Ubatuba Getaway

After we left Leme we travelled to Ubatuba, Sao Paulo, to enjoy a few days at the coast. Since I arrived in Brazil, we hadn’t really had any time to relax and enjoy Brazil. A few days enjoying the fresh air of the Atlantic Forest coastline, the sun and the sand and the warm Atlantic Ocean water was definitely a grand opportunity to enjoy some of Brazil’s greatest assets. We met my old colleague from Australia, Debora, in Sao Paulo City and drove to the coast together where we stayed in her Beach House in a part of Ubatuba called Itagua. Something changed in my perception about Brazil on this trip. I look back at my last post, Life vs Travel, and I can strongly recall the feelings of uncertainty and the contrasting undercurrents of life in Brazil. For some reason, I had imagined the coastal city would be devoid of all the aspects I find unsettling about Brazil. But for the first time I realised that it doesn’t matter where you go in Brazil, you can’t escape Brazil. With this in mind, I suddenly felt a freedom to really experience and enjoy where I was.

Ubatuba was breath-taking. The long journey through the Sao Paulo countryside and through the Atlantic Forrest down the Serras (mountain roads) was beautiful. Australia is such a flat country, and Brazil is such a contrast with its mountainous terrain and coastline. There were few people in Ubatuba, as it is a summer/weekend getaway for most. But the freedom to ride bicycles everywhere, walk around bare-foot, do yoga with my feet buried into the sand and take deep breaths of fresh air straight off the sea was incredible. Not only that but the people and the life in Brazilian coastal towns is a huge contrast to the other regions. Everything is much more laid-back and similar to what I’m used to at home. I felt a soulful connection to home and Mother Earth. We ventured to some small towns up the coast and crossed the border into Rio de Janeiro state to the historical town of Paraty as well.

Debora often invited friends around and knew many people in the town. She also took me to my first Brazilian Beauty Parlour where I had my first waxing session. My god it was good. Incredibly quick, detailed and painless... and ridiculously cheap. Diogenes and I also had a few talks with Deb, from an objective third-party perspective, about our future – like where we would/should/could work/live/exist. It really opened a new dialogue for us, and with open minds a number of possibilities have already opened up. My arrival in Ubatuba marked my third week in Brazil and a deeper self-acceptance and self- appreciation of my presence here. The resistance I once had is dissipating and I feel a great sense of peace and happiness, which still pertains to this day.