After lunch we met our driver Antonio for a the 2.5 hour drive east to Buzios. It used to be a quiet fishing village but became a popular vacation destination after French actress Bridget Bardot discovered it in 1964.
The drive from Rio was interesting, passing through several small towns, some of which looked nice while others looked a lot like the favelas in Rio. We passed several farms, and even saw a cowboy rounding up his cows right off the highway. Also, before going I thought Peyton Manning was in a lot of ads, but after watching Brazilian TV and seeing billboards along the road, he has nothing on Ronaldinho.
Buzios is a difficult place to explain. It is a relatively compact peninsula loaded with hills and 23 beaches, some big, others very small. Even though it is quite the tourist destination, there are no hotels, only pousadas, which are kind of like a bed and breakfast. We found one online, and it was great. The town is pretty small and for the most part you aren't allowed to drive on the five or six streets that make up the commercial center of the village.
To be honest, Chris was interested in going to Buzios but he wasn't dying to go. Lelaine was definitely the catalyst for the trip. But Buzios quickly won Chris over. When we got to our pousada the owners made a couple tall caipirinhas and fed us cheese, crackers, and sausage on our patio overlooking the water. When they found out it was our honeymoon they sent a bottle of champagne.
That night we went into town and, like Rio, immediately did what Lelaine does best - shopping. We then went to a nice outdoor bar and watched a big Flamengo futbol game on TV and went to dinner at a Bahia restaurant, which is the culinary capital region of Brazil. Lelaine had their traditional fish stew.
The next two days we hung out at our pousada and went to several beaches across Buzios. It was a very relaxing time and a great low key way to conclude the honeymoon.
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