By DPA
Salvador (Brazil) : The beach stretches all the way to the horizon, palm trees rim the coastal forest’s edge, and the sun beams down from a bright blue sky. Though it sounds like a South Sea paradise, it is the northeastern corner of Brazil, the biggest country in Latin America.
For many tourists, this section of Brazil’s Atlantic coast is a terra incognita. And in many places the tourism infrastructure is less than perfect.
Brazilians have long been familiar with their country’s most beautiful beaches, which are now increasingly on the itinerary of foreign tourists who want to combine a seaside holiday with a tour of Brazil’s colonial cities.
Planning a trip requires care, as the distances are enormous. Comprising nine states, Brazil’s northeast covers an area more than four times the size of Germany.
“Salvador de Bahia, with its marvellous historic centre, is definitely a magnet for tourists,” said Sao Paulo native Joao Pedro Fonseca, who studies history there. “From 1549 to 1763, Salvador was Brazil’s first capital, before Rio de Janeiro.”
Travellers approaching the city on a cruise ship can make out a lower and upper town. Fishermen and traders once lived in the lower part, while churches and the palaces of nobility stand 80 metres above.
It is said that Salvador has a church for every day of the year. Clerics put the number at about 120.
Built in the 17th and 18th centuries with elaborately decorated interiors, the churches recall the power of the Catholic clergy in the then Portuguese colony and are one of the main reasons that Unesco declared the upper historic centre of the city a World Heritage site 22 years ago.
“Salvador is a unique example of the harmony today between Catholicism and the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomble,” remarked Marcia dos Santos, a Candomble “priestess.”
The cult, in which animal sacrifices play a role, is practised in some 8,000 temples and has adherents at all levels of society. It was brought to Brazil by West African slaves.
The resort facilities start north of Salvador. The most popular, about 70 km away, is Praia do Forte with its boutiques, arts-and-crafts shops and restaurants.
“Beyond it, for the next 1,400 km to Fortaleza, is one beach after another,” said souvenir vendor Felipe Andrade.
The coastal cities of Aracaju and Maceio, rimmed by sandy beaches, are worth seeing on a trip north. Recife, capital of the state of Pernambuco, is also a seaside city with a beach.
Many of the hotels there are only a few metres away from the Atlantic. A reef off the coast breaks the often strong waves, providing tranquil conditions for bathers.
Seven kilometres to the north lies Olinda, a jewel of Baroque colonial architecture whose historic centre is also a Unesco World Heritage site.
Sugar cane brought wealth to the region in the 16th and 17th centuries. The sertao (“hinterland”), Brazil’s poorhouse, begins several dozen kilometres from the coast.
Large landowners rule the roost in these parts. The area is marked by destitution and social injustice and is of limited interest to travellers.
But Aurelio Rocha, who has devoted his life to nature conservation in Salvador, noted a nearby attraction. “Just 430 km from here lies the unique natural landscape of Chapada Diamantina, a plateau with table mountains, canyons, waterfalls, caves and lagoons,” he said. “It’s an ideal destination for eco-tourism.”
The discovery of diamonds there in the mid-19th century drew adventurers, and the small town of Lencois sprang up. Today it awaits tourists.
“You can reach the Chapada in six to seven hours by car, a good eight hours by bus, and an hour by plane,” explained tourist guide Dilson Gomes.
An overland trip is reminiscent of the Wild West. Fearless-looking cowboys drive cattle before them on dusty side roads.
The nondescript villages appear not to have arrived in the 21st century. For the people here, the marvellous Atlantic beaches are inaccessibly distant.