Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
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The first nine photos are from Mangue Seco (Dry Swamp) in the extreme north of Bahia. Bahia is a big state with a lot of Brazil's most famous beaches, a place where people from down south would come to excape their cold as it is always nearly perfect weather. The Brazilian California, if you will. However, and it really pains me to admit this, but Brazil might be more Californian than California, with few exceptions. Or, another way to put it, Brazil is what people think California to be.
You go to a beach in California, first thing you see is a NO sign followed by what you cant do: smoke, drink alcohol, have campfires, play loud music, etc. In Brazil you can do it all. I even came across a couple doing the ultimate on the beach, though when we laid eyes upon each other they quickly separated, which wasn't very Brazilian, I thought.
Mangue Seco feels like another world: it is quite remote, only accessible by boat and an odd place with drifting sands that transforms the landscape from season to season.
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 Creeping sand
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 Perfect sunset
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180 degree view of the beach at Mangue Seco. The tides are extreme.
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 Looking very tired, as always, but damn handsome!
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 Passion fruit
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Shell bathroom, Praia do Forte
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 Monkey in a tree, Praia do Forte
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 The interesting thing in the photo is the farinha, or cassava flour in the plastic container that Brazilians everywhere add to their food, seemingly no matter what it is.
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 Rio Vermelha (Red River) a suburb of Salvador. On the beach is a Norwegian study abroad group learning volleyball. Study abroad! Knowing Norway the whole program is probably free. What happens when that Norwegian oil money runs out?
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The next bunch of photos are from Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia. Salvador the city is one thing, but the Pelourinho, the historic center, is another. It sits like a fortess on a hill. All approaches to it are dangerous if you walk at night and I avoided a possible near-incident in the middle of the day. Most Brazilians avoid it entirely, in fact. For me, I ended up staying a week in this little area. I found it captivating. There are literally police on nearly every single corner, as well as music. Roving bands of musicians day and night wander the streets. It's an amazing place.
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The Prisma charges by the "period", but 21 reais at the all night rate with breakfast, about $10, was about what I was paying to sleep in a dormitory nearby. I nearly thought of changing places. At right, the guitarist was very impressive and the percussionist was no slouch either.
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The rest of the photos are from Chapada Diamantina national park. I had never heard of Chapada Diamantina before I went to Brazil, but I am glad I went. It is about six hours west of Salvador.
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To go into this cave I had to wear a fishnet head stocking under a hardhat. I like I work in the back of a tough Mexican restaurant. Plus, fish nibbling on my leg.
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This is a street party in the little village of Capao where local incumbent politicians give everyone free beer that they splash around. This is how politics works up north, it looked like to me. My Portuguese was still bad at this point so it was hard to ask people more about it.
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Brazil
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