We spent this past week exploring the area outside of Salvador. On Saturday we met up with a friend of Su’s former coworker Magnus. Her name is Darluce and she went to Med school with Magnus. She picked us up Saturday morning and we headed about an hour north of the city to a place called Praia do Forte.
Praia do Forte is small touristy town with beautiful beaches. The quietness and relaxed beach town atmosphere made us appreciate being outside the city. We spent the day walking on the beaches, swimming and eating a great dinner. Darluce was very friendly and gave us some great tips for our upcoming trip to Chapada Diamantina.
On Sunday Su and I decided to go to another beach resort called Morro do Sao Paolo. To get there from Salvador, we had to take a bus to the ferry building, a ferryboat ride to an island called Itaparica, another bus ride from the dock to the bus station on the island, a 100 kilometer taxi ride from the bus station to a town called Valenca, and then a boat/ferry ride to our final destination of Morro de Sao Paolo. It was an epic five hour journey that helped us to prepare for the much longer bus rides we plan to take in the upcoming weeks.
Morro de Sao Paulo is a touristy beach resort along the coast. The only way to get there is by boat. There are no cars in this town. The streets are sand paths. Alongside the paths are hundreds of restaurants, pousadas(hotels) and stores. There are three main beaches in town, and a remote beach which is about a ten minute walk away. After finding a room for the night, we walked through the town and went swimming. That night there was a power outage for a few hours that limited us reading by candlelight.
On Monday morning, we explored the remote beaches of the town.
This Friday we head inland to Chapada Diamantina for about four or five days.