Peruibe, Brazil

Our third South American city was Peruibe. We reached it by bus from the city of Santos. Due to the rainy weather, the cities outside the bus window appeared doubly ominous compared to Sao Paulo. But perhaps that’s how they were. The landscapes resembled scenes from zombie-apocalypse movies. There was a significant contrast in people’s social lives compared to Santos.

At the bus station in Peruibe, we were greeted by our Couchsurfing host, Rodrigo. On the way home, he bought pizzas. Within half an hour, we felt well-fed, comfortable, safe, and very good! Not only because of the pizza, but Rodrigo is an incredibly positive, energetic, and charismatic person. With burning eyes and a wonderful smile.

After dinner, we took an evening stroll through Peruibe. The city turned out to be quite lively and atmospheric. There are many cafes and restaurants on the waterfront, a lot of young people, and folks leisurely walk along the promenade, engage in sports, and simply enjoy their time. The Peruibe waterfront is, of course, not as beautiful and well-maintained as in Santos, but we liked it even more. Probably because there were not as many people.

The next day, Karina, Rodrigo’s friend, picked us up, and we set out to explore the surroundings of Peruibe. It turned out there was a lot of interesting stuff to see, but many of the places required driving to reach.

On the way, we bought some tanning lotion and arrived at Guarau Beach. The trail to the beach goes through the jungle and a small swamp. There are wooden bridges in some places, but we still had to walk through mud on parts of the trail. But when you arrive at the beach and see the ocean, it takes your breath away. The sound of the waves, the jungle all around, the sandy shore, palm trees, and the refreshing breeze – it’s a sight to behold.

We didn’t swim in the ocean but took a dip in the river that flows into the sea. Afterward, we were feasted upon by mosquitoes. These were the fiercest, ninja mosquitoes we’ve ever encountered. We couldn’t even feel them biting, but within seconds, we were covered in red welts. We couldn’t stay on the beach for long and decided to explore the town. Karina showed us around the center of Peruibe, and then we met up with Rodrigo, who treated us to delicious ice cream.

We drove back home along the beach. The sun had already set, but the clouds on the horizon were still painted in bright red. It was a beautiful and epic end to the day!

Riding a bike

The next day, we went to the beach again, but this time on bicycles. The weather was excellent. We rode leisurely, visiting different places along the way, taking many photos and videos. We even stopped by a skate park and had some fun on skateboards. Thanks to the local kids!

In Brazil, skateboarding is very popular, and Peruíbe has a fantastic skate school. They teach children of all ages. They have a great skate park built with their own hands, and they even have an excellent pump track right on the promenade.

We chatted with them, exchanged contact information, and continued on our way. Along the route, we bought ourselves a pair of sunglasses and various snacks for a picnic. After a while, we finally reached the beach.

We didn’t go for a swim because the waves were strong, and the water was quite murky. However, we sat on the shore, enjoyed the view, and rode our bikes along the beach for a little while. We fed ourselves and the mosquitoes. Just before sunset, we decided to head back home.

The day was very eventful, and by the evening, we were completely exhausted. However, we had to start getting ready for our next destination. It wasn’t clear why we were in such a hurry, but Bruno, our next host in Curitiba, was already waiting for us. This time, we had to rely on hitchhiking because buses in Brazil are not so cheap. So, this time, we decided to save some money. But read more about it in our next article!