Blogs from Bahia, Brazil, South America - page 5

Serinhaem is a remote fishing village on the mouth of the Santarem river. The main way to get there is getting to Itubera and then by boat (two to three hours) or by « lancha », a speedboat (45 minutes). The community is also served by an « ambulancha » (a river ambulance) in case of emergencies . The hospital in Itubera is about 800 metres from the quai, making it easily accessible by the riverain communities. Another way to get to Serinhaem is leaving Itubera by car, going to the Pratigi beach (an amazing beach for swimmers and surfers, the favourite of the locals) and wait for the low tide and drive along the beach the 18 km that separate Pratigi from Serinhaem. There is a river to cross and this access depends also on ... read more

Salvador is proud to be the first capital of Brazil. In fact it was the capital of the Portuguese Empire from 1549 till 1815 when the capital was transferred to Rio de Janeiro. It was occupied by the Dutch (Piet Hein) in 1624 and 1625 when a Spanish-Portuguese fleet succeeded in recapturing the city and...the colony ! It played afterwards a key role in the Portuguese resistance against the Dutch. The Pelourinho is the historical center of Salvador, a UNESCO heritage site. It has been restored, only partially in my view. A few of the pics will tell you more. Coming from the South of Brazil, there are 2 things that struck me, the visible Portuguese heritage and the population melting pot with a strong African influence. The bay where Salvador is located (Bahia de Todos ... read more

En descendant du bus qui nous amène à l’entrée du parc naturel de la Chapada Diamantina, Armand tombe sur un back-packer barbu, en sandales, une canne à pêche accrochée derrière son sac. Alors, nous causons. Il s’appelle Bart, il est très sympa, normal car il est fan de pêche, il est Sud-Africain, et il vient faire un trek dans le parc. Puis se joignent à la conversation sa compagne Australienne Vanessa, super sympa aussi, et Kevin, le Taiwanais Argentin Américain ultra équipé qui est partant pour un trek parce que... Yolo ! Hop, c’est bon, nous passons 3 jours ensemble dans le parc, avec 2 jeunes guides adorables, Luana et Rayssa. Nous découvrons des montagnes superbes, des falaises incroyables et des vallées fleuries. Nous marchons jusqu’au bord de falaises à pic de 400m de hauteur... les ... read more

worl cup... read more

Our cycling adventure along the coast of Bahia is getting close to an end already. From Porto Seguro (big town), we caught a boat across Rio Buranhem to get to Arraial d’Ajuda, a peaceful tourist village surrounded by tropical vegetation. We cycled around town and enjoyed the narrow cobblestoned roads, shady plazas, colorful facades and old churches on top of the hill. From up there the view over the coastline is amazing and well-worth the steep climb on our bikes! In the winter time, Arraial d’Ajuda seems so calm and still. Most restaurants only open in the late afternoon and everyone seems to be taking a siesta at home. Arraial is a popular vacation spot for well-off Brazilians and Argentinians and the beach there was the busiest one we saw in 3 weeks in Bahia, but ... read more