Well, I finally made it out of Salvador, for now. Moved out of my apartment yesterday, and today I took a two-hour boat trip south to this island paradise of a resort town called Morro de Sao Paolo.
I don’t know if I mentioned this already on here, but another traveler told me when I was in Rio last month that every new place I went to in Brazil would prove to be a culture shock…this is definitely so. Coming out of the gritty, vibrant reality of Salvador to this idyllic little spot is a bit jarring. For one thing, for the first time in a month, when I’m in a crowd I’m not the only white face in sight. Lots of Argentine and other travelers here. I haven’t got any photo posting capabilities yet, but the beaches are stunning and the water is that gorgeous aquamarine color you see in pictures.
I made a bit of an itinerary change, and decided not to return to Rio on this trip. Instead, I’m going to spend a couple days here then head back to Salvador for the last couple of days before returning home. Having built up a bit of a network of contacts there made sticking around seem more appealing.
I watched the inauguration at an American friend’s apartment, then went out to the beach for the afternoon yesterday. It was a happy day for me, I am full of…dare I say…”hope” for our country’s future, like a lot of us. I’m a big believer in the power of collective thought and feel sure that if enough people feel like I do, things can’t help but get better.
The events were covered extensively on the local news, of course…Brazilians also appear to be very positive in general about the possibilities of the Obama presidency. Folks in the streets of Salvador last night were calling out “Baracky Obama” to me as I walked by…(the letter K is a bit of a tough one for local pronunciation)…it was, from my point of view, a good day to be an American.
A week from today I’ll be back in the cold and snow of Vermont. My god, I think I’ve convinced myself that I actually miss it now. Something is seriously wrong with me. I need a caipirinha to straighten this out.
January 22, 2009 at 6:44 pm
The cold and snow of Vermont will welcome you back gratefully! Glad to hear excitement for the US government from South America. It was a happy day here too.
January 23, 2009 at 1:55 pm
well, your jeep is now sort of ready. the spare is on and the battery seems to be holding a charge and most of the little mountain of snow has blown off the roof.
it is now about 25 degrees, perhaps a new high for the year but don’t worry because it is headed back down.