Salvador, Recife, FdeN Day 4

Day 04 - Thursday, December 15, 2011 - Cachoeira, Rural Bahia Day Tour, Salvador, Bahia, BR

After breakfast we were met by Carol, our guide from Tuesday. We had requested her because she spoke English well and the tour company recommended by the hotel was very reliable.

The agent said they would arrive at 8:00 for a private tour to the rural areas around Bahia. I checked the temperature and it was 82° with 75% humidity; the skies were blue. Another perfect day in Paradise!

Anna was our driver for the day. She had driven city buses and also taxis for years which made us feel very safe with her behind the wheel in our small six passenger van.

We left the city from the south east and headed in a north westerly direction to the town of Santa Amaro. Along the way Carol gave us more information about the area surrounding Salvador and also the commerce after Cabral claimed the area for Portugal in the early 1500’s.

The region of Bahia was very important because of the strategic location in the central portion of the Brazilian coastline, the safe harbor of All Saints Bay, and also for the rivers that allowed transportation for the goods coming from the interior.

Along the route we could see the “communities” or favelas where the poorest of the people live. Most of their homes now have water and electricity. Then came the factories and because Salvador is the third largest city in Brazil, many of the major manufacturing companies have industrial sites in the area.

The next transition was to the rolling hills and small farms and then finally the large sugar cane plantations, coconut groves, manioc farms, bamboo plots, and eucalyptus trees for paper pulp covered the landscape.

The first town we came to was Santo Amaro. We visited several historic churches; the Nossa Senhora do Rosario dos Pretos and Nossa Senhora da Purificaçao and walked around to become familiar with the small neighborhoods. There were very few places for restrooms and to buy water, but Anna did find a small stand for drinks. Public restrooms are few and far between!

As soon as we arrived in our destination city, Cachoeira (means Waterfalls but there wasn’t one) we drove to the top of the highest hill to take photos of the city. We drove along the banks of the River Paraguaçu and we could see the colorful village of São Felix on the other side.

We were given a guided tour of the Carmelite Convent, Conjunto do Convento do Carmo from the 18th century. Although it was a Catholic church, on Fridays the African slaves also practiced Candomblé or Macumba (voodoo) religion at the church.

No photos were allowed in the church, the sacristy, nor the cloister but we were able to take photos on the balcony over looking the city and in one of the museum’s top floors.

We left the church at 12:40 and went right to the city market. Most vendors were packing up for the day, but we were able to get a good idea of the fruits and vegetables offered.

There were not many restaurants open but we found St. Carom’s Convent where we had a delicious meal. the four of us bought lunch for Carol and Anna and had a great time talking about the local area and their experiences.

Our last stop was at the Danneman Cigar Factory, the oldest in Brazil (1872) where we could watch the women hand rolling aromatic cigars. The process was very interesting and not much different than it was centuries ago.

The drive back to the city took about two hours. We arrived about 6:15 and began our quest to choose the five photos that would be representative of the day.

We had to pack to fly to Recife early tomorrow morning. While I verified our return trip to the airport, Gennie finished the journal and we were able to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

Accommodations: Portobello Ondina Praia Hotel --- Meal: B

I'm so happy that you had a good guide and driver. Enjoy the rest of your adventure!

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Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.

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