Olinda, Recife and Praia da Pipa

Oi companheiros! This time I tell you about Recife, Olinda and Praia da Pipa.

Recife is a big city with a beautiful beach overlooked by modern skyscrapers and a river that, flowing, creates several canals crossed by bridges and footbridges. The ancient area is a mixture of churches, monuments, colonial buildings with bright colors, ugly and decrepit modern buildings, and many colorful markets with vibrant music at high volume. Olinda, just a few km away, is a small colonial gem that from the sea climbs to a hill.
Let’s see the photos.

 


Olinda, and in the background Recife, with skyscrapers on the beach.

 

One of the many churches of Olinda.

 

A street.

 

People in the street.

 

The first evening in Olinda was fun because there was already a carnival atmosphere. I had met on the bus to Recife Antoni, French, and we went for drinks at a club called the Botega do Vejo where we met two girls from Recife, Jani (pictured with Antoni) and Camilla. And also other locals.

 

A tightrope walker.

 

And that’s me! Happy with Recife’s friends.

 

No photo, please.

 

Olinda by night.

 

Risky picture.

 

Recife getting ready for Carnival.

 

One of the many markets of the old town.

 

I am certainly not a great fan of the police, far from it, but I must admit that in places like Recife their sight was not at all unwelcome for me.
Just after I left the state of Bahia the police went on strike and total chaos broke out: robberies, murders (only in Salvador over 50), buses stopped on the streets and looted.
The same thing had already happened to me in Bahia 10 years ago. In that case I was there, first in Arraial and Porto Seguro, all people terrified, and after in Ilehus where the strike finally ended and the policemen could take off their balaclavas and put back their uniforms.

 

Mhm, I changed my mind, I don’t feel I want to swim today.

 

In Praia da Pipa, a bit south of Natal. A very nice place, with, needless to say, fabulous beaches.
My first swim here was on this beach, called “Baia dos Golfinhos” – the dolphins’ Bay. I thought it was just a name, but as I was swimming they appeared all around me! Then almost all the people from the beach came into the sea to see them closely and the dolphins stayed a long time to swim around, they are very social animals.

 

The beaches of Praia da Pipa are flanked by red overlooking rocks. Here we are on the Chapadao, a sort of wide open space on the rock with a breathtaking view on the beaches below and the endless sea.

 

The “Love Beach”, also called the “Drown beach” because unfortunately makes many victims with its strange currents.

 

My long shadow.

 

Sitting on the edge of a cliff, you can get lost staring at the sea that whitens and screams, until the sun sets behind.

 

And the Moon rises.

 

All right. Enough for now! :-) See you next time.
Ciao!

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