Friday, January 31, 2014

All Saints Bay


Salvador - All Saints Bay

On November 1st, 1501, the expedition commanded by the Italian navigator Américo Vespúcio, by order of Pedro Alvares Cabral saw a "big and beautiful bay", which was named All Saints Bay because of the date: All Saints’ Day. That was the official birth of the biggest bay of Brazil.

Set in one of the most beautiful national sceneries, with its calm and crystal clear waters, involved by a historical atmosphere and the Atlantic forest contrasting with large mangroves, sandbanks and coral reefs, the bay is the starting point of the state that borrowed its name and keeps attracting tourists from all over the world with its enchants and magic.

Because of the rich nature that surrounds the bay, the Government created the All Saints Bay Environmental Protection Area, which comprehends the waters and the 54 islands that belong to the cities of Salvador, Madre de Deus, Candeias, Simões Filho, São Francisco do Conde, Santo Amaro, Cachoeira, Saubara, Itaparica, Vera Cruz, Jaguaripe, Maragogipe and Salinas da Margarida, a total of 800km² (497.1 miles) of nature in all its splendor, with good touches of history. (Search: GovernoBahia)

It is the largest navigable bay in Brazil and one of the most favorite spots for nautical sports, due to its regular breezes, medium annual temperature of 26 °C (79 °F) and sheltered waters. All Saints Bay (Baía deTodos os Santos) offers various leisure options, with hundreds of vessels of all different types, especially saveiros, schooners, motor boats, jet ski that criss-cross its crystalline waters on maritime excursions to the islands, and boat races. Major popular events and sport activities occur throughout the year, beginning on January 1, with the Procession of Bom Jesus dos Navegantes greeting the New Year.

The islands of the bay are a separate attraction. Some are privately owned, others were declared a state heritage and transformed into Environmental Protection Areas or ecological stations. Other islands are the patrimony of 12 municipalities located around the bay. Only a few are uninhabited and many have small communities where the natives live on fishing and tourism. All have common characteristics, such a calm sea, dense vegetation, especially coconuts and bananas, as well as vestiges of the Atlantic Forest. Of the 54 islands, the most important are Itaparica, Madre de Deus, Maré, Frades, Medo, Bom Jesus dos Passos.

Itaparica Island

 MARÉ ISLAND - PHOTOS BELOW





Friday, January 17, 2014

BONFIM FESTIVAL - SALVADOR - BRAZIL

The best time to visit the Brazilian city of Salvador, the capital of Bahia, is in the summertime, between the months of December and March. At this time the city is on fire with religious, folk, and popular festivals all filled with music, food, drinks, água de cheiro (perfumed water), flowers, dancing and happiness. Almost every weekend in this time frame there is either a lavagem (ritual washing of a church which culminates into a party) or a Candomblé `beating of the drums' (a ceremony in the Nigerian Yoruba religion of Candomblé). The three most popular festivals are: the Lavagem of the Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim, the Festa of Yemanjá (Yoruban Goddess of the Ocean) and of course, Carnaval.                   (Pravina Shukla)

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Bahia is going to produce bottled coconut water without chemical preservatives



Foto flickr by Ella Miranda

From March, Bahia starts to produce bottled coconut water without preservatives, using unique technology in the world. To check the development of the Group Aurantiaca in the municipality of Conde, 182 km from Salvador, the state secretary for Industry, Commerce and Mining, James Correia, overflew on Wednesday (8) over the 2200 hectares of coconut trees of agricultural division of the group - which includes Brazilian and North American partners - and visited the industrial fiber processing facilities, bottled water and milk and coconut oil, called Industrial Frysk.

"It really is an extraordinary venture for its lavishly appointed and huge installations. It has an investment value of R$370 million (over $155 million) with 1 thousand significant number of direct jobs in a city that has an economically active population of 6000 people. Both farms as the factory will give an extraordinary impetus to a region that has virtually only artisanal fishing and tourism as economic activities," said Correia, who was received by Vice President of Aurantiaca Group, Roberto Lessa.

"We will have the best coconut water in the world, no preservatives, allowing us to make a smooth process of pasteurization, increasing durability and flavor of the product," guarantees Lessa, after testing in Brazil and France laboratories. 

According to the executive, Frysk bet high on the decline of carbonated beverages - soda - and on Brazilian and worldwide increased consumption of coconut water. And the numbers are encouraging: in U.S., trade in coconut water rose from $ 6 million in 2008 to R $ 600 million in 2013.

By the end of 2014 the production units of milk and coconut oil should also be in operation. In a third step, the Frisk also will produce coconut flour. And the waste that are left in all the activities will be processed into biomass to fuel boilers and generate electricity through the steam.

(search: Bocão News)

Foto flickr by Jessica

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

BAHIA - COCUNUT COAST ( PART 2)


The Coconut Coast, in the north of Bahia, corresponds to a total of 193 km (120 mi) of coastline, where coconut groves, dunes, rivers, swamps and fresh water lagoons are abundant as well as the presence of the Atlantic Rain Forest. The Green Road,  which goes from Praia do Forte up to the settlement of Cachoeira do Itanhim, in Jandaíra and extends until the border with the state of Sergipe. It crosses this beautiful region maintaining a critical distance from the areas of environmental preservation. For this reason, the route is sometimes more than 10 km (6.2 mi) from the beach. At Praia do Forte, the road meets the Coconut Road (Estrada do Côco) leading to Salvador, passing through spots, which are now integrated in the urban development of the state capital. In this region is located Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport.

The road starts in the surroundings of Salvador International, cutting the cities of Lauro de Freitas and Camaçari. It’s the oldest ecological road of the country, inaugurated in 1993, when it was extended from the Green Line.

The beaches of the Coconut Road are known for their calm, warm waters. The area also has lagoons, rivers and astonishing landscapes. The nature wonders of the region of the Jacuípe, Pojuca and Joanes rivers are also part of the attractions; Joanes River is an excellent spot for nautical sports.

Coconut Coast covers the municipalities of Camaçari, Lauro de Freitas, Mata de São João, Entre Rios, Esplanada, Conde e Jandaíra.

TOP BEACHES ON THIS PATH:

  • VILAS DO ATLÂNTICO
Foto flickr by Eduardo Coutinho

  • JAUÁ
Foto flickr by Rodrigo Della Fáver

Foto flickr by agnaldosilva

  • AREMBEPE
Arembepe used to be a hippie village (with famous visitors like Janis Joplin, Mick Jagger).
Foto flickr by Paul Murray
Foto flickr by Luis Alberto Kalife

A beach house. Foto flickr by Roberto Saccon

Foto flickr by Celine Massa

  • BARRA DO JACUÍPE
Foto flickr by Pedro Augusto

Foto flickr by Maurício Mercadante

  • GUARAJUBA
Foto flickr by Renato Neto

Foto flickr by José Eduardo Mendes


Foto flickr by Solution2009

  • ITACIMIRIM
Foto flickr by Alison McGowan

Foto flickr by Salvador Gimeno

Foto flickr by Maria Helena Gonda

  • IMBASSAI
Imbassai is a very quiet village, where you will feel relax and very safe. There are several almost deserted beaches and a river that flows into the sea. From November to March it is possible to see sea turtles spawning on the beach, and in June and July you can see humpack whales. This is a natural and quiet place. We are looking forward to welcoming you!
View from the river. Foto flickr by Fabian Kron

Foto flickr by Egberto Araújo

River. Foto flickr by Eduardo Gomes

Foto flickr by Andre Lima


  • MASSARANDUPIÓ
Taking advantage of its isolation, this deserted beach in 1999, became the first category of nudism in the region. The landscape includes a sea of small waves, surrounded by lush coconut trees and dunes. Such tranquility makes it one of the favorite spots of sea turtles for nesting. The infrastructure is still minimal, with some tents near the village and a beautiful camping area, located around a lagoon behind the dunes.
Foto flickr by Fabian Kron

Foto flickr by Fred Schinke

Foto flickr by Pablo Dantas

  • BARRA DE ITARIRI
The beauties of the place served as the backdrop for the movie, "Tieta the Wasteland" (Tieta do Agreste), by Carlos Diegues, based on the novel by Jorge Amado. The long stretch where the river joins the sea is a favorite among visitors. The warm waters and calm baths promote fun enjoyable for the whole family, and offer good conditions for water sports. During low tide you can walk across to the opposite side of the canal, where they are beautiful sand dunes and coconut trees. With tents, camping and restaurant with a good receptive structure in the eyes of visitors.


River and ocean. Foto flickr by Paulo Clemonini

Foto flickr by Paulo Clemonini

River. Foto flickr by Marta Ribeiro
  • SITIO DO CONDE
Wet lowlands full of cattle surround this quiet, working-class beach retreat. While there is little to the town itself - just a few main streets, and a sleepy central plaza - Sítio has a lovely beach with pounding surf (located from 1 km from the plaza). North or south along the coast quickly leads to a desert shore with churning seas and flat sands backed by bluffs topped with coconut trees.(Brazil google book)
Foto flickr by Eckmeck11
 
Foto flickr by Eckmeck11

Foto flickr by Paulo Henrique Pereira

Foto flickr by Marta Ribeiro

  • MANGUE SECO
It is a tiny, beautiful rustic riverfront fishermen village at the tip of a peninsula formed by Rio Real (Real River) which delineates the Bahia/Sergipe border. The town itself is just a scattering of simple dwellings along sandy paths, a tiny church and plaza, a modern lighthouse and a few friendly guesthouses and restaurants. The town ends at the edge of an enormous expanse of the tall white sand dunes, beyond which the wide flat sands of the Bahian coast stretch to the south. Mangue Seco remote location causes most visitors to come on guided day tours, preventing rapid growth and leaving nights decidedly quiet. Guesthouses can arrange dune-buggy trips through the sand dunes.(Brazil google book)

It's a beach village in Jandaíra, Bahia, Brazil. It is also very famous in Brazil because a soap-opera (telenovela) adaptation of the novel "Tieta do Agreste", by the Brazilian writer Jorge Amado, which was shot on its white beaches in 1996.