Brazil: Ponta Negra

       For this part of our adventure we got a rental car so that we could drive the 2 hours out from Rio with ease. Ok, so maybe the word ease wasn’t the right choice. Driving in Brazil is crazy! Drivers do what they want when they want to do it, lane markings mean nothing, and people walk down the middle of the streets trying to sell snacks. It was a sad sight to see. Once we escaped from the hustle and bustle of Rio it was pretty much smooth(er) sailing from there. We reached our destination of Ponta Negra around 8pm. We told our host we would be there at 7pm…Woops. When we arrived there, the door and gate were locked. Fffff. We wandered around a bit hoping that someone would come by soon to let us in. Dad made a few phone

calls, but with no luck. Eventually, JT and I discovered that the front lawn could be accessed by using parkour. I immediately volunteered to do it. I climbed the concrete wall and jumped into the yard. I walked around to see if anyone was nearby and I heard voices coming from inside! I initially wanted to knock on the window to say we were there but then figured that may not be the best thing to do in Brazil. I didn’t want to lose my life that night because someone thought I was a burglar or something. I ran back to the car and relayed the news to the guys. We again went up to the gate and started shouting and pounding extra hard. The inhabitants finally came out and asked "Oh, did you honk?? We didn't hear a horn." How were we supposed to know that's what they wanted us to do? Anyway, they seemed really sorry that they made us wait and ushered us inside. They were a family of 3 and the husband was actually the groundskeeper for the house, not the owner. They were all very nice and friendly. We settled in and man oh man did we have heaps of space! We each had our own room, bathroom, a common living room with a TV that had shows in ENGLISH, a big kitchen, a patio with a brick stove, and a POOL!! But even better than that was the view from the pool deck. Oh my goodness I could not get enough. We had the beach on the left and the mountains on the right. Best of both worlds and we could see for miles and miles! Absolutely stunning. We then

went to the grocery store to stock up on food. When we found a store, no one spoke English...not again! We wanted some meat and cheese to make sandwiches and the lady behind the counter called over someone else who worked there. She was really really sweet and wanted to help us so badly but her English was very poor. She only knew a few words. We asked which meat was her favorite or which were good and she goes "Ah this one, very good. Oh this one, very good. Very good. Very good. Oh I like this very good." Well evidently they were ALL "very good" haha. We just chose one at random, bought a few other items, and headed home. We went to bed shortly after this, completely exhausted.

       On Tuesday we went to the beach the whole day. It was a 5 minute drive and you could see our place, Casa Azul, from the shore. It stuck out like a sour thumb due to its color. After a

relaxing time on the beach, which included watching a bunch of surfers, we went back home to prepare for the USA vs Belgium game. We watched it on the TV in our living room instead of going to a local bar because 1. There didn't seem to be many places to go in the village and 2. We would be screaming our heads off and disrupting the entire place. Well the screaming our heads off was definitely accurate. Especially in the last 10 minutes of extra time. Man, that game gave me a heart attack. Unfortunately we didn't come out with the win....anddd now America goes back to caring about baseball/football/basketball and throwing soccer under the rug. Hopefully everyone will get excited again when the women play in the World Cup in Canada next summer! We went to bed with sore hearts and sad faces. At least we were in this gorgeous place with an incredible overlook :)

Wednesday was our last day in Brazil. Dad and I had a flight leaving from Rio at 10:30pm and JT's flight was at 6pm. Dad and I took to the beach for the day while JT relaxed poolside. I don't have the beach in Blacksburg so I needed to take full advantage of it! After the beach, Dad and I explored the cute village for a little bit. We were trying to find the grocery store again but were failing miserably; which was confusing considering how small the village was! It was so obvious that we didn't come from the area and were just wandering around hopelessly. Confused Americans coming through! We eventually bumped into our friend from the store by happenstance and she showed us the way. Our savior! After collecting the needed items, we drove back to Casa Azul to pack and then drive back to Rio. I miss this place! It was so tranquil and relaxing! It was nice to get away from the craziness of Rio and have our own little slice of heaven. It was the perfect way to wrap up the trip. We dropped JT off and then Dad and I drove

to the Maracana Stadium - the biggest stadium in the world at one point in time. It was ginormous! We then ate dinner at this cute "restaurant". I put it in quotes because it was about the size of a large living room but the one waiter was dressed to the nines. After this, we headed to the airport for the 9 hour flight to Miami. The trip came to a close and I must say it's nice to be back in America. Brazil is so impoverished and being able to speak English again was a breath of fresh air! I do want to return to Rio one day for a week or so but other than that I love America more! I can't say the same for when I arrived back from Australia. That country will always hold a special place in my heart. One day I will return there as well.

Well, that's all folks! 4 continents down and a World Cup under my belt! I’m truly blessed to have these opportunities :)