Am I a Loner? Sometimes I ask myself this question. Don´t get me wrong. I do like human beings, staying with my family, my friends and meeting new people but I have this need to be on my own sometimes; to do things on my own. The way I do this is by going to an isolated place where I can be me, my thoughts and the nature. This how I practice my meditation. If that behaviour makes me a loner, so let it be.

The closest place I can find this peaceful moment is the Conceição Lagoon Dunes area. From the outlooks in the surrounding hills, it is a noticeable feature in the landscape. Inside it, you can just feel the solitude. I like running there as if I am in a labyrinth trying to think my way out.

Dunes are hills of sand built by the wind. It runs parallel to the shoreline and directly inland, changing constantly as the wind blows in different directions.

But it is not all sand. Plants are also present creating the habitat for insects and small birds. This type of bushy vegetation is called Restinga and it is an important preservation concern along the coastline. Small ponds are among the vegetation and if it´s been raining a
lot, big ones are formed between the dunes.

Some dunes are pretty high and you can see the lagoon, the sea and down south, the figure of Armação hill. If you have a sand board you could just slide down as many times as you could go up the sand hill again.

It´s like being on a hurricane eye. Particularly, I like the sound of the wind and feel like every nature sound it´s like music. Sometimes, when the sunset has a clear sky, there is a magic glow on the white sand and you look around watching the hills feeling in the center of the planet. I am not exagerating, sometimes I really feel like that.
I have watched pretty good sunsets where the clouds pictured all sorts of things you could imagine.

I have being serious about meditation for the last couple of years and I believe that by practicing in a quiet location where you feel close to the elements and the natural life could help you to do it better and give you a better understanding of how important the nature is for us.

Unfortunately this is under threat. I have heard about some plans of building a road crossing it and houses are trying to push their way in. I am not inocent. I have stepped in some plants but I am careful now as I have learned that the ecosystem in the dunes is very fragile. I just hope that monetary ambitions don´t run over preservations laws and ecological efforts.

I am luck to be close to this magic area where the elements are so significant. How can we live without this? Is it possible to stop the civilization from destroying it ?
I run and enjoy the moment as I don´t know how long it is going to be there.

I love Floripa but sometimes I like to get away on weekends to see
different things, which are not too far from the island. I was lucky to
get a friend’s ride to Praia do Rosa, or Rosa beach, 81 km south of
Florianópolis. The beach belongs to Imbituba, a small village next to
Garopaba town.

Unfortunately to get there you need to drive on the BR101 highway, one of the most dangerous of the country. You can tell how dangerous by the number of trucks, holes on the pavement and overtaking cars in this 2 way highway. I am writing this article so I managed to return home safe and sound.

The beach is considered one of the most beautiful in Santa Catarina
state. It has a nice setting of hills covered with vegetation, 2 small
lagoons, headlands on both sides and fine white sand. The beach is
about 2km long and it is divided in Rosa North and Rosa South. Nature Preservation is taken seriously. Buildings are not allowed and the access road to the beach is not paved.

During summer it changes completely with the arrival of Brazilians
from all parts of Brazil, especially from Rio Grande do Sul state and
Argentineans. There are many pousadas (guest houses), which open only for summer as well as restaurants and eateries.

Surfing is very popular for its good waves. It is quite regular with
rights and lefts but the problem is the crowd and also some problems
with locals. It gets swell direction from NorthEast, East, South and
SouthEast.

Whale watching is another popular activity during winter when the
Southern Right Whales migrate from Antartica and use the beach as their breeding place.

So It was a hot sunny Sunday and also windy (North direction) so staying at Rosa North was a good choice as this area was protected from the wind.

Arriving at 11:00 I have noticed few people on the beach and none of the beautiful girls I was expecting. I came to learn a lesson that I
should have learned before. People staying in Praia do Rosa and
Garopaba are in holiday so they go for the nightlife quite late (01:00
/02:00 am) and go till sunrise. They sleep till afternoon and start
coming to the beach at around 15:00pm till sunset (with summertime it is 20:00). This way you can also avoid the strong midday sun.

I spent this lovely afternoon chatting, hiking on the North headland
trail, walking on the beach and, believe or not, playing chess. The
crowd I was expecting started to arrive at 15:00 pm including the
beautiful girls I was waiting for.

Unfortunately I am not in holiday so I had to go back to Floripa to
work next morning. I left at about 17:30. On the way, we decided to
stop at Guarda do Embaú beach for sunset and also to have few beers.

A perfect ending for the day. It was my first time at Guarda do Embaú and the beach is very pretty. There is a river mouth between the little village and the beach. After few beers we continued our drive to Floripa with an expected traffic on the BR101 road. Nevermind, I was in good vibes. Sunday is my favorite day.

A morning hangover didn´t stop me from going on with I was planning this morning: Canoeing in Conceição Lagoon.
The day was sunny with few clouds but a bit too windy (North) which is not the best condition for canoeing but good enough to row plus I wanted to take some pictures.

The chosen type is the hawaiian canoe which is a new thing for me but I have been rowing with this company KANALOA for a couple of weeks.

In this sport it is very important the team spirit not only because you need to row sicronised in order to float the canoe efficiently but also in difficult situations, like could happen in the sea in case of capsizing the canoe.

Exploring the lagoon with a canoe is so great because you happen to find great places that couldn´t see from the other side, like this little hidden beach near of what it is called “pedra do navio”, a big rock with interesting form suggeting a ship hulk. There are many tiny beaches like this one in Conceição Lagoon.

Rowing was quite easy as I had my break while taking pictures and the stop

was not too far from the start. I didn´t manage to take good pictures, though, as I was worried about getting my camera wet in case of a capsizing situation. The canoe is very stable but if the rowers are begginers (as we were in the canoe, apart from the guide) they might comit the mistake of putting all the weight in the wrong side.

We returned with a North tail wind which get us quick to the start at Open winds. I thanked all for the enjoyable time and headed for the Ponto do Guaraná bar, which sells mostly natural food and beverages, and it is also famous for its TIJELA DE AÇAÍ, a nutritious tropical fruit mixed with banana and guaraná served cold and with cereals. Perfect ending to replace my energies after the rowing and the morning hangover.