Praias bonitas

Swaying palm trees. White sandy beaches. Emerald and aqua waters. Coral reefs. Tropical fish. Dolphins. Turtles. Acaraje. Caiparinhas. Cervejas. Capoeira. Drums. Forro. From Caraivia in Bahia to Fortaleza in Ceara, I spent this past month on Brazil´s northeastern beaches. I made my way everywhere via bus, boat, buggy, truck, car, and sometimes just walking - I´ve now logged over 7000km on the buses (4400 miles). Picking which was the most beautiful or most memorable is extremely difficult as you´ll hopefully see below.

The beaches in Bahia south of Salvador are each more amazing than the next. Except for one, the roads are merely sand and one did not even have electricity. Caraiva's rustic simplicity, Trancoso's hippy vibes, Itacare's white-water rafting, Marau's deserted island feel, Morro de Sao Paulo's 4 very different beaches - some virtually deserted. While there, from an old fort, watched dolphins playing in the bay while the sun set. Went to a full moon party and saw the total eclipse of the moon from the beach. All of these beaches are travelers´ hangouts which allowed me to meet great locals, Brazilian tourists (mainly from Sao Paulo or Rio), and international travelers; bit by bit, my Portugese has improved. Plus, these towns all have good nightlife.

For some of the best nightlife, though, I headed to Salvador, the capital of Bahia. Here, the African influence can be felt everywhere, from most of the population being black to the typical Baihan women in their hoop skirts and white headdresses selling acaraje (deepfried heart-attack inducing with shrimps and hotsauce that makes your eyes water). The old part of the city is called Pelourinho, perched on a bluff that´s so steep that there's an elevator to get from the lower city to the upper city. In this part of town, the old baroque and rococco colonial churches sit alongside pastel-painted houses on meandering streets and squares. At night, bands come out to play, drummers parade through the streets, and people dance. Every night, there is something going on and I usually tried to find my way there. Throughout Bahia, groups perform capoeira, a form of martial arts to the accompaniment of drums and a fishing rod looking contraption that is plucked. Capoeira is a sublime martial art that is as beautiful as a dance. (I owe a huge thanks to Adriano Borges´ cousins and mom for making sure I was having fun and for putting up with me for a week.)

I continued north, making my way through Maceio, Recife, Natal, and Fortaleza. These cities all have around 1 million or more population, large beach-focused areas (where I stayed), and good nightlife. Most of these cities, too were fought over by the Dutch, French, English, and Portugese in the 17th century, so they all have small historical areas. In this part of Brazil, forro is the usual nighttime activity - live music and dancing accompanied by either caiparinhas, caiparoskas, or beers.

The small towns in these areas are excellent as well. An hour-and-a-half north of Salvador, Praia do Forte has natural piscinas (pools) where you can lounge during low tide and home to the TAMAR reserve which protects endangered turtles. Olinda, on a hill overlooking Recife, boasts numerous churches, cathedrals, monasteries, and museums lining hilly streets where artisans ply their crafts. Praia da Pipa is a laid-back beach town midway between Recife and Natal high on a cliff above sandy beaches and good surf below that´s a popular travelers stop. Ponta Negra and other beaches around Natal are dominated by huge windswept dunes. Around Fortaleza are numerous beaches and fishing villages.

I also made it to Fernando de Norronha, an archipelago of islands that is home to some of Brazil´s best beaches and also its best diving. Noronha is a beautiful paradise with most of it a national park. Dolphins swam with us while on a boatride to an excellent snorkeling spot. While diving, besides tropical fish and coral, saw barracudas, turtles, moray eels, and stingrays. I was also literally swimming with sharks, seeing at least ten and in most cases close enough to touch.