To say we merely like açai would be an understatement: we’re addicted to it. This cool treat, unique only to Brazil comes from a fruit from palms in the Amazon, and tastes so good, we had to see how it was made. Get your fix in today’s photo gallery.
While wandering through Salvador today we met a whistle blowing character, and eventually made our way to the Farol da Barra, a lighthouse built on an old pentagonal Portuguese fort. Walk the streets of Salvador at dusk in today’s gallery…
Despite looming clowds, we took a bus northward along the coast until we reached Pedra do Sal beach in the neighborhood of Itapuã. The ocean beaches to the north of the city have fewer people and bigger waves, which is exactly what we were looking for. We also found a stand selling a traditional Bahian delicacy. Come see Itapuã by clicking here…
Today we took a bus to the southern end of the city where we caught a tiny boat to out-of-the-way island of Ilha Maré. After a meal and a relaxing afternoon, we returned to our neighborhood only to find a huge beach concert already underway. Spend a day and a night on Bahia’s beaches in today’s photo gallery…
On Porto da Barra, Salvador’s main beach, a sea of people are dancing under the stars. There is a perfect beach party underway: a warm night, crowds of people of all ages, swimmers, and a floating stage just past the waves on which some of Brazil’s most famous and well respected singers are belting out hits. Waves lap at my ankles, music floods my ears.
The concert is free, goes all night, and is even staffed by life guards should a fan exit the carefully marked swimming zone in front of the enormous floating stage. At this very moment Gal Costa is on, next up is Tom Zé, and it is said that the Brazilian musician-gods Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso will take the stage eventually. This type of thing just never happens where I’m from. (more…)
The mark of a good trip has always been hitting that point where you don’t know what day it is. We hit that long, long ago. At times for us, the only anchor to the date on the calendar has been through our work on this site. The turn of the month gave us a pause to look behind, and with some quick calculations, the realization that our eight-month, 244 day long trip hit the quarter-way mark on day 61: March 1st.
Brazilians love their buffets. Tonight for dinner we went to a churrascaria, a traditional Brazilian eatery, where we ate like kings (and paid royally too). Think of a churrascaria like a buffet where the food comes to you. Finely dressed servers walk around with spits of equally fine cuts of meat. Have your full in today’s photo gallery.
With a day like this, it was easy to decide what we were going to do: head to the beach. And being just a mere walk away from our $30 a night apartment in Salvador (we know, you hate us), it was an easy jaunt for us. Hit the beach in today’s photo gallery.
After taking a late night, two-hour flight (instead of a 25 hour bus ride) from Rio, we arrived in Brazil’s colonial capital city, Salvador da Bahia – which everyone truncates to Salvador. At the mouth of a massive bay, Salvador was a natural choice by the Portuguese who trekked across the Atlantic. Relics of its Portuguese roots still stand today, like Fort Santa Maria in the background. Porto da Barra beach’s clear waters abutting the fort are popular with both locals and travelers looking to cool off. Jump into Salvador by taking a look at today’s photo gallery.
We spent most of our last day in Rio trying to get out of Rio, and buy tickets to our next destination, Salvador in the northeast. The ensuing fiasco left us just enough time to catch the sunset at Ipanema beach. See the photos in today’s photo gallery.
While in Rio, we managed to get tickets to one of the year’s biggest soccer matches here in Brazil, the Taça Guanabara. Two neighboring bitter rivals, Flamengo and Botafogo, played for the title of city champion. The crowd was rowdy, the soccer was great, and the excitement was through the roof. Head to the Maracanã Stadium for today’s photos.