Bom dia!

Well, there went February.  

My birthday month also brought a surprise trip to Brazil, which is partly what has kept me out of this internet corner.  The other distracting factors were part work, pretending to go to the gym and general pontificating about my plans for 2015 without actually doing anything about it.  Case in point: one of my vague goals was to spend more time on here.

But, onto Brazil - each of the eleven days I spent there I felt like I was living in a Coke commercial, gorgeous people watching, easy open air bars - and oh the beaches!  Not since Sydney have I been so impressed stretches of golden sand and the clearest water.  We were lucky enough to visit the urban beach shores of Rio (sadly it was raining the day we went to Ipanema, so I could not recreate being the girl from my favourite song - that would have made for some great hashtags on insta) before flying down south to the quieter spots on Florianopolis and around the South.  It must be known that the latter cities are filled with the most beautiful people you will ever see in one place on this planet.  Their skin!  Their glossy hair!  The way they make me think an ankle tattoo is a good idea but really I just want their tanned slender ankles!

Anyway, now I will get to the pictures which of course must begin with the food (and I wonder why I don't have ankles like Alessandra Ambrosio)...

A pastel and my most favourite snack of all: bolinho de bacalhau!  These were little deep fried fish and potato gems of goodness that I could not get enough of.  Serve hot in an open air bar that spills out into the streets with cheap local beer that you don't even notice how bad it tastes because hey, Rio.

From the top of Sugarloaf Mountain - the stuff of postcards!  Not pictured: how much I nearly died of heatstroke that day.

Ah Brazil - where the all the snacks and the bar comes to you!  The days started to blend together at this stage, but I think this is somewhere down South.  Freshly grilled cheese on a stick was purchased shortly after this picture was taken.

There are far more glamorous food shots I could have included here, but this was one of my favourite meals - all the breads!  That big puffy semi circle was a type of tapioca bread that was sort of gummy and delicious, and those four happy little balls were my beloved cheese breads.

You know I had to do it.  What did I tell you about the Coke commercial feeling?  Ahh take me back!

Obrigado por tudo, Brasil!  My tan has faded almost completely now, but even after the few days we had, you forever have a special place in my heart.  That place is called 'countries I am already scheming about revisiting because I've only just scratched the surface and I want mangos right now'.