weather, shrubberies, and soccer (futebol) in Salvador da Bahia
Yesterday and today have been thus far completely overcast with cloud cover. This is the first time it's been like this in all of the (3) times I've visited Salvador. The first time I got caught in a restaurant when it started pouring buckets, and I think the same might have happened one day of the second week I was here, in July. Today we have the addition of wind, which we didn't so much yesterday, which leads me to think it's fixin' to rain a bit (or more likely a crapload). There are so many trees around the pousada (and everywhere, now that I think of it) that when the wind blows you can hear all the leaves of the trees slapping together, and it sounds like rain. I just now ran to my window to see if it was raining, and it turns out it was just the wind in the trees. I get the feeling, based on a hunch and on my previous experiences, that this is the kind of place where if it's raining, you'll know it.
Other than this weekend the weather has been very dependable - sunny with few if any clouds in the sky, low- to mid-eighties, and not as much humidity as I expected. AC is around but not ubiquitous, but most places have ceiling fans, which in combination with drafts coming through windows, seem to provide sufficient ventilation so that no place is really uncomfortable. Friday was one of the first days that was hot enough to really be noticeable. In class I noticed my shirt sticking to me only after being there a short time. Sweet.
And speaking of the trees - one difference (not as major as you would think) about a tropical climate vs. somewhere like the northeastern US is that, left alone, even in the cities, things will start growing out of everything. In NYC and other US cities the concrete seems to prevent trees and other big plants (weeds and grass notwithstanding) from just popping up. Not here. Either by design or by natural adaptation, or more likely by a combination of both, there are tons of bushes, trees, plants, you name it growing out of everything, from peoples houses to the beach to major thoroughfares. There's definitely lots of trees that are intentionally planted by the city, but this is supplemented by nature with its own landscaping.
My brother Tom had asked me if I had seen any soccer (futebol, here) games since I'd been here and I said no. Turns out I'm just extremely unobservant. Since he asked about it I've noticed that on one end of the beach (what I think is east of Farol da Barra, the lighthouse) guys play pick up soccer on Saturdays and maybe other times. If you keep going east past that beach (this is where I run every night), there's a place calling itself the Spanish Health Club, where last night they had what looked like a relatively major local game, under lights, with a lot of the locals and passersby cheering and yelling at the players, who were in official-looking uniforms. I stopped just in time (quite typically) to see the last 2 minutes or so.
The same end of the beach that has the pick-up soccer is also the best surfing spot. I've got to try it at some point, because I've spent hours already just watching people surfing down there. It's mezmerizing. You can lean against the wall/barrier which keeps you from falling off the walkway near the beach, and just sit there and stare at surfers and skimpily dressed women, and watch people go by. What more could you ask for?
And speaking of the barrier, that's where the origin of the name of the barrio I'm in came from. It's called Barra, which in Portuguese means barrier. The barrier, which keeps people on the walkway and water from coming into the street and neighbhorhood, stretches around the corner of Farol da Barra, I'm guessing for something like a mile or longer. Or 3km. Whatever.
Other than this weekend the weather has been very dependable - sunny with few if any clouds in the sky, low- to mid-eighties, and not as much humidity as I expected. AC is around but not ubiquitous, but most places have ceiling fans, which in combination with drafts coming through windows, seem to provide sufficient ventilation so that no place is really uncomfortable. Friday was one of the first days that was hot enough to really be noticeable. In class I noticed my shirt sticking to me only after being there a short time. Sweet.
And speaking of the trees - one difference (not as major as you would think) about a tropical climate vs. somewhere like the northeastern US is that, left alone, even in the cities, things will start growing out of everything. In NYC and other US cities the concrete seems to prevent trees and other big plants (weeds and grass notwithstanding) from just popping up. Not here. Either by design or by natural adaptation, or more likely by a combination of both, there are tons of bushes, trees, plants, you name it growing out of everything, from peoples houses to the beach to major thoroughfares. There's definitely lots of trees that are intentionally planted by the city, but this is supplemented by nature with its own landscaping.
My brother Tom had asked me if I had seen any soccer (futebol, here) games since I'd been here and I said no. Turns out I'm just extremely unobservant. Since he asked about it I've noticed that on one end of the beach (what I think is east of Farol da Barra, the lighthouse) guys play pick up soccer on Saturdays and maybe other times. If you keep going east past that beach (this is where I run every night), there's a place calling itself the Spanish Health Club, where last night they had what looked like a relatively major local game, under lights, with a lot of the locals and passersby cheering and yelling at the players, who were in official-looking uniforms. I stopped just in time (quite typically) to see the last 2 minutes or so.
The same end of the beach that has the pick-up soccer is also the best surfing spot. I've got to try it at some point, because I've spent hours already just watching people surfing down there. It's mezmerizing. You can lean against the wall/barrier which keeps you from falling off the walkway near the beach, and just sit there and stare at surfers and skimpily dressed women, and watch people go by. What more could you ask for?
And speaking of the barrier, that's where the origin of the name of the barrio I'm in came from. It's called Barra, which in Portuguese means barrier. The barrier, which keeps people on the walkway and water from coming into the street and neighbhorhood, stretches around the corner of Farol da Barra, I'm guessing for something like a mile or longer. Or 3km. Whatever.
posted by n10471 at 8:23 AM
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