Archive for: Brazil

Here is a random list of things that I dig that I’ve discovered during my Brazilian tour (in no particular order):

1. Acai (a berry from the Amazon that is made into a desert/drink)
2. Warm (or more like hot) water surfing
3. Cheap surfboards
4. Weird and wonderful (and very cheap) fresh fruit
5. Daily smoothies
6. Scantily-clad Brazilian women on the beach (peaches and cream baby!)
7. Sunshine
8. Caipirinhas
9. The $BR7 meal
10. My apartment in Morro do Gavazza with it’s sea view

Pat and I hit up the Farol this morning, and after a choppy start we ended up getting some pretty sweet waves. The wind turned to almost offshore and for about 30-45 minutes the sets we coming in with nice clean faces and some tasty walls.

We both got a good dozen or so rides and came out of the water stoked. I am now wondering whether to go to the mall to do some shopping or hit up the beach again and get a few more rides in. I think it has to be the mall though, the wind got up earlier and I don’t think the afternoon waves will be as good as they were this morning.

Last night I was treated to an evening of Candomblé, an Afro/Brazilian religious practice. We witnessed a ceremony where people dress up in traditional clothing, dance and sing, and offer various sacrifices to the gods. Some people end up getting possessed and kinda get into the zone and have to be taken out of the room to chill out. The performance lasted about 3 hours and personally after a while I found it a little intense. But it was a great experience all the same to see another part of Brazilian culture.

This afternoon I hung by the people, read Da Bull and caught some sun. I then headed down to the Farol to check out the waves and ended up catching quite a few big rides, both front and backhand.

Tomorrow I am due to surf with my buddy Pat up at Stella Maris, will probably be the last time I make it up there before I head back to Rio and then the UK.

So Elise and I (plus 30 yanks) went to watch a traditional Bahian dance/ballet/arts performance in Pelourinho in the Cidade Alta a few nights ago. It was a combination of folk dancing, some Candomble and Capoeira. It was put on by the Bale Folclorico da Bahia. The performance was amazing, especially the capoeira, the strength and skill of the guys doing these crazy moves was just awe-inspiring, so much so that I might look into taking a few classes when I get back to the UK.

So a 3-4m storm swell hit Salvador overnight, the wind was really intense, from what I can make out from the Portuguese website, a cyclone was hanging over SE Brazil sending some serious winds and waves our way.

I didn’t go out today as I was chilling with Elise and munching on various bolos (cakes). But from the looks of the surf and the guys out at Porto da Barra it was intense. I am tempted to go out tomorrow and get some nice cross/offshore rides, but I might have to make it out with the old faithful 6’4, as the waves are too big for the 6’0 fish to handle.

If I don’t make it back, yes Richie, you got the dibs on the mitch, haha!

So I was hoping to make another short documentary about my surf trip, similar to the one I did last year, I’ve been getting some pretty good footage so far, which I hopefully will be able to use in the cut.

I spoke to my buddy Chad in Rio this morning (where I will be returning to in just over a week’s time). We both met a local surf crew from the small favela when I was last there and have decided we are going to try and interview the guys and get some of their rides on camera. I am hoping we will get some good footage, as I think it will add a nice little twist to the DVD, we’ll see!

2 days ago I was surfing down at the Farol (as usual) and made my first little Brazilian friend whilst out back. We chatted in broken English/Portuguese for a while and then returned to the beach where we met his (girl)friend or sister or something. She was super-toned, but a little young for me, I guess the both of them were probably in their late teens. All the same, it was cool to chat with them both and also to be forced into conversing in Portuguese. Since I have been in Salvador, Elise has taken care of most of the Portuguese when we have been out and about, so I haven’t really picked up as much as I should have.

Yesterday morning I awoke to a nice sunny morning with litte/no wind and a glassy sea view from my apartment’s balcony. I hit the surf and was greeted by the glassiest and cleanest surf I have had since I’ve been here in Salvador. I surfed for 2 hours and then came back for some lunch.

Although the waves were small, they were peeling and I got some nice rides and was generally stoked with my efforts.

A few days ago, I fancied a change of scene for my surfing and jumped across to the other side of the Farol to surf the little point break that was working just right of the rocks. The waves were pretty small, but clean and it was a very mellow paddle out. In the end I only caught one wave and then paddled in to make the quick walk down to the main Farol beach.

On my way in I managed to step on a sea urchin, which I can tell you, isn’t the most enjoyable experience.  I headed up the rocks and then over to the main beach and surf a little more.  On returning to the apartment I found I had 4 spines stuck in my foot. I spent the next hour trying to get them out with a pair of scissors, tweazers and a few deep breaths. In the end, with a little help from the misses, I was fixed up and ready to enjoy another chilled out evening.

Another quality (well quality by Salvador standards) surf was had this evening with the Farol da Barra crew. There was another reasonable swell on the high and I caught full-on left and right breaking waves until the end of the wave, skipping back over the shoulder and paddling right back out to the lineup for another dose.

There was a pretty mellow older crew tonight, I got involved in a bit of a chat with one Bahian guy, I understood a couple of words, but mainly just nodded my head in agreement and then paddled back to the peak for another ride. I am getting the hang of the fish now, and it performs nicely in the water, although with a little chop on the face of the bigger set waves, it does bounce around a little.

There was another killer sunset, turning the water an amazing colour with the setting sun (wish I had the camera out there to capture that). Hoping for more waves and a chance of an offshore wind would be nice (it’s been onshore every day since I’ve been here).

Off out now for some drinks!