rakish richard's rants...

Stop! Hammock time...

Loyal Readers,

We're just back in Salvador again, 12 days after we first arrived and girding ourselves to leave this lovely part of the country to make the journey south. We last left you at Praia Do Forte, which turned out to be just lovely. Beach time is surely accumulating, we ate and rested well, and then bussed back to Salvador for a night in the Pelourinho district, the historic centre of the town.

We've latched on to the HI hostels, which are clean and cheap, and have served us particularly well here in Brazil. We took a little wander round the town (saw some guys smoking crack, always a great time to pull out the camera) to take in the vistas and delicious street food. It was just a short stop tho, ready as we were to take in the much recommended island of Morro De São Paulo.

After a suspiciously circuituous route down to the port, we were underway on the local catamaran service. One very apparent difference here in Brazil, as compared to the other countries we've been to, is that everything's just a little better organised. Not quite as many shambolic cars, nor rickety old boats.

Morro De São Paulo is truly a paradise, a colonial era fort rounds the point, there's the platonic ideal of a lighthouse perched above, and the primary mode of transport (for luggage, supplies, even children) is wheelbarrow. Steep paths wend their way through the bush, their steps traversed with hand trowelled ramps for the barrows. We were checked in, and parked in a hammock in short order.

The island is ringed with beaches, each numbered from 1-6, plus a couple of little stretches with actual names. We walked the length of the first four, before settling on loungers on Segunda Praia (Second Beach) for several hours of book reading and people watching, to idly while away our day. We have a familiar routine now, setting up on the beach or in a hammock, devouring books like meals - one large one or two smaller ones per day - and then shrimps for dinner. I have now eaten shrimps for 13 days in a row, and could hardly be happier.

There are few western tourists on the island, but as always the Germans get everywhere, like fine sand. Our mumbled Spanish is sufficient to pass for impaired Portuguese most of the time, and our demands hardly require verbosity anyway.

Most of our after-dinner conversation the night before last was occupied with discussion of the purchase of a 'lady of the night', which Ana spotted being transacted at the neighbouring table. I always knew this happened, but it was a real shock to see it being done so brazenly - in the middle of the tables set on the beach, with money-exchanging handshakes performed clumsily under the table. Four guys, with their three girls, who all looked incredibly bored. The money's better spent on shrimps in my opinion...

Three nights there and we made our way back to Salvador, and on to Porto Seguro tomorrow night by bus. We're hoping to catch up with Fausto again, as he's huge fun and a great person to show us round Salvador.

Cheers again for the comments - I have increased the size of the text on the last post as requested (McKenzie, I know it's you, I nearly have enough to convict you. In time, you'll make a slip-up, and when you do, I'll be waiting...). RIP to the great architect Jorn Utzon, who was declared 'practically complete' by great building inspector in the sky yesterday...

Yours in golden brown-ness,

Arch

PS: There's a split infinitive up there somewhere. Call it a message to a certain someone out there who I know will have spotted it, drop me a line with your dates, and don't say I don't do anything for you...

posted by Arch @ 2:39 AM