My first experience falling in love with Porto de Galinhas…

When I arrived in this little town decorated with charming craft shops, filled with assorted dining places (many wonderful “churrascrias” or barbecues) and cafes, I had no idea how much I would fall in love with this place.  Walking to the beach in a large street – made for pedestrians only – I was taking in the soft music and enjoying the aroma from the different restaurants all around.  As I arrived at the beach, I saw this mesmerizing ocean with very clear water and my biggest delight was putting my feet in the water feeling the warmth that I always crave so much for in Vancouver, Canada, where my husband and I currently live.  It felt like bath water.

Looking farther into the ocean, I was suddenly astonished to see what looked like a group of people walking in the middle of water!  “What?!? How is that possible?” I thought.  As I continued to observe I noticed that several coloured rafts called “jangadas” were leaving the beach heading towards this area where people were standing up in the middle of the ocean and I soon realized that the ocean had huge pools at low tide called “natural pools”.  The same “natural pools” where one can dive amid thousands of colorful fish worth wearing a mask and snorkel (which the rafts provide for its passengers) to see.  Soon after this, I decided to experience this feeling myself and also took a jangada ride.  As the gentle sounds of rowing water enthralled me, I began to contemplate what an incredible paradise this place was.  I was falling in love with Porto de Galinhas…

Later, my husband and I decided to sit at the beach under one of the umbrellas and chairs provided by the locals.  While taking in the incredible beauty of thousands of palm trees framing the coast line, we realized with great contentment that we could order drinks and food right at the beach while our feet were touching the sand or even the water.  We had heard that Porto is famous for its great seafood so we ordered “cioba” (which, to this day, is my favorite Brazilian fish), rice, beans, salad and fresh coconut drinks.  Besides being very refreshing and delicious, it was also a lot of fun as they cut the coconut and simply hand you a straw.

That night when we realized the time had come for us to leave this incredibly charming place, I was not ready; I wanted to stay!  Reluctantly, we parted as an astounding sunset began to bathe the streets of Porto.  I understood why Porto de Galinhas is recognized as one of the most famous and most visited beaches of the entire Northeastern coast of Brazil.  The reason behind this is fairly simple to understand; it is a true spectacle for the eyes and a very enchanting place for the heart.