Beachfront Afternoon

The Brasilian Saga, #2

 

Grandma Wanda comes over most Wednesdays by bus. For school requirements, I had to take local transportation at least once, so Jordan, Audrie, and I took the bus with Grandma Wanda back to her near-the-beach apartment. Grandma Wanda went to her apartment, but the rest of us went walking along the beach.

 

The ride took quite a while, as the bus continuously stopped and started, letting people on and off as needed. Once we parted ways with Grandma Wanda, we got as close to the ocean as we could and just watched it for a time. Then we walked. We had all afternoon and no plan. We stopped at a stand off the sidewalk and bought açai. Açai is similar to frozen yogurt--maybe a cross between frozen yogurt and a snow cone in texture. It was made right before us, with layers of açai, the staple sweetened condensed milk, granola, and topped with bananas. That first one was the best we had (we had one at a mall later on, but I think eating it in along the beach worked wonders).

 

We wandered through the market, mostly window shopping. We bought a few keychains, and Audrie and I eyed the blankets we were both planning to buy later.

 

Ready for another snack, we had tapioca. This is kind of like a tortilla. It starts off as a flour sprinkled on the griddle and cooks into a tortilla-type base. Then you can choose your filling--anything from bacon and chicken to chocolate and bananas. I don't even remember what I had that first time (yes, this was also the first of many), only that I was pleasantly relieved that it tasted nothing like America's tapioca pudding. And not only that, it was really good.

 

While we were sitting there, a couple of kids came by and tried to sell us wide-brimmed straw hats. "You would look so beautiful!" But we resisted. Neither Audrie or I are hat people, really.

 

Before we left, a weathered man with a guitar came by. He began to sing, and our Portuguese-speaking friend Jordan loosely translated that he was making up rhymes about us, the three American friends. Jordan had to tell him we weren't related; he and so many others who saw a bunch of light-brunette and blonde people together automatically supposed brothers and sisters.

 

Audrie and I at the same beach,
a more windy and colder day

Pastor Roger had said not to bring our phones on the bus, so we were without our photo-taking devices all afternoon, something Audrie and I bemoaned quite often, wishing we had the means to photo-document that wonderful afternoon! Nevertheless, it remains one of my favorite Brazil memories.