the pic above is of the bahianas making their typical street snacks in the Pelourinho.
Today was spontaneous beach day. The sensation of seeing the ocean again, even if only after six months away from it, is surreal. It's like the simple presence of that horizontal line that separates blue from blue off in the distance is enough to send goosebumps down one's soul.
My bunkmates came home between 2 and 5AM, so sleep was chunky but satisfactory. This is the best part of hostel travel, in an odd, festive way. I met them and a few others over breakfast: Mamadu and his friend Yara from Paris, Raj and his wife D from London, Stefan from Switzerland, and a couple others. We spontaneously decided to head to one of the state of Bahia's many lovely beaches...this one, called Jaguaribe, is 50 minutes and 2 reais (R$) or about US$1.25 from the hostel. It's unique from many beaches I've visited in other touristy latin american countries, though, in that our group of OBVIOUSLY touristy folk was swarmed immediately by a group of guys, each representing a different restaurant along the half mile of sand. However, this was seriously high-pressure! I couldn't believe it. Each guy singled one of us out, so inevitably we separated and walked the entire beach three times just trying to think, get away, and god forbid, choose a f*cking place to have a beer. Mamadu and Yara and I had some feijão (beans) and meat, and after watching a seemingly random rendezvous in the water between a dude and some lady turn in to full on coitus, I had ro run to catch a bus to make it back so I could meet DJ Branco and the gang at the radio station. the program on Saturdays is Evolucão Hip-Hop, one hour of local rap music. good times, and I met a guy from Ohio named Ben who does documentary films and is really in with the hip hop community here. We got a ride home in a Bahia state government Ministry of Culture car, and on the way through the Pelourinho Ben showed me which crack alleys to avoid so as not to be mugged. Thanks Ben!
