By haleymb
The bus was scheduled to leave at 8:00, but nothing leaves on time in Salvador, so we’ll be fine, right? It was 7:45 and we finally jumped in the car of my friend’s host dad. Red lights, lanes, and other cars go unnoticed in Salvador, and we zoomed through the city. We approached a large intersection where the host dad waved down a bus and told us to get out. At 7:59, we jumped out of the car into a crowded intersection and onto a moving bus that said “Praia do Forte.” Two and a half hours later, we made it to paradise. The small touristy town was just what we needed to get away from the crowded streets of Salvador for a weekend.
Beyond the lovely beaches, this town is home to Projeto Tamar, a sea turtle conservatory. Here, they hatch over 400,000 baby sea turtles every year and then safely transport them to the ocean. This was an event I was able to witness! At 5:00, the event titled “opening the nest” begins. We went to the nest area and the staff members gave a speech (I can’t really tell you what they said), and began to remove the protection from one of several nests. As they started to brush sand away, little tiny sea turtles smaller than a playing card began to poke up through the sand. First we saw only a few, but suddenly, it seemed as though the nest exploded. Dozens and dozens started popping up and flopping about on the sand. They brought some over for us to touch – their shells were not yet hardened. They were so adorable, all I could think about was how to put one in my pocket to take home. The turtles were then put into a large bucket, and we all walked over to the beach. With the sun setting in the background, they let children hold the turtles and then set them down several feet away from the water. It was amazing how all of the turtles knew exactly where to go. Some more slowly than others, waddled into the water, letting the waves catch and pull them into the sea. It was one of the most beautiful events I have experienced.
It’s amazing where only a few hours of travel can get you. The conservation projects, beautiful beaches, and relaxing lifestyles of places surrounding the large cities is so fun to experience. Plus, practicing Portuguese is even more of a challenge and a must in these areas, as we have to rely on others to know where we are going, rather than our own knowledge of the city. It was interesting trying to communicate with locals and new bus systems. I had some doubt in our ability, especially with our late start to the trip, but we did it!