After a great four days in Rio, and having recovered from the NYE spectacle that was Copacabana, Jeff and I spent the next two days plus in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Salvador is located about 1100 miles north of Rio on a small peninsula that is flanked by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Baía de Todos os Santos (All Saints Bay) on the west. It’s a pretty big city of about 3 million people and was the capital of Brazil until 1763 when it was succeeded by Rio de Janeiro. We’d initially only planned on spending one day in Salvador but due to the cost of flights on Jan 3rd, we extended for an additional day and in hindsight, were thankful for the extra time.
Upon arriving at the Salvador airport on Friday night, we were greeted by a large, gentle man named Lazaró who was there to take us from the airport to the hotel. Jeff booked us on a half-day tour of the city for our first day and the airport transfer and hotel came with the package. On our drive into the city, the disparity between the wealthy and the poor was just as apparent here as in Rio. On one side of the street stood new or newly renovated hotels and homes flanked on the opposite side by slums called comunidades. As we approached our hotel located in the old city, called Pelourinho, Lazaró noted how the government was working to revitalize that part of town. (US$100 million spent since 1992 on the project.) He made it very clear where we should and should not be walking about, even during the daytime. To stay safe throughout the city, tourists are encouraged not wear watches and should keep nothing more than a copy of their passport and a small amount of spending money in their pockets. After receiving our safety instructions and checking into our hotel, Jeff and I grabbed a quick bite across the street and caught some live music in a nearby alley before calling it a night.
On Saturday we were up by 10am to meet our tour guide, Ronaldo, for our city tour. Unlike the disorganized mess we experienced in Rio, Ronaldo had a great grasp of the city and actually allowed us to stop at several spots to take pictures and walk around. Along the way, stops included Farol de Barra, a fort/lighthouse combo at the end of the peninsula, the Museo Nautico da Bahia where we received a history lesson on early settlers in Salvador and the means it took them to get there from Europe, and Dique do Tororó, a scenic lake in downtown Salvador.
From there we parked the car and began a walking tour of Pelourinho. Pelourinho was the city’s center during the Portuguese Colonial Period, and was named for the whipping post where African slaves would receive any “punishment”. (Odd they would make this area such a focus of their tourist industry.) The walking tour included stops at various shops tailored to tourists and a view of the famous Salvador elevator, known as Elevador Lacerde, that takes its passengers to the lower city. We wrapped up at about 2pm after visiting the San Francisco Cathedral, one of the most ornate and beautiful Christian buildings I have ever visited.
We spent the late afternoon on our own exploring the lower city and the Mercado Modelo that was full of row after row of booths pushing unoriginal handmade crafts on the tourists. It reminded me a lot of the night market that I saw in Chiang Mai last year. The day ended with a valiant effort to find a vibrant nightlife that saw us visit the Jardin Brazil section of the city where we grabbed a bit to eat and then on to the Barra neighborhood for a few drinks. We didn’t stumble upon anything that I would call “vibrant” but it was fun nonetheless.
Having seen most of the major tourist spots on Saturday, our extra day in Salvador gave us the opportunity to take a day trip to Morro de São Paulo. It’s a small town where most get around on foot and “taxi drivers” walk visitors to their hotels carrying their luggage in wheelbarrows and make verbal “beep beep” or “honk” sounds to help them get by slower moving tourists. The shore of the island is broken up into several beaches of which Jeff and I were able to visit about five. Given the three-hour commute both ways via catamaran, we had just enough time to grab lunch and swim in the warm water before heading back. I doubt my pictures will do the beauty of the place justice… definitely a possibility as a honeymoon spot in the future. After returning home to Salvador, we spent our last night in Brazil enjoying the local fare and some more live music.
From here it is on to Iguazu Falls and Argentina! I’m anxious to finally get a chance to try my rarely used Spanish skills.
