Outdoor gyms

Fitness station, a photo by TheTurducken on Flickr.

Remember these things? There was a rash of building them in the '80s back in the U.S.

(Side story: When we moved to North Carolina, for reasons still unclear to me the school did not have a playground, just fields. It did have one of these. We quickly realized this is way less fun than it looks at first glance.)

They never really took off, maybe because in most of the country the weather is too unpleasant much of the year for anyone to get in the habit. But in Floripa, they are all over the place. Many of them are much fancier than this one, like this one in Curitiba - notice, they even have cardio equipment - and, yes, I see people using them.

Go chasing waterfalls

Waterfall, a photo by TheTurducken on Flickr.

I kept hearing there was a waterfall in the middle of the island, but concrete details were hard to find. I finally decided to scout it out for reals on Sunday.

Brazilian hiking websites aren't very informative, and it's not just my poor Portuguese that's a problem. They say things like, "Location: Go to the Corrego Grande neighborhood." Yes, by george, that tells me exactly where to find the trailhead!

Let me be specific: Get to the TITRI bus station, and take the 163 - Corrego Grande or 164 - Corrego Grande Pacao bus. I believe the latter drops you off right at the trailhead. The former stops at the bottom of Rua Sebastiao Laurentino da Silva; it's a 10-minute walk up to the trailhead. The sign for the trail is hidden by trees, so just look for this mural.

The hike is maybe 15 minutes, and there is only one hesitation point; when you come to a junction, go left. You're not going to get lost, and you don't have to be in great shape. At the end, whoa, hey, there is a 15-foot-tall waterfall. I saw more Americans there, incidentally, than I have in all my previous weeks here.

On the return, I was curious as to where the other trail went. As the Ghostbusters say, "It goes up." It popped me out at the end of a residential street, and even though I'd never been there before, I quickly knew exactly where I was. (Believe me, I was proud of that!) So, there is an alternate route to the falls: Follow Rua Rosa near UFSC up, up, up, take its left fork, keep going, and then find a trail where the road ends.

Unfortunately, after the lovely weekend, it's back to rain for the Magic Island.

Beaches

Praia da Galheta, a photo by TheTurducken on Flickr.

Last week I didn't do much worth reporting on. Partially, this was due to spending my mornings in Portuguese classes, but even more influential was the dreadful weather - cold and rainy all week.

Saturday morning dawned clear, though, so I decided to hit the beach. I went to the east side of the island to see Praia Mole, one of the big surf beaches. Surfers were out, catching moderate waves. From Praia Mole, I walked to Praia da Galheta, just north but inaccessible by car.

Praia da Galheta is clothing optional, although I didn't see a single naked person. Supposedly there is more nudity in the summer.

Both beaches are quite beautiful. Praia Mole is, I hear, jammed wall-to-wall with people in the summer, but at this time of year it was simply not empty. There are a couple of surf schools, and a few restaurants, but I wouldn't describe it as "overbuilt." (Try the beach in Honolulu for that.) Galheta has no vehicular access, and thus almost no buildings.

I suggest staying on the main trail when traipsing between the two beaches. The side trails don't go anywhere except to dead-end private thickets rich with condom-wrapper litter. I'm much more disturbed by littering than random gay sex, but if someone is so short of privacy they're willing to have sex in pokey shrubbery, I'll let them have that privacy.

O Centro

Catedral Metropolitana, a photo by TheTurducken on Flickr.

I finally went downtown on Friday. The photo here is of the Metropolitan Cathedral, part of a small neighborhood of historic buildings. There is the old mercado, the old customs house, the pedestrian shopping mall, the museum, and the November 16th Square. The square is notable for the figueira tree in the center; it's over 100 years old and supported by poles.

Outside of this small historic area, the downtown is full of unexceptional high-rises. The other tourist point in the area is the Hercilio Luz Bridge. Now closed and finally being restored, it was the first bridge that connected the island to the mainland.

Speaking of bridges, yesterday the other two bridges were shut due to protests. Folks have asked if I'm affected by the protests that are sweeping Brazil, and the answer is, not really. You can compare it to Occupy Wall Street - it was easy to avoid if you weren't in a major city such as New York, and Floripa is the country's 51st largest city. The protests that are happening here are downtown, not near where I am staying.

Costa da Lagoa

Dock, a photo by TheTurducken on Flickr.

While I was busless in Lagoa, I decided to do the trail to Costa da Lagoa. It's a small town north of where I am staying, reachable only by trail or boat. Many of the people who live there fish, and there is a strong Azorean influence.

The trail is 7 km one-way, with surprising ups and downs for a trail on the edge of a lake. It starts off from a dead-end road, proceeding into a pleasant forest with occasional houses and cabins. It eventually opens up, with more homes and fewer trees, and there you are in Costa da Lagoa.

It's hard to photograph the town itself without being intrusive, so I don't have many great pictures of it. However, the hike itself is very nice.

Just past the town is a trail to Ratatones. I did not follow it, but I may do so a later day.