The kindness of a stranger...

This past weekend Rachel and I planned a last minute trip to Brotas.  After a little bit of searching I found a package that consisted of two nights in a hotel, rafting, canyoning and zip-lining all for the equivalent of $200 USD.  Amazing?  I think so.

After taking two of the most beautiful bus rides I have ever been on, we arrived in Brotas with nothing but our backpacks and a piece of paper with the hotel name and address.  According to my students, Brotas is a popular tourist destination in Brazil, so arriving at the bus station I was taken aback by how tiny it was.

With no cell phone, and not a taxi cab in sight, Rachel and I wandered around aimlessly for a bit (this seems to be a common occurrence nowadays).  While discussing our possible options, which included walking ourselves or hitch-hiking, Rachel noticed a young girl waving from a few feet away.

"Hello.  Do you need help?" she asked in perfect English.
"Yes, actually we do," we replied showing her our hotel address and asking if there was a local bus we could take to get there.
"That hotel is about 20 miles away," she calmly answered, "and the last bus left a little while ago."
Rachel and I stared blankly at one another.
"I can drive you," she offered.

We resisted her offer with the same oomph that a typical girl would resist an offer from a man to pay for the meal on the first date.  I'll call it the "You really shouldn't, but damn right I am going to accept it if you offer again" way.

Rachel and I: "No, it's so far away!" (Refusal #1)
Brazilian girl: "It's fine.  There is no other way to get there."
Rachel and I: "Really, we'll figure it out.  Don't worry!" (Refusal #2)
Brazilian girl: "No, I am driving you."
Rachel and I: "Okay, if you insist." (Acceptance, but seemingly against our will)

Maria, as we later learned her name, had spent two years nannying in Atlanta and spoke fluent English.  She drove us to our hotel and even offered us a place to stay on our last night in Brotas, which we were unable to refuse (since apparently no buses leave Brotas on Sundays and we would need to stay an extra day).  Maria was one of those people that helps to confirm my belief that humans are genuinely kind hearted.

I have always been trusting of people, and I never really knew why.  But I guess it is because I have never been given a reason not to be.