Blogs from Morro de São Paulo, Bahia, Brazil, South America

Suzanne here... It took much longer to get to Salvador than anticipated. Brazil is vast, so even a domestic flight took two and a half hours. Then once at Salvador airport we chose our usual money-saving bus instead of taxi option. It was easy enough to get the bus (straight through the multistory carpark in front of arrivals then turn right - no signs but easy to find). The bus was cheap, but it did go the long way round so took over an hour to reach the Centro Historico. But on a budget it is probably the right choice. Originally we were going to head north of Salavador for a couple of days. But then we read about Morro de Sao Paulo, on the island of Tinhare. It sounded lovely, so we revised our plans. ... read more

Morro de São Paulo aka fantasy island. The only challenge is getting there. A two hour catamaran journey which some call "Hell Ride". For an in-depth description of this Hellish Boat Trip check out this blog entry by http://www.10kjuan.com/thehellboat/ The best investment we made was sea sick tablets. We watched as laughter and excitement amongst the passengers turned to pale faces and puke bags being opened. We tried as best we could to tell these unfortunate souls to keep their eyes on the horizon in order to feel better. The hellish journey is quickly forgotten though when you get to the island- it is absolutely exquisite - aquamarine seas, palm trees and stunning beaches. We have adored Brazil - now off to Argentina and our next adventure!!... read more

My dad and I left Salvador with a pinch of sadness. It had been the perfect introduction to Brazil for us with the beach culture around the colorful historical center (Portuguese heritage), lively music on cobblestone, Afro-Brazilian rhythm mixed with capoiera, modern buildings laid out next to intriguing favelas, and a great combination of local smiles and happy tourists. The city had treated us well and we both agreed we would be back in Salvador de Bahia in the near future. But today we were leaving the city for the true beginning of our cycling adventure in Bahia! We rode from our guesthouse in Barra to the Terminal Maritimo 5 km away at the foot of the old quarter. It was about 10 o’clock when we reached the harbor and we got to witness the crowds ... read more

Continuando el viaje, con nuevas lecciones de vida, enriqueciéndonos día a día. Mucha agua!!!,dulce ,salada,fría ,templada,caliente,roja,turquesa,transparente. Descansando,acariciando,rompiendo en las rocas,abuelitas piedras,con certeza ustedes habran visto pasar muchas vidas . Sintiendo , sientiendo mucho y muy intenso, la belleza explosiva de la naturaleza,de las personas lindas que nos acompañan y forman parte de nuestra familia en este momento. Cayo, Sui, y Vito, tres brasileiros maravillosos que conocimos de viaje , se han convertido en nuestros profes de portugués, amigos, compañeros de viaje, de risas, de brincadeiras, como dicen aquí(bromas, juegos...), de emociones, de experiencia, completándonos entre todos en cada momento. Maravillados al llegar a la isla de Boipeba, no hay palabras , solo sensación de LIBERTAD, necesidad de danzar, tocar , cantar, saltar, y así... read more

19/12 (i know I am very far behind on my blog but I will make an effort now I promise to catch up!) Our Morro de Sao Paolo trip ended on a slightly sour note as the Brazilians, for the first time, became incredibly unhelpful. We booked a catamaran for 9am this morning and managed to sort out a 'taxi' to take our luggage to the port - we were there in plenty of time (in true british fashion) and we paid the ridiculous 62 cent tax to use the port. We were then sat waiting to get on the catamaran when a man came and asked to look at our tickets - and noted that he only had 2 of us (me and Amy) onhis list - even though my ticket clearly showed that we ... read more