3 July: It’s been a rough few days as both of us have been down with the flu or Covid, we are not sure which but thankfully starting to feel better.
4 July: A very long assed day! Firstly, we drove 40 minutes back into Vitoria to a self-service laundromat which had a cockeyed payment system so after a long wait for a machine we then paid with credit card only to get no credit. Feeling pissed off, we managed to find another one a block away and this time succeeded. All in all, probably spent 2 hours on the laundry, then went shopping which wasn’t our best experiences as the supermarket was expensive, we were where grumpy with each other, couldn’t understand the questions the teller was asking etc etc. On the positive side this really cool Brazilian (Clecio) pulled into the parking as we were about to leave as he is a Landy fan, so had a nice chat before leaving to drive northwards. Eventually pulled into a petrol station for a night of camping with the truckers, at 18:30 (in the dark!!)
5 July: Another long day after which we are over travelling! The BR101 was exceptionally slow and busy with trucks, took 2,5 hours to do the first 150km and this is the main highway. Can just never get a comfy rhythm with the driving which is exhausting! When we stopped for lunch a roadside carvery style setup, and couldn’t again understand the cashier who then just proceeded to laugh – it was a quick decision to not sit on the road for another 3 hours as planned but head somewhere closer. Then Mr J refused to start when we stopped at the a spot which turned out to be closed, frustratingly it looks like our starter may be dying (again). Eventually landed up at a nice but windy spot but still needed to unpack laundry (too tired yesterday) and so forth. Even lost our sense of humour with the wind!
6 July: a chilled day, just spent around camp recovering a bit
7 July: Longish travel day again but better than a few days ago. As with then, the BR101 (main highway) was slower than coastal access roads because of trucks and no passing opportunities, at one point we did 25km/h average or less for 10km as we wound through a number of hills. The little town of Trancoso was a total disappointment so we quickly decided not to stay but that meant a traverse to a ferry and then looking for a new spot in Porto Seguro. That too was a bust as it appears to be having a festival (Porto Festival) which looks like it could be a Ballito rage setup, so we kept searching. A further 2 stops later we found somewhere which looked peaceful even though next to main road.
8 July: Another long day as we skip up to Ilheus and a spot called Tahito Surf Camp which is at the “BackDoor” surf break, supposedly one of Bahia better ones. First reactions were pretty disappointing as the water is still very very brown, and the camp was tight next to the road. In our minds we thought it was in a secluded spot on a little bay. Camp owner however was super welcoming and actually the road is not an issue.
13 July: Been a chilled 6 days at Tahito surf camp (backdoor) especially as Leo the owner has such a cool vibe about him. It’s just so frustrating not being able to talk with him and others. Had two surf sessions, despite the intimidating entry off the point, intimidating locals and large waves. Only caught 1 and a bit waves each session but did see a few turtles pop their heads up.
14 July: Moved up the coast a little to Camping Paraiso, reminds us a lot of Mozambique (palm trees, very dark at night, miggies, and big open beach). Before moving up coast, did the usual shopping and went in search of a grease nozzle for grease gun which meant multiple stops in a strange city with google translate in hand while finding were to source one.
15 July: An afternoon of frustration as struggled to get grease gun to work. Eventually did but what a battle!
18 July: A truly great day! Drove into Itacare, stopped for bread and Mr J wouldn’t start but after some patience to let him cool and then starting to fiddle with starter he fired up. Struggled to navigate around the funky but very narrow streets of Itacare and eventually found our way to Tiriiaca beach (supposedly good surf and opportunity to wild camp). While checking out the surf (which was scrappy) we heard an American accent and Tania chirped “you speak English” which then led to conversation with Michael from Kansas who is married to a Brazilian and lived here for 15 years.
19 July: A very muddy drive down onto a peninsula, which we had thought would be tar for most but was not. Anyway stumbled across a nice campsite close to a beach with rock pools.
21July: Frustrating day, after driving out on even muddier roads and briefly having flashbacks of Tanzania thanks to a whole lot of trucks stuck on a slight incline waiting for one to be pulled out by a grader, we drove through the town of Valenca and down to a beach village called Gerriba only to find the one camping place far from desirable. Briefly stopped at another informal spot on the beachfront but with no toilets, brown water and not getting a vibe to wildcamp we drove the 30 minutes back to Valenca and an “aventura resorts” style campground. On the plus side, breakfast is included in the camping fee.
23 July: The last 2 days campsite on Ilha de Itaparica is stunning on the surface, in amongst a zillion palm trees, grass underfoot and right on a beach. It’s just a pity the beach is filthy, the water is brown and there is no surfing.
24 July: After an hours ferry ride we disembarked in Salvador just before lunch and went in search of a Middle Eastern restaurant which looked like it would offer something different. It turns out this was right by a very busy beachfront boulevard so after finding and negotiating for parking we set off on foot to discover it no longer exists, grrrr. Anyhow this turned out to be a blessing as after a walkabout we stopped at a bar/restaurant which looked less hectic than most of the others in the area and had a great little lunch. Shrimp Drool, per google translate, for Stuart and Black Beans and Pork for Tania.
26 July: Laundry day in Salvador combined with a little shopping. Just as walking back to Mr J we get drenched by the almost hourly tropical downpour that’s been tracking us the last week or so, we are both very over the weather! Incredibly we drove into this wet season without knowing it, only seems to affect Bahia, if we had stayed south we would have missed it – maybe.
27 July: A short hop up the coast, although we did need to make detours for diesel, finding an ATM and a few items missed in yesterday’s shop. Tonight, we are camped in the parking of a hostel in a very funky touristy town of Praia do Forte. Took a short walk through town which reminded us a lot of a busy Thailand tourist town and then found a quite beach where while sitting we spotted a few turtles. Sadly and incredibly the town has an “ attraction” for turtles, (which “maybe” raises funds for their conservation), in the form of a zoo like thing on the point where you can pay R$35 per person to see some turtles in captivity when just 100m away on a beach if you sit patiently you can see their heads pop-up every now and then. No bets that the hundreds pouring through the “zoo attraction” each day miss out on the real deal almost under their feet, perhaps because the real deal doesn’t offer much of a selfie opportunity.
28 July: Tania feeling really ill today and struggling to breath, hoping the “rona” isn’t re-occurring. Stuart walked across to main surf break but didn’t enter as way too technical across a reef slab, then in afternoon had a quick session on a different beach. The waves weren’t great but the highlight was surfing with turtles, at one point he counted 6 heads that popped up.
29 July: A lovely day on the beach, the first we have had in a long time and exactly what we have been missing in Bahia. Sadly Bahia leaves us feeling a little let down in terms of beaches, water quality and surf time but perhaps that is just cause we got our timing wrong in terms of seasons and the many short storms we have experienced PLUS we have spent most of the month feeling sick to slightly sick thanks to what we suspect is Covid.
31 July: Another awesome day on the beach, lovely sunshine combined with a big wide open beach meant we even needed to get our sunshade out which is the first time in our 3 months in Brazil. As an an added bonus Stuart had a fun surf session. (Surf break Ponte De Sauipe)