Day 58 : Pipa

I only heard about Pipa 2 days ago from Leandro and his friends, and highly recommended as a place to visit.  As it was on the way towards Recife, I decided to make a stop and stay for 1 night.

Pipa is about 80km south of Natal, and had a tourist resort feel to the place.  Most people here could speak English so getting around and moving about was quite easy. 

Don’t expect white sand, clear water type of beaches, however it is a really pleasant place with some good spots to laze around and chill out, and for the surfers, some good surfing spots.  It is so chill out and relax that I have met people who have stayed here for over a month!

There are about 4-5 main beaches in Pipa, and I decided to walk along the beach starting from Praia do Amor, and then towards Praia do Centro, where most of the restaurants are located, and finally to Praia do Golfinhos (Dolphin Beach in English). 

It is called Praia do Golfinhos for a good reason… you can spot dolphins here almost on a daily basis and yes, I saw them too!  Just metres from the shore, I spotted about 4 dolphins at various times swimming around the area, and at times jumping in the water. 

I joined the people in trying to swim with the dolphins.  The dolphins are close, but never close enough for you to touch them and because the water visibility isn’t good, you can only see them when they swim close to the water surface. 

Food wise, Pipa has many options for food, some with good international cuisine.  There are also places where you can get a meal at fairly reasonable prices (as compared to Natal). 

Had a lovely Thai green curry shrimps for lunch with a glass of marancuja (passionfruit) juice.  YUM! 

The shrimp portions were fairly large for the price, and that could also be that this region of Brazil is the place where shrimps are bred, thus I had my good fill of shrimps in Natal and also in Pipa.  And if you haven’t guessed by now, I had shrimps for dinner in Pipa too – cooked with pineapple. 

This region (together with Natal) also has a refreshing and yet very healthy snack called Acai.  Acai is a type of berries found near the Amazon and as it is a very delicate fruit, they are usually frozen in order to prevent it from getting damage during transportation. 

As such, this snack is made out of blended frozen Acai berries, topped with granola and fruits.  It is good for those who have just had a work out due to the high protein levels in the fruit!

A must try!