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.