A farewell to the North-East

Back in 1650, the portuguese navigator Francisco Ayres de Cunha while he was sailing offshore the Brasilian coast, had his boat wrecked (quebrada) in the area south of where Fortaleza now stands. The local residents didn't know much about caravelas (the boats of the navigators) but only from conoas (canoe). Therefore Mestre Sebastiao, the expert in boat repairs, named the place Canoa Quebrada.

Canoa was first settled by indians Paiacu and Potiguara and grew when freed slaves arrived here in the end of the 19th century. Main activities were fishing and handicraft.

All this lasted untill French movie makers from the Nouvelle Vague movement discovered the beauties of Canoa. Including Bigitte Bardot had some shooting and spent some holidays here in 1960, to tranform Canoa into one of the most popular tourist attractions in Brasil.

Although the numerous pousadas and restaurants, Canoa is struggling to keep some of its old days character. Apart from mass tourism, is still attracts some of the most "interesting" travelleres of Brasil: hippies from all over South America living "in tranquility" and consuming "what you can find in Amsterdam", reggae lovers dancing in the rythms of Bob Marley at beach-bars, artists showing their artesanato at the beach, indians from the most remote areas of Brasil following the fishing traditions of their ancestors and afro-Brasilians following the traces of their african cultures.

Doubtless it is an interesting mixture of population, that give to this tiny village, cut off from the world, a powerful character. So it was a cultural shock for us when we arrived here, coming from Praia da Pipa, probably the most posh destination in the North-East. It was like, going out of a chic restaurant of New York and falling in a beach party in Jamaica!!!

As you may imagine we liked Canoa a lot, so much that we stayed longer than planned (not that we have any structured travelling plan). However, Canoa was our last destination in our long journey at Brasil's North-East.

In the last month we covered 2.000 Km and 6 different states: Bahia, Sergipe, Alagoas, Pernambuco, Paraiba and Rio Grande do Norte. So many places we 've seen, so many people we met, so many feelings we had.

To highlight the most important:

In the "black city" of Salvador
- we danced in the rythms of Olodum and followed the quadrilhas (traditional music groups) of the "ferias de Sao Joao"
- we attended speechless the Candomble ritual and
- we tried many different kinds of cachaca, the traditional sugar-cane drink



In the national park of Chapada Diamantina
- we followed the steps of the diamont-hunters
- we swam in cachoeiras (small waterfalls) and
- we hikked in the breathtaking trails





In the colonial village of Penedo
- we stayed in the house were the emperor of Brasil stayed some 1500 years before
- we explored the colonial architecture and the numerous churches of the village and
- we tried fresh fish where the Rio Sao Francisco meets the Atlantic



In the remote village of Barra de Sao Miguel
- we danced forro in the "Lampiao" the best dance stage in town and
- we swam in the green waters of the tropical Praia da Gunga, on of the best beaches of Brasil




In the fishing village of Maragogi
- we strolled along the endless beaches and
- we swam in the natural lagoons of the coral reef, 6 km offshore






In the touristical Porto de Galinhas
- we lived in the spirit of this popular tourist resort and
- we ate fresh fish and shrimps under palm and cashew trees






In the cultural capital of Pernambuco, Olinda
- we danced forro, frevo and afoxe and followed the serenatas around the town
- we spent several hours reading about Paolo Freire, at the exhibition at the municipal library
- we explored the rich history, culture and architecture of this unique town


In the fishing village of Jacuma
- we ate "carne do sol" where the atlantic meets the sand and
- we strolled along the inmense beaches of this village






In the posh resort of Pipa
- we swam with dolphins and
- we visited the cosmopolitan restaurants of the town






And finally in the alternative village of Canoa Quebrada
- we tried a buggy-ride over the sand-dunes
- we visited an oasis with palm trees and a lagoon, where we swam with huge fish and
- we danced in the rythms of reggae at the beach bars and felt for a while like being hippies

Tomorrow we will wake up at 5:00 am to see the sun rising from the Atlantic for the last time. With mixed feelings we are saying goodbye to the North-East and are preparing ourselves for the new adventures of the Pantanal.

Crocodiles and piranhas, we are coming :):):)