3 wishes.

This is, I suppose, finally! a continuation from my story of our perfect day on that beach in Bahia.

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It was grey and wet, the day we took a bus from near the Mercado Modelo in Salvador to Igreja do Bonfim. 

The little church wasn't far away, though with the weather and traffic, the ride took longer than I expected. 

I'd first encountered the name, Igreja do Bonfim, and the lembrança do Senhor do Bonfim da Bahia ribbons for which it is famous, in capoeira. 

The name of the church appears in many capoeira songs. The ribbons were tied around wrists and ankles of fellow capoeiristas and usually looked rolled up, tattered and quite horrible. 

Somehow, I developed an obsession with these ribbons and they were all I ever asked for from friends who were travelling to Brazil. 

You can read about the history of the church and the meaning behind the fitas [ribbons] ...sometimes called wish ribbons in the commercial West]... and how to use them >>> HERE.I found out many new things myself, from the article. And Rose, you're right about the colours!

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When I was planning our own trip, I knew I would have to visit the place where the ribbons came from, and duly marked the spot in my trusty Lonely Planet and put aside a day for it.

Here is what the Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim looked like on that grey day when we visited.

Looking back at our pictures, now already almost 11 months old, I see we only have 3 of the church [but a lot of the ribbons]! So I took the liberty of finding a few more interesting ones for you.

Pic from HERE.

Pic from HERE.

Pic from HERE.

Read about the Sala dos Milagres or Room of Miracles in the link above.

Back to our pictures.

The fence outside has thousands of fitas, presumably tied on by people who made wishes.

The shops nearby had many more.

I include this sign here, in case any would-be traveller to Brazil chances by. 

Please note: there is absolutely no need to panic and buy 75 fitas for 20 reais at the praia in Salvador from a man who tells you he needs the money for his starving children, but whom you will later see in a loud Hawaiian shirt at the bar.

One of the other things I most remember about that now-long-ago day, were the dogs.

As usual, they seemed to belong to no one, but were placid and friendly.

We noticed a few locals put their leftovers from lunch out on the kerb for the dogs. We bought some food for them as well. 

I worry so much about what goes into Princess Georgia's mouth, whether it's nutritionally sound or has preservatives. These dogs, like so many around the world, will eat anything that fills the tummy.

Do you see what is around the neck of this dog?

Although he came up to us for food, we could not touch or catch him to remove the wire. We spoke to locals who told us they'd also tried but he was too nervous, and aggressive if anyone tried to touch him. I wonder how he is now.

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I finally thought to write this post because a couple of weeks back, a blogger friend asked me what those ribbons were, that were attached to Georgia's collars.

Thanks for asking, Rose! :)

I've always tied them onto Georgia's collars to make her look more girly, so passersby will stop telling me, "What a handsome dog he is!" [though that hasn't worked too well].

I also tied them on because I had [and still have] a lot of wishes for my dog. 

The 3 that I make, 1 with each knot I tie, has always had to do with her behaviour, her health and her happiness.

In the early days, the 1st wish I made was always "Please make her a good and gentle dog."

If you read the Very Interesting Link I provided up top, you'll know it's fairly dangerous for me to have told you that! But I think it's okay, because those fitas have long since disintegrated and been pulled or fallen off. 

Anyway, I like to think the wish has already come true.

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If you had 3 wishes to make, for yourself or your dog, what would they be?