Feb 20, 2005 - Brasil - Salvador

We didn´t have any accomodation booked in Salvador so we got dropped off in Pelourinho and had a look around. We checked on one place but they were downright rude to us so we left. We found a place nearby which was very basic and not too cheap but we took it. It seems that all accomodation in the Pelourinho area is expensive and not of a high quality. However it is a safe area which is why most travellers stay there. We went to a Candomble which is an african ceremony to honour the gods. The drums beat and the women dance around in...

Feb 20, 2005 - Salvador

Hi All, I arrived in Salvador around 7am this morning after nearly 12 hours on the bus, I am feeling both hot and tired at the moment so I may be crawling in to my bed for an hour before walking the streets. Salvador seems to be as colorful as the rest of Brazil, but possibley more lively, even though it was early Sunday morning, music chased us through the streets has we searched the streets looking for a reasonable hostle in the Pelourinho area. The Pelourinho area being the more historic part, tomorrow it will be a move closer to the...

Feb 16, 2005 - to Bahia...

So Monica's Italian passport arrived today and we booked our flights to the city of Salvador, in the northeast state of Bahia. Hurrah!! We are feeling ready to move on from Rio and explore other areas of Brazil. Now, if we can just get ourselves organized and packed... Today, we went to Ipanema beach again, but unfortunately the sun refused to come out. After our yoga class last night at Nirvana, Mojo ended up talking to Kid, and we made plans to meet him tonight for dinner. He picked us up exactly at 9PM as he said he would....this guy is...

Feb 14, 2005 - Salvador

14.02 After a catch up sleep in the hostel, in the Barra district (right next to the beach), we met up with John and Anne. We ended up buying some Heinekens from the supermarket (for less than $1 each!) and watched a rather disappointing sunset from the lighthouse. We shared some traditional Bahian Moqueca and steak at a restaurant near the water and finished the night at an outdoor bar for a nightcap. It took us about 10 minutes before Anne piped up and said that she suspected we were in a prostitute hang-out/pick-up joint. It seems that...

Feb 10, 2005 - Salvador

Another overnight bus brought us to the mcuh hyped about city of Salvador. Salvador da Bahia, as it´s better known, is Brazil's third largest city, the largest in the northeast, and one with the biggest African influence. The blacks from Salvador maintain as much of their African roots as anywhere else in the New World. It was because of this that we headed to the city´s vibrant historical sector, Pelourhino, to check out some of the martial arts, dance and musical traditions. Pelourinho means whipping post in Portuguese, and this was the...

Feb 4, 2005 - Salvador...Carnival

Yo. Well after the flight around most of Brazil I arrived in Salvador to a lovely 32 degrees. Muito Bom! It would seem that Sao Paulo has the oldest and ugliest airport so far. Recife was a stunning building with fantastic designs all over. I have taken some photos but due to this PC I´m using having WINDOWS 95 I am unable to upload at the moment. They will be on the site soon as poss. Checked into the Capoeira Academy in Campo Grande to find out that it is right in the heart of the Carnival which was nice!. Dave arrived at 1am and he was...

Feb 2, 2005 - CAAARNIIIVAAAAL! Salvador, Brazil

Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, home to the world's second biggest carnival after Rio. At least that's what Rio has to say about it, here they claim it's the biggest. With 1.5 million people on the streets at any one time, across three routes with maybe 40 floats on each, the distinction seems irrelevant. We rented a house from some lovely chaps on the internet who are based in New York and have an interesting line in men's fashion. But with three bedrooms, a two terraces and our own pool we could live with the slightly disturbing poster art on...

Jan 20, 2005 - Brazil - Salvador

Our five days in Salvador have all gone in a bit of a blur. We had planned to go inland to do some trekking, but got lazy and spent our time absorbing music, going to concerts and drinking in bars where Shaun of the Dead would have felt at home! We arrived during Festival de Verao and consequently Salvador was buzzin! Music seems to be woven into the very fabric of the place, seeping out of every door and window. We got invited into watch practice sessions and went to a reggae festival. We also attended a 'Candomble''...a strange religious...

Aug 12, 2004 - Salva-dara from Salvador

So what could be better than dancing with fags on the beach? Why ofcourse, dancing in the forest with Indians! Our language program ended ( I got an A-) and Christine and I once again hit the road backpacking. Destination Salvador, Bahia, the home of afro-brazilian culture, capoeira, spicey food, carnaval percussion ensembles, and candomble. Candomble, whats that? Remember analogies on the SAT???(voodo:haiti, santeria:cuba, candomble: brazil.) But we decided to break up the 26 hour bus journey with a stop in Porto Seguro and nearby beach...

Jun 2, 2003 - Candomble and Capoeira

A flight, a bus journey and a taxi later and we finally arrived at the hostel we'd booked in Salvador. Well the woman actually owned two hostels, so we looked at the 'room' in the first one before we were ushered out. 'Take bags, I think you like other better'. Well, it wasn't a difficult choice seeing as there was a window in the next one and it didn't feel like somewhere criminals are housed while awaiting trial. We had a wander around town (after taking a much-needed shower), and discovered that the area we were staying in (Pelourinho)...