It’s hard to stay away from Floripa, so I found a way to return for a week on my way out of Brazil. This time I stayed in the south of the island in a small town called Armação, which I hadn’t visited before. My Brazilian friend Laura had recommended it to me as a good place to stay, close to the beach, and chill. I had a lot of work, so I didn’t do much else except go to the gym, eat poke, take photos, and go to the beach. She and her mom made me a really great grilled fish dinner (see photo below).
While visiting the beach at Pâtano do Sul (a place I stayed last time I was in Floripa). I stumbled upon the yearly celebration of the African sea goddess, Yemanjá. Yemanjá is a deity from the Yoruba religion that was brought to Brazil by African immigrants and is still practiced today (alongside others). The locals were dancing, singing, and doing capoeira all afternoon and into the night when they lit boats with candles and flowers and sent them out to sea. You can see the statue at the top of this page of Yemanjá. She actually looks like a friend of mine, and now I choose to believe she is the shape-shifting, panther sea goddess Yemanjá.
