Costa do Sauipe, Brazil (2007)

After the Salvador LBA conference, I went to yet another conference (on Nitrogen), this time 75 km outside of busy Salvador at a Club Med-type resort called Costa do Sauipe. It was absolute paradise. Here is my daily routine: Wake up and go to the buffet breakfast consisting of tropical fruits and other great stuff; head to the conference plenary talks and talking with new and old friends; eat an enormous buffet lunch; catch a few more talks; get a work out in at the fitness center; body surf in the warm ocean; cool off in one of those 6 interconnected pools above (those were my favorite, but there were like 100 more); get a drink at the in-pool bar; grab a light but delicious dinner; party all night.

The conference was really good too especially as it was my first experience working with experts in Nitrogen and I have only been working on Nitrogen since I started my post-doc.

Welcome to the Nitrogen conference!

The hotel lobby was a great place to lounge on the free wireless.

Fanny and Ben (and Kat’s leg) loungin’ on the free wireless.

On the way to the pool.

View from the bridge.

That was as close as my rabies fear would take me.

Lots of palms and flowers. There were even these yellow and black birds that would dive-bomb people’s lunches to get their fries.

At the end of the path.

Warm water, soft sand.

This is a class where they teach tourists rhythm.

Bar in pool. Facilities were used liberally.

We were forced to wear these annoying wristbands all week long to get us the free stuff.

This statue stands guard at the entrance of our “village.” It stems from a hybrid culture/religion of African/Brazilian.

Entrance to the “village.”

Every night in the “village” there was quality entertainment. Here we dance the foho.

The band simply drove up on this truck and began to play. My room is the one behind the truck with the light on it.

African/Brazilian dance.

Good show!

It wouldn’t be Salvador/Brazil without capoiera.

These guys were incredible.

Very acrobatic.

They would do tons of perfect flips, barefoot and on hard and unstable ground.

I had a great time in Costa do Sauipe!