Sabado no Praia do Forte (Saturday in...)

Larry didn't have such an easy time getting here. His flight to Sao Paulo couldn't land due to fog and after circling for an hour was diverted to Rio. They landed, sat on the tarmack for an hour, went back to Sao Paulo and circled another hour before landing. Needless to say, he missed his connection to Salvador, but finally arrived about four hours late. After checking in with our volunteer coordinator, we headed for the bus station. We mastered the taxi system last trip, but traveling by bus was a new adventure. The bus station was very busy, but quite large and nice. So was our bus. Traffic was horrendous and it took 2 1/2 hours instead of 1 1/2 to get here. At every stop or slow down, vendors would jump on the bus to sell you water, soft drinks, juice, candy or nuts.

Our hotel is fantastic. We accidentally found a travel agent who specializes in Latin American travel and she was a real jewel. I had selected a hotel here from the internet, but asked her to make the reservation since my Portuguese is not good enough for the telephone. My choice was closed for renovation this month, but surprisingly, she had been here and recommended this location. When we checked in, they thought we were funny and gave us an upgrade, I think because of the note she put on our reservation - needs someone who speaks good English.

Larry hadn't slept in over two days and we slept for 12 hours. Breakfast is included and it was incredible. After filling our plates with amazing tropical fruits, sweet rolls and breads, they continually came by our table to bring delicacies that we had no idea what we were eating. No lunch today!

We spent the morning exploring the village which has lots of shops and restaurants. We walked by the Tamar Project for sea turtle preservation. We didn't go in since it's not turtle season, but I could read the sign that explained that there are 5 species of endangered turtles here and they've been working hard for 28 years to save them with great success. Then we went to the beach. The weather was glorious, even though the forecast had said 100% chance of rain.

I see what Fred means that you can't live here and stay white for long. My skin has darkened by osmosis, even though today is almost the first sunshine since I've been here. I wish I could get Portuguese proficiency by osmosis as well.
Judy