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Published: October 12th 2008
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Humpback Whale
Praia do Forte One of the great feats of our time is our ability to just jump on a plane and within the space of a few hours be surrounded by timeless sandy beaches, warm tranquil water with colours of turqoise and teal that shimmer against a harsh sun beating down onto its surface. Whilst sipping on my Caparinha the national Brazilian drink consisting of cacaca, crushed lime, sugar and lots if ice to quench even the most strongest thirst I ponder to myself this is the life!
A couple hours north of Salvador Brazil is a small town called Praia do Forte. The beaches stretch for miles and miles in both directions and they seem like a neverending mirage. A little out to sea and you can see various species of whales including Humpback and Minke. The boatride can be a little choppy as I found out and it was difficult to keep my breakfast down however it is a must to see these giant beasts swim and frolic in amongst the blue waters and a memory I will never forget.
Just a little further north is a place called Imbassai, a unique beach which is more like
Humpback Whale
Very close to the boat, starting to get worried here. a sand bar with warm water on one side and a pristine flowing river on the other. It is an amazing feeling to take a dip in the sea and then very refreshing going from salty to fresh water when jumping into the cool river.
Salvador de Bahia seems like a small place when you look at it on the map but with almost 3 million people, it is one of the fastest growing cities in Brazil with lots of bars, clubs, beaches and plenty more going on to keep one entertained for at least a few days. Salvador beachside is rather a debaucherous affair. Many hire out deck chairs, sprawl themselves out and drink copious amounts of Caprinhas and smoke joints until they can no longer move. Put it to you this way, I hardly saw anyone actually in the water!
I decided to reside in the old, offbeat historic district Pelorinho. Its is one of the most dangerous areas of the city with frequent muggings and the occasional kidnapping to boot, yet it didnt deter me but rather attract me for lack of boredom. One day I was rather bored indeed, deciding if I
Pelorinho
View from the hotel, the far building is big escalator that takes you down to the lower part of town. could get robbed it would make a story to write home about, I walked around aimlessly in the dodgy backstreets looking lost, staring blankly into my lonely planet and asking for directions in a typically bad Portuguese accent but nothing!! Not even a evil look, maybe I just dont look worth robbing, maybe I should shower more. I did find out however that you dont shake hands with the sellers here, they will offer you gifts and if you refuse to pay for them they will probably take the money off you anyway at knifepoint as one guy was threatening to do to me so you could call it a semi-mugging. When my friend Gabi who lives in Salvador found out she was quite shocked and offered to find more sedate and uniteresting accomodation at the beachside tourist hotspot known as Barra. I bluntly refused as I felt more more at home with the dirty, half dressed bums milling around the cobbled streets of ancient Pelorinho. Some of these old colonial buildings are quite ornate and date back to the 18th century.
About 100km south of Salvador lies the town of Porto Seguro , the location of the
Beach
Praia do Forte first place where the Portuguese landed in 1500. Closeby, in the town of Arrail d´ajuda is a great little spot to spend a few lazy days ( weeks if you have them ) with tranquil beaches, a charming centre and friendly locals. Alot of the menus and signs are written in Hebrew because of the relative cheapness of the town it attracts hoards of Isrealies most of the year round. Apparantly, Arrail boasts one of the biggest new years party with shared dorm rooms going for about $100 a night, thankfully I arrived in the low season! Exciting activities are on offer here such as Horse riding, kayaking and paragliding but I was too lazy to get out of my groove that my buttocks permantly imprinted on the beach.
One of the best aspects of the north of Brazil is the cuisine where great quality seafood can be found. One of the specialities is a dish called Moqueca which is similar to a soup served with coconut milk and usually fish or shrimp. Many of these dishes here are heavily influenced by the African population. Another interesting option is called Acaraje. The bun is made from black beans
Barra Lighthouse
My Artistic Interpretation mashed and then fried, then it is stuffed vatapa and caruru paste made from spices and shrimp then more shrimp is usally stuffed inside. The taste is quite strong so beware if you are not much into seafood. Tapioca is a colourless, flavour starch extracted from a plant called Cassava. It is made into small pancakes and heated on a hot plate then stuffed with cheese, meats or sweat versions include honey, chocolate, bananas sprinkled over the top with coconut. It is quite a delious treat.
I was wondering around town and decided to stop off at the local borracharia ( literal Spanish translation drunken girl place ) to wet my whistle. But upon asking for a drink I was met with weird looks by dirty,greasy men in overalls. I promptly looked in my dictionary and found out that Borracha means rubber not drunken girl so looking like quite the fool I walked off feeling very embarrased indeed.
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brighton richard
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only you would try to get kiddnapped
good blog as always, pissed I'm not doing the same. you do look like the part with the beardy