Right after the New Year we embarked on a 2 day drive to Guarajuba, Bahia. This wonderful beach destination is not far from Salvador which is the capital of Bahia. The state of Bahia is so diverse and actually can be compared to California because of its huge difference in landscape across the state. It has a desert region, farming areas and of course the wonderful beaches (the water is significantly warmer here compared to the Pacific Ocean). I was amazed at how much change there was in one state.
Although it was a 20 plus hour drive to our destination over a 2 days period, it was very pleasant and really not that terrible. There was many little towns we went through on the way and some were very poor areas. There was the typical kids and vendors in each town trying to sell anything they could by standing in the street trying to get you to roll down your window. The roads were not that bad either, only in a few areas did I really think it was a little rough. My cell phone only worked a few times along the way, it was nice to disconnect from the outside world. I would say finding WiFi along the way would be almost impossible. The hotel we stayed in and any gas station or restaurant we stopped at definitely didn't have it. I would say most of Bahia is very poor and most of the money is in the capital or along the coast.
As a family we rented a huge house not far from the beach. A short 2 minute walk to standing in the powerful surf. We had everything we needed in this beautiful rental house; swimming pool, BBQ, AC in the bedrooms, large yard for the kids, TV, etc... It would of been nice to have WiFi, but we all managed to do without. For the 9 days we spent at this house we only ventured out 2 times to visit the capital and another beach not far away to do some shopping. Other than that just trips to the grocery store.
We all woke up when we wanted to and were usually on the beach at 9 or 10. A few hours of soaking in the sun, well for me it was cover my white skin and lather up with SPF 50. It was wonderful to have the family altogether and really enjoy the beach. No arranging meeting times or who was going to drive us there. We just walked to the beach when we wanted to and if we forgot something a quick walk back to retrieve the item was not an inconvenience. Then we all sporadically left for the house around lunch time to rinse off and swim in the pool while lunch was being prepared. We hired a lady to clean and prepare lunch each day, very affordable split accross the family. This was a true vacation where we had to do almost nothing.
Lunch was us all crammed around this wooden table outside near the pool. Like most meals in Brazil everyone is talking over each other and reaching over each other to get that prized piece of meat they see out of the corner of their eye. A fun and entertaining time to sit back and enjoy the fun we are all having. The time at the beach really wore us all out and most days the prepared dishes were completely devoured. Fortunately, we found a great cook and most of her dishes were absolutely amazing.
After lunch most took naps or did their own thing. Very relaxing time and there was no pressure to really do anything. slowly everyone started to emerge late afternoon for another round of beach time for a few hours until the sunset. This time of the day was usually less intense with the power of the sun being significantly less. I am very proud to say none of us got sunburned on this trip. This is a first for me at the beach...I always burn and peel, but not this time. My wife was very helpful and I also was a little more responsible with applying the sunscreen very regularly. Once again, when the sunset we all headed back to the house to rinse off and swim in the pool.
For dinner we usually had a BBQ or finished off any leftovers we had. Only went out to a local restaurant once as a family. It was great to eat at the house most of the time and not have to pay a bunch of money at restaurants. I will say though that the food at the grocery store was way more expensive than at home. For example Picanha, a must have at all Brazilian BBQ's was at a price I couldn't stomach. Usually R$40-50 at home and here it was R$100. Way too expensive for a slab of meat! I did however get introduced to other cuts of meat that were just as wonderful and I will include a few of them into my future BBQ's at home.
Most nights we were all in or around the pool listening to music and drinking our favorite beverages. Our kids were absolutely wore out each day and could be found watching cartoons inside or sometimes they feel asleep watching a movie on their I-pads. Most nights we all stayed up late and had a ton of fun. It was beyond a wonderful time!
One day we took a trip to Salvador the capital to experience the old town. A well preserved area with many shops, museums, restaurants, churches and statues. I absolutely loved it and really want to return to explore the city more in the near future. The city streets were not the typical square block type like other huge cities, but the winding road that was well planned out for the hill landscape this city was built on. Old town was cobblestone roads of the old days with very limited traffic. Mostly small delivery trucks and a few taxi's that were mainly used for handicapped and elderly. It was perfect to walk around and enjoy the sights. We had a wonderful lunch of seafood and did some extensive shopping (stuff is much cheaper here compared to the beach we are staying at). After a late lunch we all heading back to the beach house to enjoy the beach before the sunset. You can see where our priorities lay with this vacation.
Sadly we left after a very fast 9 days and returned the way we came. Nothing significantly different on the return trip. A different hotel and different restaurants. I will say I was relieved when we ate at a Pizza place in Correntina, Bahia and it was very cheap for a great meal and a few drinks. We were back in the affordable part of Brazil.
Although I said that I could of just stayed living at the beach, I missed our home in Goiania. Sure we don't have the beach, but we have many other things that are absolutely wonderful. Family and very close destinations for weekend trips. Some of these close destinations are Caldas Novas, Pirenopolis, Brasilia and friends little farms or lake houses. Plus, the landscape of lush green vegetation throughout our state of Goias is so beautiful this time of the year.
Plans are already in the works to return to Guarajuba, Bahia for New Years this year! Well thanks for reading!
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