Some pictures of our day in copacabana during rio Olympics 2016 in brazil…

Shirt less boy

Memorable moments

Our amazing LLF picked us up from the airport…so gratful for LLF’S 

Brazil round 2…

With our LLF’S 

Rio 2016 Brazil Exploration Continues 

Yeap….we made it to rio Olympics 2016 and we have evidence…lol!!!

Super awesome and a great feeling watching the world’s fastest man….Usain Bolt 200m round 1 run. 

Lightning bolt….

The world’s fastest jets off

Taking a nap before his run….lol…why do they charge again for this kids….?

Rio 2016 Exploration begins….

Travelling is really fun and excited arriving at that new place…it’s like getting a new gift. Not knowing anyone or knowing you way around. 

Then one day in your apartment elevator you meet a family. They have a kid that is you kids age and your kids make friends and by the time you know it….you have an LLF(Life Long Friend ….now leaving is not eazy…as we have our last moments with our LLF’S in bahia salvador. 

We spent our afternoon creating memories and our evening bonding. Such amazing and magnificent people. Will sure miss our moments with you all. Here a few pictures of our LLF’S in salvador. 

Enjoying friendship while eating some homemade bahia dishes

Ok finally got a selfie with me init

You know they are LLF’S when they make your new found love dish…Mukeka 

So gratful…

Girls only night out drinks…

Me and my LLF’S 

Welcome…how can I serve you some acaraje 

Girls only boys not allowed…love this 2 ladies 
Thank you for inviting our family into your family. 
Salvador Exploration Continues for another 24hours….

Really truly have enjoyed bahia salvador. And as it’s almost time for us to make our way to rio for the 2016 Olympics.  Super excited but also sad to be leaving this amazing place. With some LLF’S that we have made. 

Our last weekend we decided to enjoy more Beach life. 
Here are few pictures of our day 

Yeap they playing with eel….

My brave off spring

Like father like kids…

After many pressure on my son he decides to touch it for a micro second

Beach life

On his daddy date 

Bonding moments 

Catch of the day

Beach day..
Salvador Exploration Continues 

So so much fun…today as we spent the day enjoying the women football quater finals game in bahia salvador for the 2016 rio Olympics. 

Here we are as our family enjoy the games. We split the family and each chose a team to be on. 

The game was Germany vs China

All I can say is I lost my bet to my husband and kids….
Germany won by 1-0
Salvador Exploration Continues 

Such a beautiful day…perfect for walking on the board walk of the Barra beach. Filled with families and people everywhere. 

Today they had a surfing event filled with beach lovers and surfers. Now I wish I know more on how they tell who wins but no clue and not even trying to know it. Lol!!

Our girls New LLF’S  (Life Long Friend ) got to spend the weekend with us. Her name is Laleska. And even her english is very little, our Portuguese is even worse. But somehow kids always find a way toake friends and spend a whole weekend with then even without understanding each other’s language. 

Here are a few pictures of our day.

Coconut water moment…aasha went to get something from the apartment. 

Mj and Laleska flying…

All five kidos…somehow the universe let’s me experience all my 5kids I’m different ways. Thanks to Laleska parents for allowing me have such experiences. 

Surf stuff

Something fun for all…

Surfers going in..

Mj was so scared…lol!!!

Mukeka for lunch…we are all addicted 

My teens 

My 3 oldest 

Salvador Exploration Continues. ..

So the journey to Itaparica Island itself was pretty cool and easy…but the language of potuguese along the way was a wild adventure on its own. Since the ferry boat of a commercial ride and mostly taken by Brazilians it was hard to find anyone there who speaks or understand english. But thank God to my little sign language I learned from having all this kids…lol!!! 

And thanks to my amazing LLF’S  (Life Long Friends ) on the other side of my phone..messaging me on Facebook and whatsapp walking me through the process of buying the ticket and getting on the right ferry… and getting off at the correct island. 

It really was fun…like they say it’s the the journey that matters..the destination is usually just a piece of the picture in life. So enjoy the journey so that even if the destination is what you expected…you will still have enjoyed the journey. 

The ferry was the only way in and out of the island and it only cost us 6.50 reals per person. Pretty cheap about $2 per person each way. 

Well on the island it was really worth the travel. A beautiful calm and private like beach. 

Here are a few pictures 

At the ferry boat terminal 

He thinks he own this swimming pool…

My son made a cute friend 

The qween on this adventure. ..

Out corner for the day 

Mukeka on the beach..yummy

We got to witness some Cannoning competition with 8 teams paddling their way to shore.

A little photoshoot 

All 4 muffins up there…

When board on the ride back on the ferry boat why not trying camping…

As if we have not had enough fun…they are ready to go out on mommy date…am worn out but got to keep up with my teens

Am ready for the night…day is over.

Isn’t she lovely…she is my oldest…my first teenager…

Salvador Exploration Continues. .

Ok so I said that we love Salvador …but today it was confirmed we absolutely lovery salvador. It just resignate with our families lifestyle. A little bit of all that life had to offer…culture, beautiful people, beach, history, islands, nice and beautiful apartment, african culture preserved and to top it all is food…yeap food. 
So today the kids and I spent the day in pelourinho walking around and just enjoying the beautiful little town. 

So we decided to have lunch there best idea ever. 

The dish is going to be the talk of our journey for a long time…lol!!! 

Here are a few moments 

The beautiful back drop. 

The multicolored buildings…which am pretty sure each tells a story 

And then we came across this drink…fresh coconut water mixed with lemons….oh it was the hit…

He loved thus drink…two of his favorite…coconut water and sour lemons

He thought is cute with that on…and he is right.lol!!

His new toy…the little drummer

Then lunch came around…yes our most exciting part of our journey. This is called mukeka which is basically a stew base dish. We had what they call shrimp bobo… it was so so so tasty and yummy that we could not believer  why we had not tried it since arriving in salvador 2 weeks ago. It’s creamy and tasty and spicy and….ok I can go on and on…and 1 pot fed all 5 of us…we ate that with rice. Now the dish that it’s served in is what brings me closer to home. In Ghana we call it Ka or asanka. So it’s a perfect time for a little home meals. Definitely gonna be eating more of this while here in salvador. 

She is ready to dive in…

Busy mouths don’t talk they just smile

Yeap it’s that tasty…lol!!!

Now that’s my plate…tasty to the last bite.
Really mukeka might be the best dish we have had in our south American journey so far. Authentic and affordable and tasty. 
What a day…now time to work it all out…jijitsu class in 2 hours.  Lol!!!

Salvador Exploration Continues. ..

So while travelling Marcus has been saying we need a fishing village…water sports kind of experience. 

Now I have not been able to find that nor did I understand him until the kids and I arrived in praia do forte. 

This place is exactly what he has been looking for. It’s a town filled with sandy beaches and water sports. And shopping all in 1 destination. 

Now the shops I find overly priced. But am pretty sure there are ways around it since I also saw lots of locals living here. 

Here are few pictures of the kids and I having a weekend blast. 

Our trip started with the turtle reserve place that is right on the beach front. Pretty amazing what they do here. 

Inside the turtle reserve 

Baby turtles being cared for 

Older sisters…

Zippline fun

My son decides to hold on a branch while coming in and the line took him back so they had to go and get him. 

IMAHKUS up there 

Ready to zip 

She was so ezcited to hold a python…I was so scared…oldie and newbie

And they all touch the python…that was a zoomed in photo I was standing away…I don’t do animals…I love them but I don’t have to live with them or touch them. Love from a distance.

Yeap…chicken feet…lol…we ordered what we thought was grilled chicken and what came out was interesting…

That’s our suppose grilled chicken we thought we ordered…they brought us the whole chicken every part of the chicken and it took so long we think they just killed the chicken that was chilling around in the forest. Because this was served inside our trip into the forest 

This is mashed cassava…we could not eat it. 

Our ride into the deep forest to zipline and see the snake

Definitely a weekend to remember with mj stuck on the Zippline to Aasha carrying a python snake and us riding this cool ride into the forest…oh.. and being served every single part of the chicken. 

Enjoyed it all….
Salvador Exploration Continues. ..

Today was an extra special day for our only son as he celebrated his 7th birthday. And he made sure everyone knew he is the birthday boy. 

All he wanted was a Ben 10 watch. No cake and no party…just that. 

So he woke up and went to his Judo class after we took him to the toy store to buy his dream toy. The smile on his face was really priceless. 

After that we decided a great day to learn a little bit about salvador. 

So here is the story..probably not all but enough to give you a gist of this beautiful city. 

They have the low city and the High city. To visit the high city you can take the famous elevator up and basically you get off the elevator and you are in a city of higher grounds.  Pretty cool right? And the view is even better.

We learned that in salvador they have 365 churches which means you have a choice to visit 1 new church every day in a year. 

Also the salvador culture in mostly influence by Nigerian and Ghanaian culture. With Yoroba influence in what they call akeretye. 

It’s basically fried beans and some palm oil and spices. 

Our tour guide tried to say Ghana and it was funny how he mentioned the name Ghana. 

After that trip we visited the famous Bonfim church. This place is believed to have healed a lot of sick and wounded people. 

Also salvador has up 64 kilometers of beach line. 

Overall I think our son enjoyed every moment of his extra special day. 

Happy birthday son 

In his judo class this morning 

The Bonfim church

Looking into the future across the waters

The water looks so calming 

We are family

The people who believed that the prayers from the church will heal them brings this to hang up there. And they have pictures of the people.

The inside of the Bonfim church 

The Nigerian culture influence…the women dressed in their outfits

Inside the preserved mesuem made to explain the African culture

Where they believe the culture came from Ghana and Nigeria.

A little fun in our day

After the knocked down the church they built this as a symbol of appolgy

The explanationof the government and the people

Hugh city life

Birthday boy with his dream toys…so he says..

A show for the birthday boy…

The best part of our day…is this beautiful view
Salvador Exploration Continues. ..