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Published: February 27th 2008
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Jabuti
Another member of the Santos family So from Olinda I headed back once again to Salvador. Although the journey was not without some trauma.
My flight from Recife was due to leave at 9,50 am. Having been told I needed just 30 mins in the taxi to get there I went to check out of the hotel at 8,00 am, thinking that would be plenty of time. My valuables were in the safe but the receptionist informed me that the owner had the key and would be along in a few minutes. Twenty minutes later he still hadnt arrived and I was starting to get nervous so the receptionist went to hunt him down. I was told he was in the shower and he would be along. Twenty minutes later the owner finally arrived to declare that he´d left the key at home. I had one hour until my plane was due to take off. He goes off to his house to collect the key at I finally manage to get a taxi at 9,00 am. 50 minutes to go. I told the taxi driver my problem and asked him to go as quickly as possible. He took me at my word. I thought we were going
Jaci´s ceramicas
Danilos mother Jacira hard at work to die. He swerved, narrowly missing a police car, who of course promptly stopped us. As soon as we explained the dilema to them however, they just told him to be more careful and sent us on our way. I arrived at the airport at 9,40 am - 10 mins to go - to find out my plane had been delayed - by 2 hours! All that stress for nothing!
Anyway I eventually arrived safely in Salvador and spent the weekend relaxing once again at the beach and at Danilos place. The wild tortoise from the garden who was feared dead had returned so I got to see some more Brazilian wildlife. I got treated like a princess by Danilos family once again, b eing stuffed to the brim and generally being spoilt. Danilos mum showed me around her workshop - she makes really nice souvenirs and handicrafts out of ceramics.
I then headed off to the centre of Salvador to experience the delights of the Pelourinho - the historic centre of Salvador and a UNESCO world heritage site. The name comes from the not so salubrious history of Salvador - the pelourinho was the whipping post where
Baiana
Replica of the traditional Bahian dress African slaves were publically tortured. Due to the considerable sugarcane industry in Bahia, many African slaves were brought to Salvador and to this day the African influence is apparent - from the faces of the locals, the cuisine and the musical tradition. The Pelourinho is alive with the sounds of drumming from the famous Afro blocos of Olodum and Ile Aye, the sounds of berimbaus and atabaques of capoeiristas on every corner, and the shouts of the Baianas dressed in their traditional costumes selling Acarajé. It is the most amazing place I have been to yet.
I took advantage of the many capoeira options available - doing a class first with Mestre Balão of CTE capoeiragem. Then I went to the Fundação de Mestre Bimba. Mestre Bimba is regarded as the founder of Capoeira Regional and the Fundação is run today by Mestre Nenel, his son. I was lucky enough to get a one on one class with Mstre Kangaroo and then to play in the the roda with Mestre Nenel, which was an amazing (if not humiliating) once in a lifetime experience. I then experienced the famous Tuesday Geronimo night, where local bands of a variety different groups
Cruz caida
The fallen cross take music to the streets.
The next day I went with a couple of English Girls, Seema and Georgina, who I met at the hostel to the Church of Nosso Senhor of Bom Fim. On the streets of Salvador you are frequently handed ribbons with "lebrança de nosso senhor de bom fim" written on them and they originate from this church. You tie the ribbon aroun your wrist and make a wish when the ribbon falls off the wish is supposed to be granted. Bom fim is regarded as a religious site where miracles happen and many people go there to be "healed". The most interesting (and also most disturbing) room of the church is filled with replicas of body parts and pictures of people who believe they were healed by the Senhor of Bom fim.
Then it was back to the centre to pick up bargains at the the Mercado Modelo (a girl can never have too many shoes, bags or jewellery!) and to soak up the atmosphere in the Pelourinho one last time before heading back to Danilos.
If I come back again to Brazil it will be to Salvador. It would take a lifetime
to get bored of this place!
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