Sunday 10 February 2013

Life’s a Beach!

Goodbye rain, hello sunshine!  And just in time, as we reached Porto Seguro, our first stop on the Atlantic coast.  We stayed in a great campsite, located just across the road from the beach with a lovely pool, funky bar, great BBQ area and plenty of space for all of us.  A quick swim and an early night beckoned for most of us, others choosing to head into town to wander the night market.

Blue skies and bright sunshine greeted us the next morning and it didn’t take long before the beach became Odyssey central.  Swimming in the perfect-temperature-water, sitting in a cafe on the sand, sipping beers or caiprinhas, buying barbequed cheese or empanadas from the many beach sellers, flying a kite, or just watching the families and friends enjoying themselves on the beach; for many of us it was a pretty perfect day!

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Jeanne flying her newly acquired kite
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Cheese seller
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Grilling the cheese
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Heather relaxing in the pool
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Lesley relaxing
Dragging ourselves away from Porto Seguro we continued north up the coast towards our next stop, Olivenca.  En route we made a brief stop off at Volvo to pick up a spare part, Ithaca definitely caused a bit of a stir amongst the mechanics, not sure they have seen the likes of a fully kitted out overland truck before!
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Our personal Volvo mechanic with Pete
Where Porto Seguro was a reasonably big town with resort-style accommodations along the beachfront road and a fancy campsite with all the amenities, Olivenca was a tiny village and our campsite was a simple grassy pitch right on the edge of the sand.  The beach was stunning, quieter and more relaxing than the beach at Porto Seguro, with bigger waves but the same lovely water temperature.  Most of the group chose to chill out around camp, while others spent the morning exploring the nearby town of Ilheus.
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Mine's bigger than yours - Steve vs Tony
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Geoff, Steve & Tony
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The city of Ilheus
What better way to celebrate our time on the coast than with a beach BBQ?  Sausages, salad and potatoes were eagerly devoured before most of the group headed back to the beach to sit around the fire talking rubbish while sipping on a fruit punch and admiring the stars.  A short downpour sent many scurrying back to close their tents, but some weren’t deterred, the thrill of enjoying the beach at night was just too good to waste, and is hopefully something that we will get to do again on the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia as we continue our journey around South America. 

1 comment:

  1. Nice one Pete & Kirsten. Really enjoy reading about your Brazilian escapades, brings back many fond memories. Good Luck!

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