Off to South America travel blog

Tracking our progress down the coast of South America

Screen for our interdenominational service

Pulling into port at Salvador da Bahia

View from the top as we tie up

Parallel parking at its finest

The Odyssey, ship for semester at sea

The harbor from the view at the top of the elevator

harbor #2

Old buildings under renovation

Government building in the old city, upper level

New transportation in the old city

Marking the rebellion

Hippocrates outside the old medical university, now a museum

Drums for sale

Paintings and crafts line the streets

Inns along the street

Inside the gold church

Street scene

Inside the church

Portuguese influence inside the church courtyard

Street scene 1

Street scene 2

Cafe by the pool

Breakfast coconut with granola and fruit

Continuing on our way southward

Group that works together for celebrations

Street shows renovation for business with tourists

Looking down on the harbor from the upper city

Harbor 2

View as we enter the harbor


We made our way southward from the Amazon to the city of Salvador da Bahia. It was once the capital of Brazil and the center of the slave trade; its population is heavily African. We had a walking tour that took us by the market then on an elevator ride to the upper city. We toured the old part that is filled with renovated shops and old churches. Michael Jackson made a music video here years ago.

Salvador was the capital of Brazil for 200 years. As we walked from the elevator, we saw the Pelourinho, the square where slaves were punished; the Pelourinho is Portuguese for pillory. The old buildings are painted in bright colors; our guide told us that the Portuguese used to use rocks for ballast (now in the cobblestone streets) but that the rocks gave way to cans of paint. Evidently the paint was bright colors that did not sell. The colors make the city vibrant. Evidently the favelas in Rio also are brightly painted, giving the whole city an upbeat vibe.

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