My Time in Cearà, Brazil

When I left home with all my stuff packed in my backpack, I didn't really care about the destination. I just wanted to travel as much as I could, and Villa Baleia was the first stop for me and my two friends.

I didn't know what to expect. My idea about Brazil has always been the globally known image of a city like Rio de Janeiro: crowded, samba playing everywhere, and people dancing non-stop. Villa Baleia, a very small village of fishermen 300 km away from Fortaleza, was quite the opposite.

We arrived in a little ‘pousada’ (Brazilian guesthouse unlike a hotel) deep inside a tropical forest, just by the ocean side. A 40-minute walk (by the beach, and only at low tide) from the center. The center consists of a garage used as a mini-market, another garage used as the barber shop, a little church and that's it.

But the lack of landmarks or businesses was replaced by the most peaceful people I’ve ever met and the most incredible sunsets you could imagine. An incredible mix of colours in the sky fading into the ocean in an endless nuanced painting, and a multitude of colours and smells that smacked you in the face at every breath.

Never before have I felt that level of peacefulness, and nowhere else have I felt so close to unknown people.

After six weeks in Baleia, we left for Jericoacoara. It's a little village in a nature reserve: no paved roads, no public lights at night, no large buildings (well, at least in theory).

People from all over the world come to visit for the strong winds & waves, enjoying their favourite sports like windsurfing, kitesurfing, surfing, horseback riding, etc. And of course a lot of people just enjoying the sunset. There's a sand dune, just a few minutes from the village on foot, where you can see the sunset over the ocean.

Be prepared, Caipirinhas will be your religion! Prices are so low you will forget to drink water ;) Of course, it helps when making new friends! And forget your shoes, umbrellas and long sleeves. You won't need them.

We spent a few months there, and we only left Jeri because our visa was expiring. I can clearly remember my friends and I riding in that little bus, driving by the beach, looking at the village and crying.