Itaparica Beaches

They say a picture is worth a thousand words - so true!

Private Beach Homes on the Island

So Far, the Island of Itaparica wins the Academy Award for "Best Beach Houses" If you don't like what you see, just walk a little further down - simply fantastic! This is where the "Haves" get-away homes are located. The "Have-Nots" enjoys the beach, but only dream of having a home like these. I did not want to be rude or "country" so I did not take pictures of all the homes - just a few that I could sneak.

Mar Grande - Island of Itaparica

To make a long story short..we wanted to experience Carnival, but did not want to party for 10 days straight... so we went to the island of Itaparica, walked around and stumbled on to this place. It's called "Pousada Arco Iris" - It's Paradise! A five minute walk from the ferry boat, or what the locals call the "little boats". It has a great history - over 1500 mango trees and a variety of other plants. Every day we could pick up a mango that just fell from the tree - and very sweet too! The best part is the owner. His name translate: My God - go figure! I was having a problem with his name until I tasted his food - WOW! Every night was 5 star eating! I found myself waking up in the morning, still savoring the prior night's meal and wondering what the day's specialty would be - all before my morning cup of coffee!

The Streets of Pelourinho!

I took so many great pictures Tuesday that it's hard to choose which ones to post! The drums sounded so good that I forgot I was taking pictures and started dancing in the streets too!

The Sights of Pelourinho!

Every Tuesday night is party time in Pelourinho with plenty of drums and dancing in the streets!

Ilha de Itaparica

We took the small ferry (passengers only) over to Mar Grande, Itaparica. It's more relaxing than the city of Salvador. It actually resembles Jamaica's way of living with a nice ocean breeze, great beaches, pousadas, shops, and various places to eat, but leave your credit cards in your pocket and bring cash. We even picked up a couple of hitch-hikers (kids) when we pulled into port. My camera is a bit slow, but I was able to get a shot of the kids on the beach getting a running start to jumped into the water.

Off the beaten track!

Once on the Island, we decided (or I) to explore by foot on our own without the aid of a guide. We past a few pousadas (small lodges), restaurants, and bars that was open. Most major businesses were closed due to the fact it was Sunday. As we walked along the beachside, it became more rural and actually, what we thought was a park, was actually private property of a very nice family. So nice that they offered us a ride to the neighboring town of Vera Cruz. The two sisters who at first we thought were twins but later told me they're quadtripulates! - we only met two of them. The first couple of pictures were taken on the pathway leading to their home and the latter was taken on their property.

Getting out of the City!

As you know, I'm a country girl at heart! The city is fine, but eventually I need to hear birds, listen to the sea, enjoy a cool breeze that blows through the trees - NATURE! Salvador is fun and great, but it's a concrete jungle filled with high-rise buildings, traffic, people, and noise. So we took the ferry across to the island of Itaprica. There's actually two different locations to catch the ferry. 1) a ferry for passengers and vehicles. 2) a faster, but smaller ferry for passengers only. We took the larger one that included vehicles. The minute we docked, I knew that's where I wanted to stay - I could hear birds! CAUTION: The only snag we ran into was - We did this on a Sunday. BAD IDEA! Everybody goes to the island on the weekend which makes the return trip lines horrendous! We STOOD in line waiting & waiting & waiting. The line was worse than Disneyland lines - two to three hours! Note to Jacque: go during the week.

Igreja Nosso Senhor do Bonfim

Built in 1745, the Church is famous for it's miraculous power to heal. Inside you will see replicas of feet, arms, heads, hearts - parts of the body devotees claim were cured. When you approach the church you'll undoubtedly be offered a fita (ribbon) to tie around your wrist. With the fita you can make three wishes that will come true by the time it falls off. This usually takes over two months and you must allow it to fall off from natural wear and tear. Cutting it off is said to bring bad luck.

The Best Family in Salvador!

I met Marcia the second day of our trip. She works at the information booth that is designed for tourist in the Barra Shopping Center. She speaks portuguese, english, french, and spanish. She's very friendly and sweet. She invited us to her home for lunch where we met her parents. We quickly realized why she's so sweet because her parents and siblings (older brother & younger sister) are the sweetest people we've met in Salvador! Lunch wonderfully delicious consisting of various traditional dishes (hopefully Marcia will add a comment on the name of the dishes). Afterwards, her father took us on a tour of Salvador that lasted over 4 hours. The tour was priceless! I felt very honored & proud that the Fernandez Family gave us so much of their time. I've always said that Brazilians are the sweetest, kindest, people on the face of the earth - but the Fernandez Family is at the top of the list!

Short History of Pelourinho

• It has been said that Pelourinho is the historical center of Bahia or even Brazil. The history of Bahia, dating back to the early 15oo's, started in Salvador and the history of Salvador started in Pelourinho. Pelourinho means "place to lash the slavors". It is the first port Portuguese trans-atlantic slave ships arrived. It is also where African slaves were sold and criminals were publicly beaten. It was the residential district to the upper class of Salvador up until 1855, when a cholera epidemic forced everyone to other neighborhoods. Soon the property owners started renting it cheap to anyone, mostly hookers, drug addicts, crooks, etc. This lasted until 1974, when a governmental project started investing in the area as a tourist attraction. It took 20 years before it was "tourist friendly". I was also told that the cobblestone streets were layed by slaves because "royalty" would not let their feet touch dirt. Pelourinho is now home to many artists, musicians, museums, and a host of restaurants.

End of Day Treat!

The beaches are better the further north you go - less pollution. Plus, an inside shot of the highlight of the day - The ice cream shop!