Praia do Forte

Last week, I took a bus to what used to be a small fishing village north of here named Praia do Forte. There are still fishermen and their boats here, but now it is probably better known as a sanctuary and ecological project where sea turtles are protected. In addition to the project, known as TAMAR, tourism is expanding. Tourists come from all over the world as well as from within Brazil. Several species of turtles were endangered, due to being hunted for food, as well as being caught in nets and otherwise threatened. Find out more about Praia do Forte by clicking here.

The above watercolor and ink sketch is of a typical small house there on one of the sidestreets. Many have been replaced by the eco-tourism industry with hotels, restaurants and shops. Not that that's an entirely bad thing, because awareness as well as money is raised to further this work.