Friday, March 6 – Florianopolis

Forty-two beaches. Time to get after it!

Options to get around the island are (in descending order of cost): rental car, taxi, uber, executivo bus, basic bus. Today I was heading to the eastern part of the island, which is about an hour trip, so I went with the second least expensive option. I was able to take the “executive” bus direct to my destination (with no transfers), and it tops the “basic” bus in that it is less crowded and has air conditioning. The cost? $2.25 each way.

I was able to pick up the bus close to my hotel, which was nice. The stops along the route are not announced or indicated, but I knew I was going to the end of the line (at the beach!), so that made it pretty simple. I also used Google Maps on my phone to track my progress.

My destination is Barra da Lagoa, a small fishing village with some tourist shops and a nice long beach (coincidently also named Barra da Lagoa!).

Adjacent to the village is a hiking trail that led to some surprises…

Saturday, March 7 – Florianopolis

I was told that the south part of the island is less crowded and touristy. Sounds like a perfect Saturday destination! One problem: the executivo bus only operates until noon on Saturdays. Mmmm… I’ll take it south and figure out a way back.

I have a few different spots to see today, but once I arrive, they are all within walking distance of each other. I wasn’t going to the end of the line on the bus, so I again used Google Maps to track my path (and remember, you can do this offline), then requested a stop near my first destination (about a 50 minute trip).

So, how did I get back to my hotel? Ended up using an uber. It was about a 40 minute ride. The cost: $8. I can’t say I’d be comfortable using uber in other parts of Brazil!

Sidenote: While sitting on a bench in the village today I had a nice conversation with a local gentleman. (he lived for a time in New Jersey and spoke excellent English) He was very cordial and thanked me multiple times for visiting his city. I have to say everyone I’ve encountered here has been very friendly. A pleasant experience!

Sunday, March 8 – Florianopolis

The executivo bus doesn’t run on Sunday, and most of the shops are closed, so it seems like the perfect time for a rest day. Well, it turned out to be a semi-rest day, as I did do a little walking around the city center and along the pedestrian path adjacent to the ocean.