Sunset at the Farol

One of the most charming parts about the area where we live is the Farol da Barra (Barra lighthouse). It is located on the southernmost tip of Salvador that juts into the Atlantic Ocean. The farol is one of the iconic landmarks in Salvador. We found out that experiencing sunset at the farol was like a rite of passage for residents and visitors to Barra, so before we even arrived, it was on my bucket list. 

For the first week we were here, the weather was rainy, windy, and overcast, so we didn't get out much. Finally, over the the weekend, the clouds lifted, and we were left with blue skies and calm winds. It looked like the perfect evening to go see the sun set.

The farol is less than a 10 minute walk from our apartment, but the sun sets so early here (17:15) that I feared we had actually left a little late and might miss it. We hurried down the street, and turned the corner to see that we were right on time. We quickly joined the other people walking down the main plaza toward the farol.

The sky was putting on a show as we found a spot on the grass overlooking the Bay of All Saints with the lighthouse to our left. There was a slight breeze from the ocean that chased away the humidity, and the temperature was ideal. 

There were a couple hundred people there with us, but it never felt crowded or uncomfortable. Instead, I felt an amazing sense of community and connection with all those people that I had never met, who were part of a culture and city that I was only beginning to understand. It was a lovely feeling. 

Despite the crowd, it was quiet and peaceful as we all watched the splendor of the sunset. There were a few surfers below us trying to catch the last waves of the day, and someone was blowing bubbles that were lazily drifting out to sea. It was more perfect than I ever imagined.

After about 10 minutes, the sun sank below the horizon, and as the last rays of light disappeared, the crowds cheered. Christian made a comment about it being funny that people would cheer for the sun, but I admit that I joined in with the clapping. It wasn't so much for the sun as it was for the magical experience that we had just had together. 

I didn't want to get up and leave, but after a few more minutes we decided it was probably time to go get some dinner. Since we were already out on a beautiful evening, we decided to try one of the local restaurants along the orla (boardwalk).  I had been wanting to try the tapioca shop (Tapiocaria do Farol), so we decided to go there.

A tapioca reminds me a lot of a crepe, but with a denser more chewy texture. They are thin and flat and made using just tapioca flour and water. The tapioca itself doesn't have much flavor, but then you can add tons of different toppings. They make both savory and sweet tapiocas here. We decided to each get a different tapioca and divide them into five pieces so that everyone could try some of each one. Jonathon explained the idea to the waitress, and she happily brought us each a plate and a knife to cut them up. 

We couldn't decide between the flavors, so we actually ended up getting 6... 3 savory and 3 sweet tapiocas. The flavors we tried were: calabresa pizza, chicken catupiry, bacon and cheese, nutella and strawberry, Romeo and Juliet (cheese and guava), and chocolate coconut. Every single one of them was delicious! 

The whole time we were eating, I marveled at how lovely the evening was. The sky turned an amazing purple color with pink clouds. We had a great view of the ocean and the Christ statue on the hill (Morro do Christo). I loved spending those few hours with my family. 

Even though we checked the item off our bucket list, I am positive we will be doing it again before we leave. Thank you for the magic, Salvador!