New Apartment

It's been almost a week now since I've moved into a new apartment located in the Porto da Barra (See photo below).

Praia do Porto da Barra (Source: Bahia Press)

And so far, it has been great living here. I am less than a two minute walk from the beach, and if my classes aren't too early in the morning, I wake up, go for a jog on the sea-walk, and then jump into the ocean for a quick swim before starting the day. True, I no longer have a maid to do my laundry, clean my room and cook me food, but at least now I have a reason to finally learn how to cook Brazilian dishes! Also, I'm living with two Chileans, one Belgian, and one Spaniard and am learning so much about other countries from our nightly conversations. Just this night we were discussing the possibility of making a documentary about a day in the life of a policeman in Salvador. Right now, in Brazil, it is illegal to drink and drive, there is a 0% alcohol tolerance policy. The problem with this, as I realized after discussing with several Brazilians, is that the police cannot force you to take the Breathalyzer. You have the right to say no to it. So then how can they prove that  you've drank if you don't take the Breathalyzer? The system doesn't make that much sense. Another problem is bribery. For example, let's say you were caught with marijuana. Rather than charging you a fine and putting it on your criminal record, they (I won't generalize and say all policemen, but a good number of them) will search you for what little money you might have, take it, and let you go free. There are too many examples of things like this that happen all the time here, which is what frustrates so many of the Bahians. 

Itacaré

This last Easter weekend was spent in the beautiful town of Itacaré, which is about a seven hour drive south of Salvador. We went as a group of about fifty people from school, mostly Brazilians and six exchange students: Me (Canadian), an Italian, Argintinean, Portuguese, and two Chileans. The bus was supposed to leave at 10:30 on Friday night, but didn’t pull up to the station until one in the morning, when everyone waiting let out a huge cheer. For the rest of the seven hours, a quarter of the people in the bus tried (in vain) to sleep, while the other three quarters danced, drank Guaracy (a sweet Brazilian liquor that costs next to nothing) and listened to pagode (a type of Brazilian music). 

Arriving in Itacaré, we all set up our tents at the campsite (which is really just someone’s backyard with cold showers and a kitchen included) and left for the beach. The rest of the weekend passed by in a flash, each day a new beach. There was tightrope walking, soccer on the sand (baba) and even a bit of surfing (Itacaré is known for it’s waves). Nights were spent cooking at the campsite, playing dominoes and card games, and dancing. 

In the city of Itacaré

Walking towards Praia de Resende

Baby crab

Prainha

Prainha

Beijú de Tapioca

I think I ate Beijú de Tapioca practically every day (at least every day I could) while in Itacaré. Its a bit like a crêpe with a cheese and meat filling, except that the batter is made from tapioca grains, and it is delicious!

Havaizinho

Life is tough ...

Natural pools on Havazinho Beach

It was well worth the 80$ that were spent, and already the people who went to Itacaré have planned a new trip in two weeks time to Capao, in Chapada Diamantina. I will definitely be going there too, and it’s supposed to be gorgeous, except this time instead of the beach (as it’s in the interior of Bahia) there will be caves, waterfalls, and lots of rocks (a must for us Geology students)!