The singing sands of Juqueí
Juqueí is where our friend, Fernando, spent most of his summers as child, getting tutoring in womanising by his grandad as so many Brazilians do. Juqueí is a Tupi word, roughly translating to “the singing sands” or “the sand that sings” , and whilst walking along the beach, the sand truly sang, perhaps a slightly repetitive song for the unimaginative walker, but for some Gringos (read this as “us”) jumping and running around can create a symphony of feet in singing sand. After living in a tent in the middle of a rainforest, a chalet in Juqueí felt like a five star hotel, especially as we had a barbecue pit. When the evening came we enjoyed our first brazilian churrasco, the barbecue pit was put to the test as people arrived with more meat to add some extra sizzle. Plates of salsica, picanah and bbq cheese, kept being passed around all night, closely followed by farofa, skol and maconha, a more than adequate combination.