Oh linda Olinda ... Oh beautiful Olinda. That's apparently what the Spanish said when first saw this town. I got to the hostel, and while I was checking in, Neto walked into the lobby ... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !!!!! I was jumping up and down !!! He changed his plans and decided to travel for a bit too, because he got a bit bored of Jeri ... well figures ... I left :)) kidding :))
In the evening we went to some party which was right on the street. Olinda is considered to be the happiest city in Brazil. There is music everywhere, and everybody's dancing. They have parties for no occasion at all, and I think the best carnival in all of Brazil as well. There were capoera circles, some schools of drummers, and a non stop latino African fusion with strange dances, like tapping the feet on the floor a lot. I learned it quite quickly and was dancing all evening long :) Here there is a popular food of tapioca. It's potato starch, and they cook it on a pan, and then stuff it with anything you want. So it's basically like a pita, but more chewy :)There was not much to do in Olinda, so I finished a lot of my work :) Me and Neto walked around 1 day, visited a bunch of churches. In one of the churches (the most famous one, and my least favorite), one guy started talking and following us. No thank you, we don't need a guide. He still walked and walked. And 5 minutes later, after not so much of useful information, he asked for R$5 from each. I basically thought screw you, I don't even understand Portuguese, but Neto still gave him the money. Olinda is pretty green, and in one place we saw little cute monkeys, and there were so many of them! I've never seen monkeys right in the city center! Amazing ! :))While I was working, Neto prepared shrimps with pineapple, onions and curry, oh so good :) home made food :) And then we went to a restaurant and had the worst service combined with even worst food.
Neto told me that I hope I don't think that he's stoking me. I said of course not, I'm so happy that I see him again! And he said good, because he bought a ticket on the same flight as I did to Salvador, and on a neighboring seat :)
Our flight was supposed to be at 1:45 pm. And in a nearby city there is a "do not miss" garden. Ok, we calculated the time that we need to get there, be there, and get to the airport. Thank god we included a 1 hour buffer. The traffic was crazy, and distances much larger than we expected. The gardens were amazing though ! It was huge, with hundreds if not thousands of weird statues, paintings, fountains, and beautiful lawns. Anywhere you go, there are these statues popping out of somewhere. The taxi driver waited for us while we were walking around the gardens, and drove us to a bus station. There we got a bus that got stuck in a traffic, and it was already 1pm. We got out of the bus, took a taxi to the hostel where our bags were, and drove to the airport. We were so hungry, we didn't eat the whole day. There is no time at all, but otherwise we would only eat not before 6 for sure. We found subway, I ordered quickly, and Neto is standing there choosing his toppings and then waiting for something ... Neeeetoooo !!! We got to go!! ... Oh wait wait, I asked for it toasted :)))) Anyway, 10 minutes before the plane leaves, we just got to the 1st security check. Running to the plane, we got on it, and there were still like 5 people in the lineup ... oh ! we got here too early, lets go do some more shopping :))
On the plane, I'm wasting no time, so I installed SQL Server database on my laptop :)
When we got to Salvador, on the bus station somebody told us that we probably need to go in some direction towards the center, and while walking there, somebody else stopped us and told us that we probably need to go that way. People are so friendly :) But it was scary walking to the hostel. This city is full of homeless people, and is considered to be very dangerous. It's the only city for which the guidebook recommends to dress down. It was freaky! And these homeless, they don't just sit there, they walk, and they come to you, and aggressively ask for money, you say you have none, and they start checking your pockets!... GET AWAY !! It's seriously scary, and ok in the center there are a lot of people, but just a bit outside the center, get a taxi and lock the doors! ... Oh oh ... my mommy will not like it here ...
Some crazy English guys came to the hostel, they drink and party and pretty much nothing else. I haven't seen anybody drink as much as they do. We walked around, saw some people sitting outside with live music playing, went there, sat right in the middle of everybody, as it turns out to be later, they're one group of Uruguayan tourists having a party :) ... What?? We want to party too :))
Next day Hans came !! Yeaiii ... the best people Neto and Hans! :)
That day I went to learn some capoera. The teacher was telling me to do the chinga for like 15 minutes (which is just a step from side to side to prepare for the real moves) ... ok ... I'm done with the chinga, teach me something else !! He was slow, so I just started repeating the moves the other group of people did. A turn with a fan kick, or getting away from the kick, or double fan kick. The teacher saw that I can do it, and started teaching me something useful ! What a great work out, 1 hour of non stop up and down, but at the end of an hour all the skin of my big toes on my feet has disappeared, I didn't even feel it :S
At night all of us went to some reggae party ... I really don't like raggae, well I had to try it again, just to make sure :) I wanted to go back to the hostel pretty quick, but it was Hans' last night in town, so I stayed longer. On the way back, we got out, and I didn't want to walk in dark, while we were debating, some guy came out of the club, who is actually the owner, and he gave us ride back. When he stopped at some intersection, a bunch of crazy homeless started running towards the car, I screamed so hard go go go !! meanwhile trying in panic to check if the doors are locked. When we got close to the hostel (the cars are not allowed to go there), there was some kid who joined to walk with us. Thank you, we don't need your help, and he said that with him we are safer... well ... ok.
Next day I could barely walk at all... I was limping and walking like a bear on the sides of my feet to somehow not to touch the toes. Woke up early in the morning to meet mom at the bus stop. When we were walking back to the hostel, Neto came to the stop to help us with the luggage ... the longer I know Neto, the sweeter and sweeter he becomes :)) Mom didn't like Salvador at all, called it a garbage dump, and the hostel OMG where am I?? Yep, I was right about her not liking it. But some time later got used to it :) We walked around the city, saw nothing that special, in the evening went to a folkloric dance show, that was good. The dancers were all black, and 1 white guy who was the only one who didn't know how to dance :) but they had so much energy, and you could see all and every muscle move. To the show came a large group of Russian tourists ... oh no ... not Russians again! None of them smiled of course, all had serious, bumbed out faces. Talked for a bit to some man, who I don't know where he's from. He asked if I know, I said no, he said "lady, did you learn any geography in school?" GRRRRR!!! I should've asked him about all the places I've been to, and if he knows exactly where they are! Seriously !!
Next day we went to another Bonfin church. "No more churches" my mom said ... we have to go, it's a very important church. We went there with Neto and Delia. I'm not sure why the church is famous, but everywhere there are colorful ribbons, they're sold everywhere, tied to everything, everybody has them on their wrists, and the stores are full of bonfin bags, and shirts, and dresses. Oh, yes I do know why it's famous. There were some miracles in there of people getting healed. And right now there is some room with human body parts made out of wax in need of a miracle which are hanging from a ceiling.
After, we walked to some fort and then to a restaurant where we bombarded Neto with 100s of questions of what's this and that and the other. Poor Neto, he got a bit stressed out :)
We were supposed to leave that night, but I didn't finish everything with work, so we had to stay another day, because the next place on the list doesn't have internet. We already checked out of the hostel, and when we came back the only double room was already taken, so my mom actually stayed in a 10 bed dorm ... very heroic !! :)
The next day I was working while mom went to the beach with Delia. At night we took a 6 hour bus to Lencois which is a national park to the west of Salvador. After sleepless night, we went for a hike with a Brazilian girl and Matteus from Austria. The hike was nice. We had to go down some wall to get to the waterfall, and it was a pretty vertical 90 degree 10 meter descent, mom started crying from fear, but got down with guide's assistance just fine :) Then we walked through beautiful pink canyons and rocks, river with natural pools and waterfalls between them, and then a "lake" with a natural 50 meter long slide. That was scary ! It was so funny hearing everybody scream and make funny sounds while going down it :) When I returned super tired to the hostel, I went to bed only to be waken up by Matteus, lets go out for capirinia (local drink of lime and sugar cane kind of vodka). Got back around 1, and woke up next morning for another 10 hour trip. We went to some waterfalls, jumped off cliffs, climbed a mountain where I took jumping pictures where my mom almost got a heart attack :) When mom was getting down there were 3 men offering her their help, all giving her hands for support, she got a bit overwhelmed saying that she feels bad that she doesn't have 3 hands :)) Then we went to some lake, which for me was a waste of time, not only it wasn't pretty, it cost additional R$10 to get in, because it's on a private property. But at least they had the best buffet. Me and Matteus swam so far away that we missed the time for another cool cave which supposed to have deep blue transparent waters. By the time we got there, there was already no sun, and thus no blue. After we drove to a large cave with stalactites and stalagmites. It was cool, all dark, with different shapes of the figures.
After a long day, we got on a night bus back. I think from this moment on, I was sleep deprived for the whole month to come. In the morning, we took a catamaran to Morro de Sao Paulo island. When we arrived, a bunch of shoeless locals with wheelbarrows came in running and yelling taxi taxi. They took our suitcases and brought it to the first economic posada. Mom couldn't believe that that's how you get a hotel. What, do you mean you don't have to book it a month in advance? :)
Morro de Sao Paulo is nice, it's streets are of sand, and because it rained, they turned to streets of mud :) The weather wasn't that great, so we hid in a restaurant and made up for it with amazing seafood lunch :) The water was grey and muddy, but still, it's a very beautiful island with a long beach and jungly surrounding. Went to a lighthouse to enjoy the view, and then to an expensive restaurant just for a juice to watch a sunset, but oh well, it was too cloudy and no sunset :( at least the juice was good :))
Next day we went for a walk, but all I wanted to do is sleep. The tide was so strong that on the way there we walked along the beach, and passed some palm trees, and on the way back the palms became an island, and on the beach you had to swim to get through, of course we didn't, I'm just saying :) When we were going to the catamaran, I decided that I don't want to pay for the luggage, so we walked, and somebody grabbed us, catamaran, catamaran. Great, he carried our luggage, so we saved on the "taxi" :)
Got a catamaran back, I slept all the way :)
In the morning got on a flight to Rio.
pix at http://picasaweb.google.com/evadikushin501/OlinaSalvadorLencoisMorroDeSaoPaulo#
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment