Building Beautiful Memories while on a Summer Road Trip

Julia, Suzzane, Martha, Tom and Peter were college friends. They decided to spend the upcoming summer break with a road trip to the Copacobana beach in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. On a casual lunch meeting they decided their date of travel, mode of travel and the scheduled itinerary for their travel. 

             On the day of their scheduled departure for the trip, Martha, Tom and Peter arrived in a black coloured Range Rover over to the residence of Julia and Suzzane. Each of them got ready for the outing. Summer months offer the perfect time to head out on a road trip. The Sun was shining bright and the birds were chirping aloud. The temperature and weather was favourable to head out on a road trip. Julia, Suzzane and Martha applied sunscreen before heading out for the journey. The road trip from Sao Paulo to Rio De Janeiro would involve a travel of two days along the road. Sao Paulo can seem as a vastly grey city. However, underneath this somewhat uninspiring facade is a rich, vibrant culture that never sleeps.

All the five friends had a brunch consisting of egg toast and sandwiches in the morning. They packed some food consisting of garlic bread, vegetable spring rolls and pomegranate juice.  

Rio de Janeiro is situated at a distance of 264 miles from Sao Paulo. Peter was in the driver’s seat for the first half of the road trip. Julia, Suzzane and Martha were singing summer songs to enliven the atmosphere. Tom was playing the guitar to add harmony to the musical notes.  Time flew past while on their journey as they moved past San Jose dos Campos. They halted at a coffee shop and had some hot cappuccino. After a drive for the next one hour they reached Aparecida. It was almost evening time. They decided to stop over at the Sunrise lodge during the night. A campfire greeted the guests at the lodge. Julia gazed at the fire transfixed. The brilliance, the warmth, the crackle of logs bought new life to the cold campsite. Martha and Suzzane chopped and grilled the meat right over the blaze. Tom strung the strings of the guitar while the others sang soft romantic notes. After enjoying their time along the bonfire, the five of them retired to their respective beds to rest during the night.

      The next morning they rose at 6 AM in the morning. After having completed their daily ablutions’, they met at the breakfast table. There was a buffet laid out for the guests. Peter had brown bread, hot coffee and cereal for breakfast. Suzanne had hot pancakes while Martha had scrambled eggs for breakfast. After their breakfast, they convened a short meeting to plan their itinerary for the remainder of the trip.

Tom sat in the driver’s seat while the rest of them settled in their seats in the SUV.  After a short drive they reached Itatiala. They stayed there for the next one hour. After a drive of another 1.5 hours, they stopped at Ipanema and stayed there for one hour.

             Finally after a drive of about 49 minutes they reached Rio De Janeiro. ‘Rio’ as it is popularly known is the second largest city in Brazil and the third largest metropolis in the whole of South America. The city was founded by Portuguese colonists in the mid 1500s and became a port for the shipment of gold from the inland mining areas. 

Sugarloaves towering above its harbour and long crescent beaches are Rio’s prime tourist attractions. Distinguished buildings from each era of Rio’s history and a generous supply of urban parks and open spaces have enhanced its landscape.

The group of friends reached the Copacobana beach, one of the most famous beaches of the world. Native Rio citizens can be seen socializing, playing volleyball and sipping coconut water all in requisite Brazilian swimwear. The water in the beach is tranquil and warm, devoid of rocks and reefs on the ocean floor. The beach has immense natural beauty covering several miles. The water in the beach is as calm as a lake in summer making it an excellent spot for snorkelling. With its jet black shore, electric blue waters and thick jungle like foliage the beach is a photographer’s dream. One can parasail or snorkel before one enjoys a lunch at one of the restaurants along the shore.  

Julia, Martha and Suzzane wore florescent swim suits while on the beach. Peter and Tom wore red and black colored bermuda pants while on the beach. They were sunbathing by lying around along the shore of the beach. Sunbathing offers a great way to park oneself for the day in the sun. The five friends spent their time while on the beach by building sand-castles with the sand in the beach.

After having thoroughly enjoyed themselves in the water and the sand, the five of them decided to dine al-fresco in one of the restaurants named ‘Sun-Shine’ situated along the beach coast line. The restaurant had warm and welcoming interiors and was decorated beautifully. Chrysanthemums decorated each table of the restaurant. The flowers had an aroma that was incredibly enchanting. The friends had some Kale salad, sun-dried tomato spread and white truffle balsamic glaze for lunch.

Tom, Suzanne, Martha, Peter, Julia held each other’s hands as they watched the sun setting down. The color of the sky changed from minute to minute. From orange yellow to flamboyant pink, the clouds painted with changing colors as the sun set down. They saw the golden disc touching the surface of the ocean. It seemed in a hurry to disappear slipping behind the line of horizon spreading its last rays.

Now as the Summer Road trip was nearing its end, the friends realized that each of them was fortunate to share a truly unforgettable road trip in Rio De Janeiro in South America. They felt truly grateful to have been blessed with each other’s company.

                   They realized that their friendship improved their happiness quotient by the doubling of their joy. After having travelled on the Summer Road trip together and having built unforgettable memories along the way, they had indeed re-defined the true essence of friendship.