The genesis
I remember being fascinated about a trip to North-East Brazil when some years ago I read a book from 1955 by French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss called Tristes Tropiques (French for “Sad Tropics”).
The book documented his travels and anthropological work around Brazil and it is fair to say that was the first spark that fueled my interest for the country. I’ve always been interested in exotic cultures and tales of adventure. A trip to Brazil seemed to be the perfect background for such tales with its extensive rainforests, its huge rivers and never-ending beaches. However the idea of organizing a windsurf trip to Brazil remained pretty unattractive to me until this year due to one specific reason. I knew that if I embarked on the typical windsurf trip to Jericoacoara in search of strong trade winds and a relaxed lifestyle, as many windsurfers do, my image of Brazil as a land of adventure would be instantly shattered.
I wanted to get to know the real essence of Brazil’s North-East without getting distracted by its touristic flavor. I wanted to go there to experience the place, to meet the locals and to learn something new. After all, the best travel is the one that answers questions you didn’t think about at the beginning.
