It's the little things...

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One stark difference of this place compared to some of the other places we've been to around the world, which is almost immediately apparent, is the overwhelming friendliness and kindness of the local people here. From the friends we have made on the city busses and bus-stops to the generous couple at the beachside restaurant who saw us struggling with the Portuguese menu and kindly offered us a side-plate filled with a little bit of each thing they were having in order to help us decide, the people here, although they have so much less, seem to have so much more to give away.

Nanda, a Brazilian girl Tom met in Barcelona in 2001, has welcomed us in to her apartment here in Salvador where we’ve been based for the past 2 weeks.

Salvador, the first capital of Brazil, is very much an “African” city (so it’s easy to feel at home here!). Once the centre of the slave trade, the people here are mainly of the darker Afro-Brazilian look, and the music, food, and even religion is intertwined with African themes. Capoeira (a martial art/dance originating in Angola) is also HUGE here.

Last weekend, Nanda took us for a drive up north from Salvador to the coastal towns of Praia do Forte, Guarajuba, and Itariri, as well as the very cool, tiny sand village of Mangue Seco where we spent a night. Quite remote, there are no roads or cars there and access to it is by boat only. The whole village is covered by beach sand and the locals get around on boogies.

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Photos

Salvador - Going Up?
This is an elevator that, for 5 cents, takes you between "uptown" and "downtown".

Salvador - View from the Apartment
On the night we arrived there was a party right outside Nanda's place to celebrate "Yemanja", the Goddess of the Sea. Salvadorians are catholic, but in addition to Christ, they believe in various other gods, which have their roots in Africa.

Salvador - Vespucci
Apparently this is the spot where Amerigo Vespucci landed in 1501.

Salvador - Dancing Queen
This is actually a guy dancing!

Praia do Forte - Tamar Project
They help to protect turtle hatchlings survive here. Last year alone they helped over 500000 baby turtles.

Comments

[Greg]

good for you
Jeees guys it realy looks as though you are experiencing the greater things in life.something so many of us just never do or are to scared to attempt and it seems as though you are loving it.thats awesome soak it in fill up on that soul candy you deserve it.maybe i might decide to do something drastic and join you unlikely but let see what happens.tom i want to see some shots of the people and the streets to give us more of an idea of how it would be if we were walking in the alleyways seeing things from eye level.keep pushing guys and keep us updated so far i really an enjoying the adventures of tom And liba.

[anonymous]

jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees guys! thanx for sending the link to us, all of us! tal, niv, carm, marc et al hope you guys are well