Trip to Diogo

Today started off with the first rain we´ve seen since arriving in Brazil. It wasn´t a promising start considering the plan for the day involved an outdoor project in a rural community called Diogo. We were meant to be bagging sand and making adobe walls for a permaculture compound, but this was impossible to do with wet sand. We still decided to go to Diogo, though, and it turned out to be the most incredible and memorable day of our trip so far. Upon arrival we had a great lunch of chicken, fish, and a variety of vegetables and sauces in a small local restaurant. From there we visited the OPA compound (Organization for Permaculture and Art) and learned about their water cachement system, dry toilet, composting and fertilization, and various gardening techniques. It was a brief, but interesting introduction to bio-construction and permaculture.

After leaving the OPA compound we walked a short distance down to a river crossing and took some time to swim and jump off the bridge. At that point we had no idea how beautiful the beach we were heading to would prove to be. It was about a 10 minute walk over sand dunes and a lightly forested area before we reached the top of a dune and saw a sprawling, pristine, and empty beach. It was the kind of beach you would expect to see in commercials, but with no buildings or huts in sight. There were no people around either; it was just our group on a massive beach with perfect sand, rolling waves, and palm trees in the background. We spent almost two hours swimming and running around on the beach (by the way, the rain stopped while we were on the bus to Diogo and it turned out to be a gorgeous afternoon).

There´s a line up for the computer right now, so I´ll have to keep this brief. Suffice it to say that it was an amazing day. We´re now back in Salvador and have just finished a great meal. The guys are now getting ready to head out for some site-seeing for the evening.