| Mar 3, 2006 - Morro de Sao Paolo, Brazil
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 | | show all 35 | | On the boat, leaving Salvador for Morro | | Pelourinho from the water | | The famous elevator again | | |
| We left Friday morning March 3rd after getting everything back in order, mostly, at the apartment. It was Carmin, Tanner, Dan, Brian, Martin, Ash, Andrew, and me, going to an island a few hours off the coast from Salvador, to just relax and do nothing after doing so much for so many days. And Morro de Sao Paolo on the island Ilha de Tinharé was the perfect place to do that. A truly peaceful island, there are no automobiles of any kind, and the ground is made up of only sand. Its actually such a common Post-Carnaval retreat that it has its own fiesta called "Resaca" (which means hungover) for the five days after Carnaval.
We took the boat over, and rented a house on the island for 5 days. Its much nicer to have your own place and kitchen, it ends up being cheaper than staying in a hostel, and after the previous living conditions this specific house with only 8 people seemed elegant. Our days here became quite routine as well. Actually, the next few entries are probably going to contain summaries of routines during longer stays in places. Thats just what happened when we got to Brazil in general. Its such a large country that when you travel so far to get somewhere, you want to stay there for more than just a few days. And the coast of Brazil is a ridiculously easy place to let that happen.
We spent all day every day on "second beach". Whenever we woke up, and whoever was ready, would throw on their shorts and sandals and head on down to the beach, where we would eventually all meet up, and spend hours. This place was my introduction to Açai. Açai is a dark purple fruit that grows in the Amazon, and is crushed and made into a paste, which is then blended together with ice and served typically with granola, bananas, and honey on top. Its delicious, and become an ice cream substitute in my life for a while. It is also served as a juice, but I never had it that way. Along with Caipirinhas, the national drink, and Guaraná, the excellent local soda, Açai is a Brazilian staple not to be missed.
After the beach we'd go to a lookout for sunset, which we did everyday, and which was always amazing. The first night we walked up this hill which has a lighthouse on top, and some exposed cliffs with a sitting area that is perfect for sunset watching. The only other location we went to some times was and old fort jutting out from the island left over from the days of slavery. Here there was also a perfect view over the water of the sunset, and the fort added nice scenery in the immediate foreground.
At night we would cook dinner, listen to music, and do nothing. That`s right, I don`t think I`ve mentioned it, but ever since Dan's arrival way back for New Year's, we've had speakers that he brought with him for the iPods. It was a crucial addition that served well in so many locations and situations. Anyway, sometimes the night ended like that, other times we would go down to the beach for a bit to hear music or get some drinks. Also at some point there we ran into Pia and Ellen, the two Norweigan girls who were our neighbors at the apartment during Carnaval, and Andrew left a few days before us since he too had a flight leaving South America.
And then eventually it was time to start heading back to the mainland, getting back to our travels, and planning our next stop. |
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