Feb 2, 2010 - Salvador, Brasil

We arrived in Salvador, another city on the coast. This one is famous for having African culture and a very beautiful old city. We found a hostel in a quiet neighbourhood, and started exploring. We started by taking a bus to the lower downtown, where you can take an elevator to the upper city. (Salvador is built on a bluff by the ocean). The upper city is typical Portuguese style with colourful fronts and tiles, and cobblestone streets. It is extremely touristy with tons of people walking around, lots of hostels and hotels. There are...

Dec 29, 2009 - Bahia!

It is day two in Salvador, or Bahia as it is called by locals and a reference to the state of which it is the largest city. The culture here is thumping, more so than in any other city we have visited yet. The combined African-Brazilian heritages of slaves and Portuguese colonialists is energetic, raucous, colorful. We have seen it where we are staying in Pelorinho, the historic center of the city and one of just a few UNESCO World Heritage sites in the world, and in the markets away from the tourist center where I smelled some of the...

Dec 1, 2009 - Praia do camping

Comme expliqué dans le post précédent, nous avons décidé de fuir la furie citadine, pour Praia do Forte. En achetant les billets de bus, nous rencontrons une Brésilienne, avec qui nous discutons. Nous lui faisons part de notre projet de camper, elle s´étonne et nous dit "Interesante!" Ceci ne nous rassure pas, et nous nous demandons même si le camping existe. On peut rappeler que nous avons un guide de voyage datant de 2000 (merci quand même Jacques et Dominique!) L´espoir et la détermination nous ont permis de trouver ce camping, qui...

Nov 30, 2009 - Salvador, mais pas la nuit

Salvador da Bahia est une ville difficile a appréhender. Premiere impression de nuit, après 26 heures passées dans le bus: nous sommes blancs, nous sommes touristes, nous sommes européens. Le bus de ville qui devait nous déposer dans le centre fait un détour. Maxime comprend que c´est parce qu´il y a un événement musical dans Salvador. En effet, aujourd´hui c´est dimanche, soir où les Bahianais font la fête. Nous avons vraiment l´impression de ne pas être les bienvenus, et surtout de représenter la richesse européenne. Salvador est une...

Mar 21, 2009 - Yes We Have No Baianas

Salvador was one of the ports I was most excited about so I signed up for an all day tour. We spent about an hour and a half walking around the old town. The biggest focus was on the Portuguese churches. It was interesting for me to see how the African dieties were changed into Christian ones. Many people in the state of Baihia practice Candomble a religion similar to Vodou or Santeria. They enter trances where they become possesed by the spirits. After the walking tour we had a lunch of traditional Baian specialties. I stuck to the feijoda...

Feb 12, 2009 - Salvador, Brazil

Salvador is Portuguese with a hint of African. It was Brazil's main seaport during the active slave trading era (16th and 17th centuries). After the slaves were freed, Salvador became home to a unique African population located in South America. 80% of the population of Salvador is direct descendants of African slaves making for a very unusual visitor experience. Our favorite was one of the churches. It was very ornate with cherubs everywhere one turned. And these were the ugliest cherubs ever. Turns out that the slaves were used to build...

Dec 5, 2008 - Le Brézil à deux

Bonjour les amis! I have had a very wonderful surprise recently: my marvoulousse friend Mélanie, who I used to share a room with in Dublin, has decided to leave Paris for a few weeks and come experience the trooper life first hand in Brazil. We met up in Belo Horizonte last week and we've been having a ball ever since! From Belo Horizonte, we went to nearby Ouro Prêto, which is a tiny old mining town surounded by mountains. This is the first city I see in Brazil with such a strong Portuguese influence; red shingled roofs, tiled walls, and...

Sep 14, 2008 - Brazil

We left Brazil last night and are now headed across the Atlantic toward Africa. We sail for seven days before arriving in Namibia. Starting tonight we lose an hour every night for the next five nights. It’s a grey day and we are sailing into a storm. I had a good time in Brazil and I was glad that we were in the Bahía region, which is the most African region of Brazil. I learned a lot about the Candomblé religion which comes from the Yoruba people of Africa and was brought over during the slave trade. It’s very similar to Santería in Cuba...

Aug 10, 2008 - Jericoacoara, Olinda, Salvador

So after all that action we decided to lay on the beach for a few days in Jericoacoara - one of brazil~s famed northeastern beaches. Its a beautiful little town with sandy streets, lots of atmosphere, and tasty restaurants - a great place to relax. Although strictly not so much lying on the beach without getting sand blown in your mouth - its also a mecca for wind and kite surfing. The most delicious thing here was cheese (haloumi like) on a stick melted over hot coals and sprinkled with oregano - mmm divine! Olinda was a very cute little...

Aug 8, 2008 - Salvador...a Love/Hate Relationship...

August 8-10 One word to describe Salvador would have to be "Lively". Salvador (nickname: Bahia)is a colonial old town with a ton of gilded churches, brightly colored buildings, bobblestone streets and is the corner stone of Afro-Brazilian culture. Music, art, capoeira (a type of self defense developed by Brazilian slaves) and people crowd the streets as you walk through the famous Pelourinho, which is the heart of the city - which is where we stayed. However, aside from the attractions, the Pelourinho also has a very sketchy side to it....

Jun 16, 2008 - Salvador de Bahia

Heute nacht hat es so richtig dolle geregnet, und es ist 10 Grad kaelter, so dass wir tatsaechlich eine lange Hose anziehen. Um 11 Uhr kommt unser Privatchauffeur, eigentlich ein Freund vom Hostel, und holt uns in seiner Taxe ab. Dummerweise haben wir vergessen, noch ein paar Bilder von unserem tollen Hostel zu machen, ich werd vielleicht welche aus dem Netz runterladen. In einem Affentempo gehts dann auf zum Flughafen, und da das Taxameter nach Zeit und nicht nach Kilometer laeuft, hat er sich sein Trinkgeld wirklich verdient. Wir sind...

May 19, 2008 - Salvador

This was my last stop in Brazil apart from one day in Iguassu which was more Argentina to be honest. This is an amazing city, incredibly beautiful and full of life. As long as you don't mind being pickpocketed it is fine! I arrived and stayed in a right dodgy place the first night which ponged of musty stagnant water and my bedroom was with a transvestite. It is called Hostel Brazil in Barra in case you want to avoid it! But the next day stayed in a really nice hostel called Barra Guest house run by a guy from Manchester. He took us up to...