The paradisiacal island of Boipeba.

A faff to get to, but well worth the journey.  

Laidback Bahian living! 🏝🌴🌞💛 🇧🇷 ✨️ ...

Acarajé is a hugely popular street food traditionally found Bahia, particularly in Salvador and sold by Baianas.

It`s a black-eyed bean fritter, which originated from West Africa (where it`s known as Akara) and was carried by enslaved Africans to Brasil.

Acarajé also serves as a religious offering in Candomblé.

It is made with black-eyed peas or cowpeas that`s made into a batter, formed into a ball, deep-fried in dendé palm oil, split in half, then stuffed with flavourful, pastes made from numerous ingredients such as okra, cashews, palm oil, and topped with green tomatoes and shrimp.

You won`t miss the numerous Baianas selling Acarajé and I ate loads during my trip. They`re delicious. 😋 ...

I only stayed one night in Morro de São Paulo as I was having difficulty getting a transfer from Boipeba to Salvador on Sunday. Transfers are more frequent from Morro.

Morro de São Paulo is the neighbouring island to Boipeba and is known as the party island.

It`s far busier than Boipeba, as it`s easier to get to and is popular for day trips.

The island is more built up and much more touristy. I hadn`t heard a British accent during my trip until I reached Morro 🙄😆. I also had the worst meal of my trip here.

Again, the island is small, and no cars are permitted. Goods are moved almost exclusively by wheelbarrow through the narrow main street, including your luggage!  Most shops, restaurants, and pousadas are also located off this main street.

If you`re looking for nightlife, more activities as well as beautiful beaches, then Morro de Sao Paulo is for you.

The island has five beaches, and the quieter ones are fourth and fifth.

Don`t get me wrong, it`s a beautiful island, and I probably would have loved it here had I visited the island prior to visiting Boipeba. However, Boipeba has captured heart, I didn`t want to leave, and I`m already planning a return.

Boas festas para todos!

Fulljoy the break however you plan to spend it. ✨️ ...

The plan is to move here and open a beach shack selling caipirinhas and juices.

Do you think it suits? 🌴😆🇧🇷✨️

Obrigado @kidrinkof pelo delicioso suco de manga e maracujá. ...

Boipeba is a natural beauty. It has no cars, resorts, banks, and no tourists in masses. In fact, most visitors in Bopieba are Brasilian.

It`s rustic, authentic, and largely unspoiled.

The island’s only public transportation is quads to ride the bumpy sandy roads or boat.

There`s not a great deal to do here, but that`s the point. Beaches, tranquillity, and nature.

As soon as i got here, I wanted to cancel Morro de São Paulo, its more popular neighbouring island, which is due to be my next stop.

I`m particularly fascinated by this coconut sprouting a palm tree 🌴 ...

Waking up in paradise!

I`ve stepped away from the city life of Salvador to slow it right down in Boipeba.

I knew I wanted to come here but wasn`t sure how I`d make it happen.

Boipeba is still in Bahia, but it`s an island and a schlep to get to. Just looking at the route gave me a headache, and I wondered if I could manage it with "mais ou menos" Portuguese.

I left it open to flow and only booked accommodation for part of my trip.

However, someone at my pousada in Salvador kindly arranged a transfer for me, and everyone I spoke to in Salvador described Boipeba as "paradise", and they`re right. It is paradise and well worth the trek.

Boipeba has remained unspoiled because of difficult access.

It`s tranquil settings will make you question life. ...

Capoeira originated in Angola and developed in the sugarcane fields of Brasil.

Enslaved Africans would disguise fighting techniques by incorporating various elements of their culture, including dance, music and acrobatics to fool their oppressors into thinking they were dancing or playing a game by hiding kicks and powerful movements while moving rhythmically.

Secretly practising this art also maintained their culture and lifted their spirits.

After slavery was abolished in Brasil, capoeira continued to flourish within the Afro-Brasilian community, particularly in Bahia.

The Brasilian government felt threatened by the physical and spiritual power of capoeira and feared the now ex-slaves would use it to revolt, and the practice became outlawed.

As the art was now asso­ci­ated with crim­e, the police were brutal in their attempt to eradicate it. Pun­ishment for prac­tic­ing capoeira was extreme and included prac­ti­tion­ers having the ten­dons on the backs of their feet cut. Despite this, capoeira con­tin­ued to be prac­ticed, but it moved fur­ther under­ground. Capoeiristas (practitioners of capoeira) were known only by their nicknames, making it more difficult for the police to identify and arrest them since their real identities were unknown.

Per­se­cu­tion of the art eventually decreased, and by the 1920s, authorities had relaxed enforcement of its prohibition.

A legendary capoeira Master, Mestre Bimba, rescued the art and opened the first capoeira school in Bahia, but it was still illegal. However, in 1937, Mestre Bimba was invited to demon­strate his art in front of the Brasilian pres­i­dent, after which he was given official per­mis­sion to open the first capoeira school in Brasil.

Capoeira is a cultural symbol of Brasil, and the art is now the second national sport in the country.

It has also gained respect as a martial art form worldwide and now has a special protected status as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.

If you are ever in Brasil, particularly Bahia, check out a capoeira performance.

Here`s a pic of me with some capoeiristas. The second slide is a poor attempt by me, and the third and fourth is it being done properly. ...