Brazillian Caipirinha's

June 18, 2013

 

I woke up when the boys got ready for work and wasn’t able to go back to sleep, which was fine since I needed to get the day going anyway. I now had the password to the wifi so I took some time to catch up on my blog. Around noon, I reached out to Jake S. to see if he was still game to take out the jet ski. He told me he already had everything set and whenever I was ready, I could head on over. Sweet! This was going to be an adventurous day. I drove to Jake’s house and It. Was. Beautiful. The two-story house was located directly on the water and had a stunning view from the floor to ceiling glass window on the second floor. Jake had prepared turkey sandwiches and a cooler full of drinks. He even tracked down some baggies to keep our electronics safe from the water. Clearly he had done this before. After meeting Jake’s sweet mom we sauntered down the long dock toward the jet ski that sat next to a big, fancy boat in the water.

I grabbed a seat on the back and waited for Jake to hop on. He cranked that sucker up and off we went. He hollered over the motor to tell me the plan was to cut straight across the water and hopefully catch a calmer area closer to the shoreline. I hadn’t been on a jet ski in a very long time and completely forgot how freaking bumpy the ride can be! The waves were relentless during the journey across the water. My face was constantly pelted with water and every time I thought I’d have a moment to catch a breath free of ocean spray, I was hit again with a huge gush. It took about ten minutes to get across before finally reaching calmer water. Whew, I wasn’t expecting that when I hopped on the back, but at least we were sailing smooth now. Jake sped past an uninhabited island, topping out the jet ski at 70 miles per hour. I opened my mouth slightly and it immediately filled up with air like a balloon and flubbered in the wind. I laughed to myself as we continued to jet along until Jake slowed to point out ships that had been wrecked on the island due to Hurricane Ivan. We passed an area where Jake told me everyone’s belongings ended up after Ivan and said that hundreds of looters came to find valuable items.

Jake asked if I wanted to drive for a little while, so I took the opportunity. The last time I drove a jet ski, I think I was probably ten years old and only did it with the help of my uncle sitting behind me. This should be interesting. I carefully squeezed the throttle and cruised along at 30 mph. A huge wave hit the front of the jet ski and we were drenched with water! "You're supposed to own the wave, not get owned by the wave...You just got owned!" Jake poked at me. Okay Mr. Tough Guy, let me just show you what I got. I sped up the jet ski until I hit 60 mph, repeating in my head, "Own the wave, own the wave, own the wave..." I was so scared I was going to flip the jet ski, which would have been terrible considering my camera was on board. When the choppiness of the waves increased, I switched back with Jake to let him drive.

Eventually we made it to Fort Pickens where we were able to dodge the $8.00 entrance fee since we pulled up on the water. The fort was huge and it was intriguing to read details posted throughout the area. Jake and I walked around the main fort for about an hour before taking off to scope out another portion of it a little ways away. We passed another giant area, but it was completely gated in. “I wish this place was open, it would make for some killer photographs.” I said nonchalantly. After reaching the end of it, we discovered a hole in the fence just big enough for us to squeeze through. “Do you want to check it out?” Jake asked me. Duh I did! We ignored the “Do Not Enter” signs and snuck through the hole into the fort. Now THIS is what I’m talking about! All of the doorways were rusted and most areas of the fort were decaying. While trying to dive deeper into the region, we were faked out several times by the rooms that appeared to lead further inside, but only ended up being small, enclosed quarters. I followed Jake around the fort, snapping hundreds of pictures, and failing to pay close attention to where I walked. I looked straight ahead of me as I took a big step and felt a sting on my right shin. I looked down and noticed I had about a 3 inch slice on my leg from a sharp, rusty piece of metal on the ground. Good thing I had just gotten my tetanus shot a couple months before I left on this trip. The cut didn’t hurt too bad and it wasn’t really bleeding, so I continued walking. When Jake turned around to look at me a moment later, he screamed, “Oh my gosh, you’re bleeding!!” When I looked at the cut for a second time, I saw that my leg was gushing blood. Good thing neither of us have a weak stomach because that sucker was oozing. Instead of heading back to the jet ski, I chose to keep on exploring even with a cut up leg and hoped the blood would eventually stop flowing. We poked around the forbidden fort for a little while longer before making our way back to the hole in the fence.

We walked a short distance toward a beach access point and passed a bathroom along the way. I took this opportunity to use fresh water and soap to clean out the rusty cut before heading into the ocean. The bathroom ended up not having any soap, but I took several moments to flush the wound and get all of the gunk out. Hopefully that would suffice as a good cleaning for the time being!

Jake and I went for a quick swim in the water and once again, he asked how long I would be staying. I told him I still didn’t know, and that I may end up heading out in the morning instead of staying for the Wednesday night madness. He came up with the idea to have a hermit crab race to decide my fate, so I agreed to the fun competition. Jake searched the shoreline for only a short time before finding hermit crab number one. He gave me that crab while he perused the area for another. When he found the next one, he made up a course for the hermit crabs to compete through, all inclusive with a finish line made of sea shells. This guy was a professional hermit crab racer, obviously. Before beginning the race, we had to name our little friends. I named mine Lil Dude, and Jake named his Herman. At the sound of the pistol, they were off…well, at least Lil Dude was. Herman was a little late to the start and by the time he got moving, Lil Dude had already crossed the finish line and claimed his prize of returning to the water and I remained the holder of my Wednesday night decision. YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE BEST!

After our intense match, Jake told me he would take me to his favorite beach, so we returned to the jet ski and away we went. The island was about a fifteen minute drive from where we were, but cutting across the rough water was so worth it once we arrived. The private island was absolutely gorgeous. We ditched the jet ski and grabbed my camera and the sandwiches before taking off on a walk to check things out. We trekked around the entire island, which Jake estimated to be about a miles distance. We ran into several different species of wild life along the way, including a decent sized sand crab. I was able to get within a foot of his face with my camera before he scuttled sideways and dove down into his little hole. We made a full circle of the island before we climbed atop the giant sand dune to take in the view and enjoy our sandwiches.

Crab on the island- Pensacola, FL

View from on top of the sand dune on private island- Pensacola, FL

 

A long, choppy ride back to Jake’s place followed the sandwiches and honestly, I’m a little surprised we didn’t see that meal for a second time with as bumpy as the water was. Jake’s mom and dad were waiting at for us once we finally returned and before heading out, I asked for a band aid for my battle scar from earlier.

When I got back to the house, Chris and Abner were watching TV, but put it on pause to hear all about my day. After sharing my experience, I popped in the shower and when emerged, everyone else had returned home as well. We all voted to have a chill night tonight since the two nights before had been late ones and tomorrow was Wednesday, which meant it would be time to go hard. Chris volunteered to play bartender and make us a specialty drink that he learned when he lived in Brazil for six months. He made a quick trip to the store to get the contents for the Caipirinha’s, which included fresh limes, sugar, vodka and ice.

Everyone sipped gingerly on their Caipirinha’s while Chris gave a tutorial to Luis, AJ, and me on how to make the most of our Couch Surfer accounts. After our much needed lesson we all sat and talked as I struggled to keep my eyes open. Luis was the first to choose to go to bed, and when I thought everyone else would follow, Chris spoke up and said he was going to have another drink. Say wha? Don't you know it's late, boy? He asked if anyone else cared to join him, so I figured I’d have another, too. I was tired, but who knows when I would be presented with another opportunity like this? AJ decided to have one as well, so we all three headed to the kitchen to watch bartender Chris. The ingredients to this drink are simple, but they make a scrumptious combination; you can’t even taste the three shots of vodka in it!

The three of us stayed up until 4:30 in the morning before AJ called it quits for the night. These boys joke with me all the time, so when Chris asked if I wanted to have another drink, I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not! I told him if it was only me, I wasn’t going to have one, but that if he wanted to have go for one more I wouldn’t leave him hanging.

Chris and I went to his room with our third Caipirinha each and sat on his bed and talked. We enjoyed each other’s company and conversed easily about anything and everything under the sun until we looked up and realized the sun was actually shooting through the blinds in his room! I wonder what time it is? Any guesses?

6. IN. THE. MORNING. We done went and did it again.