Our first “A Touch Of Bahia” Potomac Cruise was a great success!  We boarded the Pelican Yacht from the new National Harbor in Maryland and cruised the Potomac for two hours.  The guests expressed high interest in the VIP club membership.  Everyone enjoyed the sumptuous dishes provided by Superb Cuisines.  The owner, Keula Binelly, is a native of Bahia, Brazil.

 The Brazilian dance ensemble put on an excellent performance and kept guests entertained throughout the evening.  The music consisted of high-energy samba tunes with a pinch of Bossa Nova.  The dancers posed for photos with the guests (everyone enjoyed this perk).  Sonia Pessoa heads the dance ensemble and is also a native of Bahia, Brazil.

VIVA Brazil is proud to announce that it will be throwing a Brazilian themed party in various locations throughout the East Coast. Targeted cities include, NYC, Philly, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Raleigh, Charlotte and Atlanta. Parties will provide Brazilian music, food, dancing, presentation promoting the VIP Club and networking opportunity. The first party is scheduled for May 9 and will be held in The DC metropolitan area. All attendees must pre register to qualify for tickets to participate.

Our trip to Bahia, Brazil has been rescheduled to depart on July 11- and return July 18. Everyone going must have a VISA issued by the Brazilian embassy. It is customary for the embassy to request a copy of your flight itinerary prior to issuing the VISA. Once the VISA has been issued, the trip usually has to be taken within 90 days. All who are interested in making the June trip should contact the office immediately to finalize matters.

Thanks and I hope to see you in Bahia.

I just returned from Bahia, Brazil—- and it was excellent! I finished putting the pieces together for VIVA Brazil. Everything came together nicely. The weather was perfect, ranging in temperature between 80 and 90 degrees. The beaches were packed since schools and universities were closed for their summer months. The food was very tasty, as always, and the entertainment was non-stop.

Speaking now of real estate, there were too many good investment opportunities to mention them all in this writing. Developers are moving in from various countries and making Bahia the hot spot for real estate investing in Brazil.The city of Salvador just changed zoning along their primary ocean view drive, allowing building heights of eighteen stories now.The new ordinance has created instant wealth for many existing property owners while sparking a buying frenzy amongst investors and developers hoping to get a piece of this amazing beach front land.

I do want to highlight one exciting new development I saw located in Bahia. Quintas De Sauipe is a resort-like community located about 80 minutes north of the city of Salvador. Quintas De Sauipe features new detached single family homes up to 4000 square feet in size, an 18 hole golf course, beaches, a lagoon, and many other amenities favored by tourists and residents. Theses houses are priced to sell and financing is available. Also, full management service is available for absentee owners looking to rent their newly built houses.

We will be taking the first group of members to Bahia during the first and second weeks of May 2008. Anyone interested in going should sign up immediately; this trip will definitely sell out quickly. Remember, the first 50 members to sign-up will save $1,000— so act now and join.