Salvador

Salvador was an enormous contrast to the very European, wealthy Floripa - it is a city full of culture, music and most of the population is of African descent. It was also much rougher around the edges which made it very authentic and interesting, but also meant that we chose not to venture too far off the beaten track as we looked like massive gringos : )

 

 

We stayed a few nights in the historical centre "Pelo" where it is common to hear singing, drums beating and see capoeira in the streets. As this is where many tourists hang out, it's also common to get pestered all day by street kids, sellers and potential pick-pockets but that didn't take away from the amazing archecture and vibe of the area.

 We chose to spend our final nights in the less touristy beach area of Barra where we stayed in a cute B&B close to the main beach and port plus plenty of restaurants and shops.

Florianopolis

Florianopolis aka Floripa is located on the coast of Brazil around 15 hours by bus from Iguazu Falls and consists of a modern city plus a series of beautiful beaches, lakes and smaller towns. This place does not seem like part of Brazil at all - fair-skinned, blonde haired (rich) locals and more of a modern / beachy vibe than the northern, more traditional areas of Brazil. We stayed in a small town called Lagoa Conceição, a short bus trip away from one of the area's most famous beaches, Praia Mole. 

It was so damn hot and humid that we didn't have the energy for too much more than lazing on the beaches nearby and enjoying the good food & capirinhas in town. Not a bad life at all! The beaches in Brazil are incredible because you don't have to move from the beach all day - sellers bring you plenty of fruits, sweets, coconut water and even bikinis. We decided the bikini salesmen (see pic below) have a pretty sweet gig selling to the beautiful women here all day at the beach!

On an overcast day we took a surfing lesson with a crazy Brazilian at Praia Barra, a beach that's not very picturesque but very popular with surfers thanks to the perfect waves. By the end of the session, we could both stand up but still looked like giant amateurs compared to the locals!