It's 12:55am and I'm sitting here contemplating my first weekend in Bahia. The plane ride wasn't too long, even though I only slept about two hours during the 25 hour trip (they had a really good selection of movies ... if you ever get a chance to watch the Brazilian movie Tropa de Elite II you should watch it - it's an amazing movie that's based on the military police unit based in Rio de Janeiro). On the plane ride to Salvador I sat next to someone who will be married in a few short weeks. She was in Sao Paulo to pick up her custom made wedding dress, and she actually bought an extra seat on the plane just for her dress (I didn't have the courage to ask her how much it cost - but if it was worth an extra seat, it must be quite a bit).
Arriving in Salvador, I was hit by a wave of humidity - I really forgot how hot it gets - and the amount of traffic there is. There is also a lot more construction and buildings then there was last time I was there. There is a lot of development going on (probably in part related to preparation for the big wave of tourism coming for the Fifa World Cup and Olympics in 2014/2016) and a lot more cars on the road. The metro however, which has been in the makings for over 10 years, is still not finished.
I ended up going to my host father's coffee farm for the weekend which is by the little city of Bonito (roughly 5000 inhabitants), a 5 hour drive outside of Salvador. We arrived Saturday afternoon, and I ended up learning a few things about the start up of a coffee farm (it's best to plant in the rainy season, etc.). It's a beautiful farm, roughly 550 hectares of land with lots of coffee plants and eucalyptus trees, but also mango, avocado, and lemon trees, horses, peacocks, and chickens. I've attached some pictures to better captivate the beauty of the area. That night I dreamt of cockroaches the size of small rats, after waking up to the sound of scurrying feet on the floor. The next day was another day spent working on the farm, helping the workers dig the trenches where the new coffee plants will be put. I spent four hours out in the sun, and, not surprisingly, now have a very, very bad sunburn. Next time I will definitely wear sunscreen. I should probably be going to sleep as it is getting late and university starts tomorrow.