obrigata brasil!

i feel like a college student. i'm currently sitting in global
studies, the semester at sea course that all students are required to
take and all faculty/staff are asked to attend. the class is very
interesting, but i find myself feeling anxious if i am not multi-
tasking, especially when i am so backed up on my blogging. this is
why laptops are so great!

okay, where did i leave off? as much as i enjoyed iguassu falls, it
was really nice to get back to the ship and sleep in my own bed. the
ship was VERY quiet when we returned at about 11:30 that night. it
seemed that everyone was out enjoying their last night in salvador.
so i crawled into bed looking forward to making the most out of my
last day in bahia.

on saturday, i spent some time on the beach. like my first day in
salvador, i found it challenging to be a visitor because we were
constantly being harassed by locals asking us to purchase their
goods. the beach was very crowded, but we still had a good time
lounging in the sun. and the sun was HOT!!! within ten minutes, we
were literally dripping with sweat. we didn't stay longer that 2 1/2
hours because we we were feeling very dehydrated and hungry from the
sun. after enjoying a meal overlooking the ocean, we headed back to
the ship to shower before heading back to the old city.

many shops and restaurants are closed on saturday afternoons in the
pelourinho, but there was still plenty to browse. i had no agenda
for that afternoon except to enjoy the area. and enjoy the area i
did. i was pleasantly surprised at how much i enjoyed my time in
brazil. i knew i'd like it, but i don't think i realized how much.
it was really sad to have to leave so soon, and as the ship pulled
away from the port that night, the whole shipboard community was
wishing we had more days there. brazil is definitely on my list of
places to revisit and to revisit soon. there are so many things left
to do, like visit rio and sao paulo, and attend a soccer game.