A north-east oddessy

Hey everyone

I headed up to the North-East by myself on my first solo leg in Brazil. Salvador, capital of Bahia and previous capital of Brazil was where my plane landed. The city has a different culture from the south; much more influenced by African culture as this was the first stop for the slave ships. It also has a lot of colonial architecture since it also where the Portuguese first landed.

Once I had gotten a local bus into town from the airport (over an hour away!), I did the usual touristy thing - museums, shopping in the markets and just getting a feel for the town. I visited the buildings around the Praça municipal, the museu da Misericórdia, took the Elevador Lcerda (yes you take a huge elevator to get from the upper to the lower part of the city) and some of the many churches around town, including Igreja da Ordem terceira de São Domingus and Catedral basilica.

I became more addicted to açái while I was in Salvador. It is a purple berry from the amazon that they crush with ice to make a sorbet type slush and then top it with banana and granola. It is amazing! My first day there I had a huge bowl for lunch, ad sitting in the hot café, reading, eating açái and listening to the oladum outside was just the perfect moment.

The city has a bit of a problem with drugs and homelessness...much more noticable than when you are in the south. It is quite depressing to see. The city is said to be quite dangerous at night but I didn´t feel that while walking around, in fact it had a great vibe and wonderful nightlife. During the nights I went to a reggae gig in the Pelourinho district, went out with new friends, and saw a show by the Balé Folclórico da bahia. It is a folkloric show and was one of the best things I have seen in Brazil so far! The dancers and musicians did Capoeira, Samba de roda, Maculele - a dance representing Candomblé (the afro/voodoo ritual that includes possession by African gods).

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