Along the Highway (1)

First, a heartfelt thank you for all the stars, hearts and comment on yesterday’s blip on the hardest worker in town. Many of you wanted to know if he is getting love and being treated adequately. Instead of answering to each comment individually and explaining why these animals are not only the hardest workers, but also some of the unhappiest living beings in our town, I decided to choose a different approach. The reason why animals are treated in a specific way has a lot to do with the history and culture of a town.
I haven’t talked much about the history and the peculiarities of our town in Southern Bahia, and I think this is a good opportunity to give photojournalism a try.
The BR-101 is Brazil’s longest highway and covers nearly 4800 km. It begins in the state of Rio Grande do Norte and runs all the way down to Rio Grande do Sul. It connects all the state capitals along the Brazilian coast. Many villages and smaller towns popped up along the highway after the Brazilian military began building it in de 1950’s. The towns and villages look very different to the traveler who passes them on Highway 101. The activities that have developed along the margins of the highway reveal a lot about the characteristics (culture, industry, history) of that specific town.
During the next two weeks or so I will take you along the 4 kilometers of the BR 101 within the urban perimeter of Teixeira de Freitas, the town where my family has been living during the last five years, and tell you a bit about its history and culture.
Today, we’re about 3 kilometers from Teixeira, approaching the town from the North. The little hut on the left is where Ariele still lives. Teixeira de Freitas lies on top of a hill behind the hill you see on the horizon.


(If this goes well, I plan to do a similar series on the state highway BA 290 that runs straight through the heart of Teixeira de Freitas and offers completely different views of our town.)