Our Favorite Vacation Spot-Praia do Forte

The small little church that sits in town.
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September 23^rd, 2007: Day 8

Praia de Forte

In the very last tide pool the water was so calm and clear that I just sat wading in the water and relaxing.

We woke up and hopped on the bus to a city about an hour and half north called Praia de Forte. From the moment that we got off of the bus we loved it because the atmosphere just screamed of vacation. We stayed at the most adorable posada that had a hammock in the front area. We dropped our bags and headed out to conquer this town in about 36 hours. We took a walk down to the beach and decided to have lunch at one of the restaurants on the water. For this particular lunch we ordered the whole fried fish. The words I must use to describe it are mouth watering. The fish was so fresh and melted in your mouth. The fishermen were bringing fresh fish in all the way until the sunset. From our lunch destination we continued walking down the beach and saw the most magnificent hideaways. There were condos and hotels all along the shore that looked so peaceful and secluded. The wind was blowing a perfect breeze and the temperature was just right for the activities of the day. After our walk was complete we decided we would schedule activities for the next day. Once complete we headed to the turtle ecological reserve. The center supported the protection of the turtles as they were frequently hunted and began to get to a point where they may become extinct. They had turtles that were teeny tiny all the way to turtles that weighed more than me and were so long and wide. The reserve also had many other species such as the great white shark (scary), starfish and stingrays that you could touch. After seeing all that there was to see at the reserve we had the opportunity to watch the sunset over the water. As the fishing boats sat in the distance with the sun setting behind them over the water it made for the perfect sunset.

Fresh fried fish our first meal here.
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September 24^th, 2007: Day 9

We woke up ready to face this beautiful day and this beautiful area. We headed downstairs and they had a delicious breakfast in the lobby of fresh fruits, ham & cheese, coffee and tea. We had scheduled snorkeling for the morning so we headed over to grab our snorkeling gear and headed to the tide pools. Jeremy seemed to know what he was doing, but it took me a little while to learn how to breathe since this was the first time I had been snorkeling. Once I got the hang of breathing we swam out along the coral in search of some fish. We only found little fish, but I somehow managed to get spooked by even the little fish. Pathetic I know! There were 3 different tide pools that we snorkeled around and saw black/yellow striped fish, fluorescent green fish, and some other colors of fish that I can’t really remember right now. After snorkeling I picked up a few souvenirs of hermit crab shells, which coincidentally I found hermit crabs in later, but brought them home anyway. In the very last tide pool the water was so calm and clear that I just sat wading in the water and relaxing. While I relaxed Jeremy went in search of a bigger fish then the ones that he had seen thus far. After this we headed back to grab some lunch at the American bar and had well a cheeseburger, but it wasn’t like a US cheeseburger, but filled with much more flavor. After lunch we headed over to the tour place as our next tour started shortly after. This time we were going canoeing through a lagoon area. The trees were just starting to sprout leaves so we had a far clear distance. The tour guide told us of 18ft. anacondas and crocodiles that live in this area, which made it kinda creepy. Every now and then a different species of bird would fly through the air, but my cat like reflexes were never quick enough to get a shot. Jeremy and the guide rowed me all around like a little princess, but I think it was best otherwise I might have gotten scared and tipped the boat. We made a stop and got off of the boat and walked through the trail we saw a rerr rerr el tigre paw (this is what our guide said because he didn’t know the word in English) and many termite nests that were twice the size of bee hives and different kinds of plants. Through the trees we could see the black monkeys with white faces that were trying to sneak up on us. After the canoe ride ended we headed out to have one last meal on the water because it was so delicious and so relaxing. We did just that and headed to catch our bus to the Salvador airport to await our 4:30 am flight; which will take us to our next destination Argentina. It is so exciting tomorrow I will have another stamp in my passport.

This was one of the most relaxing walks.
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