A nyway, I digress. After a good night's sleep we decided to take a day trip up the coast to a place called Pria do Forte which is about 40 miles north of Salvador 3 km from where Rodovia do Coco and Linda Verde highways meet. Featuring an authentic fishing villiage, miles of deserted pristine beaches and a unique mix of elite vacationers, surfers and ecotourists who frequent the 26 hotels and resorts set amidst palm trees, rustic houses and roads that still haven't been paved, and lots of natural pools. Attractions include historic & Jeep tours, horseback riding, good restaurants and the TAMAR Sea Turtle Project and Museum. The Tamar Project was absolutely amazing. Massive sea turtles return to the beach here each season to lay their eggs in the protected sands. Within the project, large tanks are set up to help injured turtles, from babies, measuring less than two inches, to adults weighing in at hundreds of pounds and living for 80 or more years.

To get to the turtle preserve, you pass through the small villiage of Pria do Forte, a gorgeous little fishing villiage populated with lots of restaurants, shops and cafe's. I do believe we could have stayed in Pria do Forte the entire week and been perfectly content, but our hotel lay in Salvador and there was lots more to see.

Within Salvador itself was a multitude of neighborhoods. The beautiful old city of Pelourinho charmed with its historic buildings. The area of Porto da Barra was ripe with beaches, food vendors and local flavor. The Barris neighborhood is the modern, hip part of Salvador, not far from Porto da Barra.

After a couple of lazy days enjoying the neighborhoods near our hotel, we packed a lunch and some drinks and headed to Itaparica, an island in the bay.

Itaparica was a little less touristy than Pria do Porte and a visit is highly recommended. Horses and mules mixed with cars and trucks. Banana and cocounut trees are everywhere, large, cold bottles of beer and traditional meals can be had at any number of beachfront cafe's for pennies and the beaches and historical sites are plentiful.

Salvador and the surrounding areas are a choice destination for those living in the northern US because it's warm year round and, unlike most of the Carribean it isn't over developed and commercialized by the big multi-nationals.

I found a great deal on my flight at Changs travel in Somerville, right next to a great PASTEL FRITO place. Varig has the most flights to Brazil and you must connect in Sao Paulo to get to Salvador.