Salvador days 3 and 4

Hello fans!

I've been MIA recently because honestly I've had no energy or motivation to blog :( Between starting classes (with a packed schedule from 7 am to 5 pm Mondays and Wednesdays), figuring out how to actually register for them, registering with the federal police, applying/interviewing for various internships in Portuguese, and housing stresses involving a wacky landlady and a last-minute hurried move on the first day of school, I have been quite stressed! I'm looking forward to settling into a new routine.

Anyway, a few days ago I ran north along Copacabana beach about 3 km  all the way to the giant Clock across from the Windsor Atlantica Hotel that is counting down the days until the World Cup (which, for the record is 293 days). That reminded me that I needed to update my blog, because I still haven't talked about my third day in Salvador when I walked by the World Cup stadium there! We decided to walk to the stadium from our hostel because it did not look too far on the map, but it ended up taking a while, especially since it was raining. On the way was the Dique do Tororó, a natural lagoon right in the middle of the city that has man-made geysers and giant statues of orixás (Yoruba gods from the syncretic candomblé religion of northeast Brazil).

Hanging out with a giant Orixa

The soccer stadium itself is beautiful, but it sits right in the middle of very rundown looking neighborhoods. I don't want to use the word "favela" (that has violent connotations not necessarily be appropriate here), but behind the stadium we walked through the kind of squatter neighborhoods with tiny one-room houses, the stink of sewage, and narrow staircases/steep alleyways in lieu of real streets that scare tourists away. Quite frankly, to me Salvador did not seem ready to host the World Cup...the metro stations were boarded up (I assume they were being renovated?), the buses were infrequent and confusing to navigate, and the stadium was in a location difficult to get to and as I mentioned before, dilapidated at best. However, Salvador already hosted the Confederations Cup in June and pulled it off, so who says they can't do it again for another FIFA tournament come June 2014?

Above is the Arena Fonte Nova Stadium complete with a huge soccer ball/berimbau (traditional instrument used in capoeira) clock. Right across from the stadium is the Dique de Tororo lagoon that is in the bottom picture. 

And now, saving the best for last....On my last day in Salvador I went to Praia do Forte, 40 km north of Salvador. We took a bus to the main bus terminal in Salvador then from there took a local bus that stopped at every town hugging the coast just north of Salvador. Door to door from our hostel to the beach at Praia do Forte probably took about three hours, but it was 100% worth it. We got to see a glimpse of the Bahian countryside and of its famous "coqueiro" (coconut tree) coastline. When we first got off the bus, we were all antsy to see the beach yet found ourselves in a kitschy touristy town of fancy restaurants and bikini stores. However, about 800 meters later, we finally found Praia do Forte shining before us like a dream that was too good to be true! Sorry for the corniness but seriously guys there is just no way to describe how perfect this beach was. You know those "Find your beach" Corona ads with the idyllic sand and perfectly slanted palm trees? Well, I found my beach at Praia do Forte!!

After a long bus ride and a walk through a tacky tourist-trappy beach town, finally arrived at Praia do Forte!

Found my beach!

Found a perfectly preserved crab shell in the sand!

We walked down the already very sparsely crowded beach to our own private little spot next to a beach vendor who became our own personal and super enthusiastic flowery-tropical-drink-maker and stuff-guarder when we were swimming. He called himself "Meow" and he was quite the character. Apparently when he was little his dad, a fisherman, used to feed the stray cats some of the leftover fish from his daily catch. So his dad was nicknamed Meow and our friend was nicknamed Meow Jr., although today he just goes by Meow. He chatted up a storm about all of his past loves with my friend Sarah, and, completely smitten with her, offered our group a place to stay (his place, where else?) whenever we decided to come back. Of course we just laughed it off but needless to say "Meow" provided quite the entertainment to us that day.

Sarah and our instant friend "Meow"

The cherry on top to a perfect last day in Bahia was when we walked back to the town from the beach in Praia do Forte and it was high tide, so the way we originally came from was underwater. A friendly janitor  let us cut across the turtle sanctuary that Praia do Forte is known for, and that usually demands an entrance fee but that we got to see for free! We got to see huge adult turtles and the cutest tiny baby turtles!

Walking back at high tide

I am still dreaming about that trip to Praia do Forte, it was definitely one of the main highlights of my time in Brazil so far.

An instagram picture I took on my iPhone at Praia do Forte. Tough life huh...

Beijos to you all and thank you for reading :-)
Tchau for now,
Marie