Travel Story «Greetings from Arraial D`Ajuda!»

Brazil | 0 Comments 17 August 2005 - Last Update 17 August 2005

Hola!

It´s that time again to write another little story about our adventures! Following on from our last installment there was yet another change of plan (you will see alot of these cos we keep meeting new people who give us good tips and advice on where to go next). So we went back with the gang to Salvador from Morro and we made it back just in time for the street festivals which happen every Tuesday in Pelhourino.. It kicks off at 7 but finishes up quite early at 12/1, probably due to the local residents... we´ll tell you one thing the natives of Salvador sure know how to party!! So we followed the crowds through the streets to a drum band of around 15 people and some dancers, pure madness!! 300-400 nutters (including us!) packed into the narrow cobble stone streets dancing like lunatics following the band along whichever street they choose to turn into next!!Theres also tons of small stages around the city if you wana pull out of the mob and listen to some reggae bands or whatever for a while...

We stayed in Salvador for a further 3 nights....the hostel we stayed in was great (Nega Malucas), we met so many people and it was a real homely atmosphere....we stayed in a dorm for the first time because we knew the Americans...they had stayed there already and we couldn´t get a private room on such short notice! While we were in Salvador we decided to take part in one of the capoeira classes! Its a mixture between martial arts and dancing and gymnastics...very tough though!! Literally sweated buckets as it was the first proper exercise we had done in over 2 weeks! You can see the photos of this anyway in the photo section on Brazil..

As if this wasn´t enough we decided to go with Sarah+Ben (Americans) to an african-brazilian dance class later that night! I think this could have been an even thougher work out :o) Crazy!! Didne´t stop for an hour and half...fit as fiddles after this anyway! Theres a couple of pics of this in the new photos too...

That night we had planned to go out after the afro-dancing so we headed back for a much needed shower to our hostel...the minute we got in the door the rain started...TORRENTIAL RAIN! Didn´t stop for the whole night so we sat on the hostel balcany for the night and met this sound Dutch couple..they had just arrived. Had a good night with them...pity we where leaving the next day as we got on great with them...

The next day we took a 12 hour bus (overnight - vewry safe and very comfortable with reclining seats/beds with pillows and blankets) to Porto Seguro...this is down the south coast of Brazil.  It was the longest bus journey of Coronas life but Dave slept straight through most of it...they had some dodgy dubbed films you could watch but our portuguese wouldn´t be the best :)

When we got to PS it was 08:00 the following morning...we booked straight into a hotel (which was really a hostel but liked to call itself a hotel) for 1 night only! PS was more of a pitstop before getting the boat the next day to Arraial D`Ajuda....

Arraial D`Ajuda is further down the coast again but only 5 minutes by boat from PS....its a really nice sleepy little town....when we arrived there was a huge Catholic festival on as it boasts the 2nd oldest chatolic church in Brazil..400+ years old... really pretty building.

The hostel we are in now Alto Mar is grrrrreat! Got it from the Lonely planet and on reccommendation from a load of people we met. The couple that own the place are Welsh (Andy) and Brazilian (Syl) and they are really friendly and we can actually talk to them (they both have English) which makes a nice change! There are hammoks littered all over the place here (very chilled out) so it was great the other night just sitting out on these chatting for a couple of hours not a care in the world!

We went to a Lambada class the other night (dont know how I agreed to it!). Corona really enjoyed it but I think that will be the last dancing class I EVER go to... i think Coronas goin to a Samba class tonight..shes getting really into her Brazilian dancing!!

Tomorrow we leave and head back to Rio for a couple of days so we can then FINALLY get a bus from there (22hours!!) and get going towards Iguazcu Falls (Argentinian side). Had enough of beaches now so dying to get going towards some other countries! Brazil was great though!!

Hope all is well on the emerald isle....

Next update should be from Argentina...

All the best!!

Corona and Dave...