I almost feel negligent about my failure to disclose a side to Florianopolis that I hadn't mentioned in my earlier posts. But, as often happens to those who travel extensively, memories about the subtle, nuanced, and glossed over aspects of a place sometimes take a while to reappear.
In all of the popular discussion about Floriaonpolis' status as an island paradise chockful of beautiful Brazilian babes of European extraction, I forgot about the other aspects of the city that don't get much attention and revolve around the city's downtown core, which is the focal point of the island.
![[Image: alexandredecastrorobles.jpg]](http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/8972/alexandredecastrorobles.jpg)
Though Florianopolis is well within Southern Brazil and a testament to that region's absorption of millions of European immigrants to Brazil--most of whom immigrated during the latter half of the 20th century--a good 10% of the city's residents are of mixed-race heritage (mulatta). Though that relatively small percentage can easily lead visitors to overlook that group's presence on the island, the quality of the women in that 10% is fairly high and consistent compared to larger Brazilian cities farther north. I saw quite a few pretty, eye-catching light skinned black women with long flowing hair, most of them young (early 20s), during my time in Floripa.
The best place to start if you're on a mission for these types of chicks is the mercado publico (public market) at the heart of downtown (and on the west side smack dab in the center of the island). It's a large and sprawling public space, not too different in feel from the famous mercado publico in Sao Paulo, though much smaller. There's always loads of people walking around here during the day and it's the best place to shop and eat on the island, as well as the only place where you can service all of your civic needs in one place. There's plenty of day game opportunities here and the surrounding area is full of pedestrian-only streets reminiscent of what you'd find in Argentine cities. Most of the girls that live in the downtown neighborhoods, of any race, are of a lower economic class than girls who live in the north and south sides of the island. They are much more humble and approachable, too.
At night, there's clubs around here that are real popular with locals and older women, especially milfs. It's got nothing on the party scene in the more upscale parts of Floripa's beach neighborhoods, but it's something to check out if you want to strictly delve into Floripa's small brown community.
There's also black/urban barbershops in Floripa, which was the first place I got a proper haircut in months, much to my delight. I had been traveling through Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina prior to arriving in Florianopolis after a brief stay in Foz do Igaucu. I didn't have any clippers with me so I had let my hair grow out until I couldn't stand it anymore and decided to sit in a barber's chair in Valparaiso, Chile to get the worst haircut of my life. What's sad is that there was a hairstyle chart that had designs to my liking, but the barber simply didn't know what to do with black hair. I should have went straight bald, but I digress.
In Floripa, however, that was far from a problem. The barbershop I went to was poppin! I felt like I was back in the States. My barber was the only one who happened not to be black, interestingly enough, but he was a very cool dude. I spoke to him in Spanish while he spoke Portuguese, but we could understand each other. He was a big fan of 50 Cent and he gave me his e-mail address so that I could send him some music links online when I got a chance. I can't describe how much that experience made me happy to be back in Brazil after a 14-month hiatus, despite the fact that I was technically in the predominately-white southern part of the country. It still felt like home.
I have a pic below from me at the barbershop and also one with a mulatta, though she's not at all representative of the mulatta talent in Floripa. Floripa has many layers to it and is much more complex than the often talked about one-sided characterization of it being a paradise full of white Brazilian girls. That description is definitely true, but it has more to offer as well.
Btw, there's actually an excellent analysis of race in Santa Catarina state, of which Floripa is the capital, by former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso in his memoir, "The Accidental President." It's actually one of the best books I've ever read about Brazil and the author is responsible for creating the economic conditions that attracted foreign investment and led to Brazil's economic miracle; ushering in an era of prosperity that benefited Cardoso's successor, Lula. Cardoso is also considered one of the top 100 public intellectuals alive today. A refreshing thinker, he studied race in Floripa during his days at a doctoral student in sociology. Great book for anyone who wants to get a macro understanding of Brazilian history and culture.
In all of the popular discussion about Floriaonpolis' status as an island paradise chockful of beautiful Brazilian babes of European extraction, I forgot about the other aspects of the city that don't get much attention and revolve around the city's downtown core, which is the focal point of the island.
Though Florianopolis is well within Southern Brazil and a testament to that region's absorption of millions of European immigrants to Brazil--most of whom immigrated during the latter half of the 20th century--a good 10% of the city's residents are of mixed-race heritage (mulatta). Though that relatively small percentage can easily lead visitors to overlook that group's presence on the island, the quality of the women in that 10% is fairly high and consistent compared to larger Brazilian cities farther north. I saw quite a few pretty, eye-catching light skinned black women with long flowing hair, most of them young (early 20s), during my time in Floripa.
The best place to start if you're on a mission for these types of chicks is the mercado publico (public market) at the heart of downtown (and on the west side smack dab in the center of the island). It's a large and sprawling public space, not too different in feel from the famous mercado publico in Sao Paulo, though much smaller. There's always loads of people walking around here during the day and it's the best place to shop and eat on the island, as well as the only place where you can service all of your civic needs in one place. There's plenty of day game opportunities here and the surrounding area is full of pedestrian-only streets reminiscent of what you'd find in Argentine cities. Most of the girls that live in the downtown neighborhoods, of any race, are of a lower economic class than girls who live in the north and south sides of the island. They are much more humble and approachable, too.
At night, there's clubs around here that are real popular with locals and older women, especially milfs. It's got nothing on the party scene in the more upscale parts of Floripa's beach neighborhoods, but it's something to check out if you want to strictly delve into Floripa's small brown community.
There's also black/urban barbershops in Floripa, which was the first place I got a proper haircut in months, much to my delight. I had been traveling through Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina prior to arriving in Florianopolis after a brief stay in Foz do Igaucu. I didn't have any clippers with me so I had let my hair grow out until I couldn't stand it anymore and decided to sit in a barber's chair in Valparaiso, Chile to get the worst haircut of my life. What's sad is that there was a hairstyle chart that had designs to my liking, but the barber simply didn't know what to do with black hair. I should have went straight bald, but I digress.
In Floripa, however, that was far from a problem. The barbershop I went to was poppin! I felt like I was back in the States. My barber was the only one who happened not to be black, interestingly enough, but he was a very cool dude. I spoke to him in Spanish while he spoke Portuguese, but we could understand each other. He was a big fan of 50 Cent and he gave me his e-mail address so that I could send him some music links online when I got a chance. I can't describe how much that experience made me happy to be back in Brazil after a 14-month hiatus, despite the fact that I was technically in the predominately-white southern part of the country. It still felt like home.
I have a pic below from me at the barbershop and also one with a mulatta, though she's not at all representative of the mulatta talent in Floripa. Floripa has many layers to it and is much more complex than the often talked about one-sided characterization of it being a paradise full of white Brazilian girls. That description is definitely true, but it has more to offer as well.
Btw, there's actually an excellent analysis of race in Santa Catarina state, of which Floripa is the capital, by former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso in his memoir, "The Accidental President." It's actually one of the best books I've ever read about Brazil and the author is responsible for creating the economic conditions that attracted foreign investment and led to Brazil's economic miracle; ushering in an era of prosperity that benefited Cardoso's successor, Lula. Cardoso is also considered one of the top 100 public intellectuals alive today. A refreshing thinker, he studied race in Floripa during his days at a doctoral student in sociology. Great book for anyone who wants to get a macro understanding of Brazilian history and culture.