Farol da Barra & Itapua beaches
by Andreas_Fran
Moving out, the next beach is Farol da Barra. Farol means a beacon; here "lighthouse". At Farol da Barra the barracas are the more standard Bahian issue -- tropical-looking thatched huts. The end of the beach closest to the lighthouse is rocky, with protected pools making it a good place for kids to safely play in the water. The far end of the beach is usually surfer territory.
The next important point-of-reference within the context of what I'm laying out here is Itapoan (also spelled Itapoã and Itapuã). Itapoan used to be a village quite apart from Salvador, but it has since been aborbed into the greater Salvador metropolitan area, and you fans of Brazilian music may have heard the place mentioned in the eponymous (and nonpareil) Tarde em Itapoan (Afternoon in Itapoan) by Toquinho and Vinicius de Moraes.
The beach at Itapoan starts at almost right angles to the general lay of the beaches running up the coast, then it rounds a bend and a bit further up is another lighthouse, the Farol de Itapoan. Now, the waters off that first stretch of beach tend to be calm and good for swimming (and a lot of the barracas there are, well, really cool).
Capoeira - Afro-Brazilian Martial Art and Dance
by mircaskirca
Capoeira is a unique Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, dance, music and acrobatics. But capoiera is much more; it is a ritual and a philosophy, a cultural tradition and a way of life.
It was invented by African slaves in Brazil over 450 years ago. The African slaves that came to Brazil brought with them their culture. Many practised other types of African martial arts in their mother land and those martial arts had an enormous influence on the development of capoeira. Although capoeira was outlawed in Brazil in 1890, it continued to be practiced, but it moved further underground. Capoeiristas (capoeira practitioners) also adopted apelidos nicknames to make it more difficult for police to discover their true identities. To this day, when a person is baptized into capoeira, they may be given an apelido. In 1920 capoeira was legalized in Brazil.
Capoeira is done in roda (circle). In the centre two players show their skills in what is called jogo de capoeira. The people forming the circle around those players sing, play instruments and clap hands. The most important and respected instrument in capoeira is the berimbau. The moves in capoeira are beautiful and spectacular. It combines strenght and grace with personal expression. Capoeira is becoming more and more popular around the globe.
In Salvador you can see groups practicing capoeira in the squares of Pelourinho and Barra, in front of Mercado Modelo and even on the beach. I'd like to mention that I was quite disappointed at capoeiristas in Pelourinho. They do it mostly for tourists. When you come closer to have a look, perhaps take a photo, they always ask for money. And if you don't give it to them, they become angry, start to complain and finally they stop practicing. But I really enjoyed capoeira in Barra. The practitioners were much more skilled and besides, they were nice and friendly people.
Linea verde
by ludogatto
The Green Line is one of the few bands left of Atlantic rainforest in Brazil: the development of agriculture, grazing and indiscriminate exploitation of coast have greatly reduced this natural heritage.
The Green Line start to the north of Bahia until the border with the state of Sergipe and along the good BR1 you can meet touristic places, more or less famous, but all very fascinating: from Arembepe, one of the first villages of the hippy Brazil, where many Brazilian and foreign artists live or have a 'artistic' period here, in Porto de S new tourist destination, well known also for protected marine reserves where some protected species of turtles are preserved and where you can visit the center of Ibama, then there are many other small seaside villages, well known especially by Bahianos, where you can find simple tourist facilities and endless beautiful beaches, as Massarandupiò, where the beach is protected by a large dune and a part of the beach is reserved for naturism, and to finish with the last resort in the north of the state of Bahia, Mangue Seco, a place of sand dunes, palm trees and a small village, little surreal, but enchanted, made famous by a soapopera (telenovelas Mangue Seco) and a famous Brazilian film.
Wild and Raunchy
by Zarasher about OFF Club
Staying in Pelorinho, there is not any thing really going on past 1am. Used to going to clubs at around this time, we got into a taxi and asked the driver to take us to any nightclub that was open. He took us to OFF club. IT is not immediately evident that it is a gay club as there were a few heterosexual couples. The downstairs area gave the impression that nothing was going on. It was sparsely populated with people scattered on sofas looking quite bored.
Aftert about an hour we went upstairs and the party was in full swing. The bartenders/dancers were on the tables. The men in just yellow pants and the women in yellow pants and bikin top. Alcohol was being poured into peoples mouths straight from the bottle, after which they were blindfolded and given a head spin. They were also blowing whistles.
It was alot of fun... made me almost forget that I couldnt pull most of the men in there!!! Looks like anything goes... the less clothes the better
DENDE OIL IN XIMXIM DE FRANGO & MOQUECA DE PEIXE
by swesn
Everybody seems to be warning everybody else about the famous 'dende oil' of the Bahia State.
I was fine. No tummy rumbles. In fact, food in Bahia is one of the BEST in Brazil. But do ease up on the oil if you are sensitive to such things.
XIMXIM DE FRANGO : A wok of chicken cooked in some sort of curry or stew with shrimps and various veggies, swimming in dende oil. Delicious.
MOQUECA DE PEIXE : A wok of fish meat cooked in some soft of spicy stew, swimming in dende oil. Super delicious too.
Below is a site with their recipes.
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hotel pousada natureza morro de sao paulo brazil
In the streets of Pelorinho - Salvador
Cathedral, Salvador da Bahia
Av. Contorno
