Cachoeira - interior of the Recôncavo

This stop was more eerie than relaxing.
Came there at 15h00 on thursday evening. Shocked about the pension we were supposed to stay in. No Candomblé sessions (and that is why we came here) until saturday night. But an 'almost pai-de-santo' (candomble priest, who has not opened own his temple yet), who did some reading for us out of his nutshells. Very interesting. Perhaps I'll tell you something about it in a private chit-chat.
Went away the next day at 14h00, because we didn't stand the 'nothing-to-do'-atmosphere and everyone staring at us as aliens... weird town.

And from above it looks so nice. On the farer side of the river Cachoeira you see the village Cachoeira. On this side is Sao Felix.


Probably we'll come back. But only when they are done with reconstructing the town. We weren't able to enter museums, the old railwaystation, the church or anything 'historically' important. They are trying to reform everything on the same time.
Well, at least the bus-station was ready already. Behind it you see the half-painted railway station. '
And this is the reason, why you should visit Cachoeira: the irmandade da boa morte (sisterhood of the good death). Only women can become members of the irmandade and most of them (or all?) are black. The reason: the irmandade was founded by former slaves, most old women who then tried to free other slaves through buying their freedom. Today the irmandade is the spiritual center of Candomblé in the region.