Ha ha, I'm so stuck in Itacaré that I wasn´t even thinking of reading my email or writing my blog for the last 8 days! This is a great place to hang out, it seems to be Brazil´s equivalent to Byron Bay in Australia: it is incredibly relaxed, there is great surf and loads of different, extremely beautiful beaches, a good young crowd around (even now in the off-season) and loads of parties.
From what I heard about Itacaré I already suspected this was going to be my longest stop in one place, it is so far and somehow I don't feel inclined to leave (next stop should be Trancoso, south of Porto Seguro, tentative departure: Saturday, or maybe Sunday - depending on how bad my muscles hurt from hours of surfing).
Everything was great from the moment I arrived: I chose the best hostel (Albergue O Pharol) - it is not only a traveller's home but also a home for cats and dogs, who are lazing around everywhere and make for a nice atmosphere. The rooms are comfortable with balconies and the common room is converted into a pre-party zone every evening.
The very friendly owner of the hostel immediately introduced me to Peter, a Norwegian guy, who is also here for surfing, so I was not lost for company. On my first evening I found the "Local Surf School" to be most helpful and have the best offer for renting boards. Besides, the guy from the place is really good looking :)
I tried my first surfing at the beginner beach, Ribeira, which was a bit scary on that day. My second day of surfing on Engenhoca was equally unsuccessful - due to a massive hangover from the Friday night party (for visitors of Itacaré: Friday night is the biggest party night, there is a club on La Concha that everybody goes to).
So the next 2 days I took it easy and went to see Prainha (a very beautiful beach 40 mins walk from Itacaré), took a canoe trip upriver with Nino (a friend from the surf school crowd) and went on an adventurous excursion to the beach Jeribucuacu with a Swiss couple that are also staying in the hostel (adventurous meaning us getting slightly lost in a magrove swamp on the way to the beach and caught by the dark in the jungle on the way back).
Today I was back for the surfing again and spent most of the day in the water. Now I am sporting a surfers tan (well, at the moment its rather a surfer´s sunburn - red from the knees to boardshorts and the lower arms). I also sport some blue and black bruises due to some disagreement with the 8 ft board I rented on the first 2 days (I´m down now to a 7'6", which corresponds much better to what I'm used to). These days the waves at Ribera are smooth but big enough for some semi-spectacular drops, so I´m having a great time and make real progress (and I´m getting rid of the fear that I built up from my week in Fuerteventura, which was brutal to say the least...)
The only thing that is a bit annoying are my difficulties with food/water. Or maybe the Brazilian alcohol does not agree with me, I don´t know. I am dieting on coconut water, crackers and bananas at the moment and hope for things to get better. There is so much amazing food here to try out, it´s a shame to miss a proper meal!
Yes, and the other thing that can also be annoying is the frequent thread of rain - it is the beginning of the raining season and at least once a day the sky clouds over within 20 min and rain starts pouring down. After 1 hour or 2 everything is over and the sky is clear again - or not, and it stays cloudy all day and actually a bit chilly. In the morning it is usually sunny, so getting up is essential (also for the surfing: waves are good in the morning these days).
Speaking of - I'm getting hungry now, I think I´ll get a nice sandwich, so: here's some pictures of this magical place:
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| Itacaré - April 2007 |
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