Prologue . . . October snow

Even though the Central Oregon Visitor’s Association boasts of over 300 days of sunshine a year in Bend, occasionally an early season system blows through in October and leaves us with a fresh coat of snow.

At times like these,  any self-respecting Realtor (even the most hardcore, dedicated) in Central Oregon, delegates someone else in the office to watch over the real estate business in Bend Oregon, packs his bags, and heads off someplace exotic and warm. Who knows?  Maybe something will even sell “in absentia.”

Brazil

Jericoacoara (Jeri) lies four hours (by 4×4, the last hour along the beach) from Fortaleza in Ceara state in the NE of Brazil.  It’s about as far from MLS and Bend Oregon real estate as one could get.  The town had no electricity until 1998; and even today has streets of sand

The town has a rather esoteric following amongst windsurfers

and kite surfers.

Jeri also boasts some great restaurants with wonderful seafood, an abundance of cold “Skol” and highly addictive “caipirinha” (a drink made with sugar cane rum, crushed limes, sugar, and shaken like a martini), miles of white sand beaches, and the “Sunset Dune”

–perhaps the center piece of town, and the spot to watch some of the most spectacular sunsets in the world.

Almost unbelieveably, the sun sinks into the Atlantic from this point in Brazil.

Sorry about all these beautiful sunset photos.  The sunset scene is only enhanced by other activitities: “capoeira”–a martial arts/dance display originally brought over by slaves from Angola, and, of course, the nightly local boys’ beach soccer match. Check out the goal.

A little sad to leave the daily 90 degree (85 degree water!) heat and comfortably paced life style.

Also a little tough to give up the hammock, and the ability and time to read for pleasure (Ken Kesey’s “Sometimes a Great Notion”–one of the greatest books of all time!).

Two weeks seemed to fly by.  The trip home to Central Oregon was a grueling 37 hours!

Epilogue/Karma

Part of the irony of real estate in Bend Oregon . . . something did indeed sell (and close!!) “in absentia” . . . maybe it was just good karma!

To find out more about Brazil (see more photos!) or the rather unconventional strategy of selling real estate while on an exotic vacation, please click here.