, including an "empadao de frango" that she is now considering making for Xmas dinner.

One of my cousins arrived later in the evening and another could not make it because of the flooding in their part of the state, which made me sad as I was looking forward to seeing them. Still, we had a good time catching up on what's happening in our lives and I got to meet several new members of the family.

Fair Day

October 14, 2023

We woke up to another dreary day, but at least it was not raining. The plan for the day was to go to a local farmer's market so K could experience another one of the products in her list, "caldo do cana." This is literally sugar cane juice, freshly squeezed with some lemon in it. It is delicious and refreshing, sweet but not too much, which is somewhat of a mystery for me as I do remember it as being too sweet. Maybe it's the added ice, melting and diluting it a little but, honestly, it doesn't matter. It was a hit and I don't think I will have trouble convincing K to drink it again.

I also got to introduce K to cocadas, a sweet from Brazil's northeast that is made from coconuts. I remember only two types of cocada (regular or with "burnt coconut"), but this seems to be a thing of the past. The stall at the fair where we ordered the treats offered at least six different kinds, including one with passion fruit. We got the regular one, and later regretted not getting the others to compare and contrast. No matter, we were saved by my mother who brought four different kinds for K to try.

Big Wheel

October 15, 2023

Another overcast and cool day, but we took advantage of the lack of rain to achieve one of our tourist goals, visit the FG Big Wheel. Yes, that is the name of the local oversize Ferris wheel. It tickled us pink that it was called Big Wheel, and the FG part was not surprising, as half the skyscrapers along the shore were built by FG's company and have those letters proudly displayed on top.

The Big Wheel is at the north end of Camboriu beach. K and I decided to walk there, as it was about 1.5 miles from where we were staying. Some thirty minutes later we found ourselves there, buying tickets for the Big Wheel from someone who made K's day by speaking English to her, something of a rarity where we were. They informed us that our R$30 tickets would get us one lap around the wheel, which would take between 15 and 20 minutes. Seemed like a good deal so round we went, enjoying the view of the beach and nearby forested hills.

After the ride it was time for some judicious money spending so we bought a lot of chocolate and a set of "official" pictures of us at the Big Wheel. Our R$40 got us three souvenir pictures, one of which we decided to leave with my mom so she would not forget what we look like.

The walk back home was as pleasant as the one to the end of the beach, but we did stop for a meal of appetizers, including some filet mignon cubes, steamed shrimps and bolinhos de bacalhau. Way too much food, as usual, but what was saved we had later that day with a glass of whiskey.

In the evening we went to Praia Brava (or Angry Beach, as K likes to call it), to go to a food truck pod where my cousin R owned one of the restaurants. Assorted uncles, aunts and cousins joined us. My cousin's truck sells pizza, so pizza is what we had, along with beers and a good dose of blues being played by a live band. Chatting over the sound of the music was hard, but we somehow managed and a great time was had by all.  K liked the pizza, liked the place and wants us to go back there next time.

Rained In

October 16, 2023

The day started drizzly and remained drizzly, so there was not much we felt like doing. The extent of activities that day included a trip to the mall to get some Havainas flip-flops and some chocolate.

At home I struggled trying to make it possible to watch a movie in the living room TV. The TV was old enough that the apps in it no longer were able to login to the corresponding services and whatever casting protocol it used did not work with our tablets. I tried different combinations for over an hour, but nothing that worked successfully, so we ended giving up and just watching things individually.

For me this turned into an evening of reading, which is never a bad thing.

Long Walk

October 17, 2023

The day was cloudy again, but no sign of rain so K and I decided to walk to the south end of the beach, about 2.5 miles away from our condo. The plan was, once we got there, to go for a ride in one of the gondolas of the Unipraias Park. We walked and talked, with a couple of stops along the way to rest and enjoy the view and by the time we got to the end K did not feel like going for a gondola ride. So we sat by the beach, watched the local Pirate Ship go by and admired how loud the music in it was, that we could hear it from so far away.

Eventually it was time to walk back and we both agreed that lunch would have to be at the restaurant we saw during our walk out claiming they had the world's best hamburger (in English). We ordered hamburgers, of course, along with caipirinhas and had a pleasant meal. Not sure I am ready to claim that was the best hamburger in the world, but it definitely was tasty. As a side note, I had forgotten that hamburgers in Brazil come with mayonnaise.

Passeio Sao Miguel & Camelodromo

October 18, 2023

Our last full day was once again cloudy, but K and I were ready for another walk. This time our goal was to explore Passeio Sao Miguel, a pedestrian-only area with many restaurants and outdoor seating. To get there we decided to walk along the Avenida Brasil, instead of along the beach, for a change in scenery. 

Now, Avenida Brasil is a busy street with lots of shops and we had to stop at several along the way, mostly for some window shopping. We eventually ran into a store that my uncle had mentioned, part of a department store chain that started in Santa Catarina. There, of course, we had to go inside and check out what they had, and how the prices compared to the ones in the U.S. So, it turns out things cost about the same, except for electronics which is at least two to three times the price. Of course, salaries in Brazil are lower than in the U.S., so comparable prices really means more expensive for the natives. Oh well, this is a reality that I remember from growing up in this country.

We made it to Passeio Sao Miguel and after wandering around a bit ended up eating a cafe there. The waiters were a little bit afraid to approach us, since we were speaking in English, and sent the owner to figure out what we wanted. He, apparently, had traveled all over the world and spent several months in New Zealand (where he met his wife who turned out to be from his hometown) and was comfortable talking to us. We chatted a little and once the staff understood we spoke Portuguese, the waiters were much more comfortable and we got a tasty meal. Interestingly enough, all ordering and paying was done via a tablet. 

After lunch and cafezinho, it was time to go back home for a well-earned nap.

That night my mother took us to a nearby part of town I did not know existed, a warehouse set up with mini-stores selling all kinds of products. Most of them were selling cellphone accessories, some were selling perfumes, and others were selling "high quality" counterfeit clothing and bags. That proved to be irresistible to K, who decided it was time she had her own real fake designer bag.

On the way back home we stopped for dinner and I crossed another item from my reading list, a shrimp strogonoff served over rice, as strogonoff should always be.

Leaving Camboriu and Final Thoughts

October 19, 2023

The last day was a travel day, which meant we were busy with packing and arranging transportation to the airport. My aunts and uncle, as well as a cousin, dropped by to say goodbye and we spent a pleasant hour chatting. Then we got in a taxi, made our way to the airport, took advantage of the lines for those over 60 to check in and go through security. The flight was delayed a few times because of the weather, but we were not stressing since there were no connections to worry about and we got to Rio only thirty minutes late.

In all I enjoyed the trip to Camboriu and seeing my extended family again after such a long time. I wish I had more time to hang out with them and chat, to really catch up with what is happening in their lives, but the one week we head was not enough for that. 

Camboriu itself has gotten much bigger than when I last was there. Many more buildings, several of them skyscrapers, and the beach has been artificially extended. It didn't feel crowded, though, maybe because it still is a summer town at heart and we were there off-season. Apparently they now have a plethora of museums that we missed because they did not pop up in our sightseeing recommendation app.

Oh well, there will be other visits.