Sizzling Salvador!

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Given the past few weeks of long bus journeys we decided to treat ourselves and fly from Manaus to Salvador :-) After a few hours on an aeroplane we arrived to Salvador in the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately the hostel we booked for our first night was really really dirty so we moved first thing the following morning to a more central hostel in the old town called Laranjares (brilliant hostel with fantastic staff and facilities).

We spent the next couple of days chilling in Salvador, wandering around the streets and visiting churches and local plazas. Despite the poor weather (cloudy and raining!) there is something really appealing about Salvador. The streets are full of colour, the buildings are full of character and regardless of the time of day you can always hear some sizzling African drum beats. Some people find Salvador a bit intimidating because there are lots of street kids and the city has a reputation for muggings, etc. However, we didn't have any problems while there. The people were lovely and we felt very safe.

A visit to Salvador isn't complete without experiencing Salvador's music first hand. On our 2nd night we went to a local samba club. The club was packed with locals dancing, so much so, that people spilled out onto the surrounding streets. The atmosphere was amazing!

On our final night we went to a local gig where a band called Odolum where playing. Odolum are an Afro-Brazilian drum band and the gig was out of this world. The venue was small and intimate and the place was jam-packed full of locals participating in dance-offs and trying to tempt the crowd to participate in funky dance routines. We had a great laugh. Unfortunately we didn't get to see that much Capoeira because of the poor weather but we both fell in love with Salvador's rustic charm!

- By Karen and Paul

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Photos

Salvador cafe
They know how to brighten things up

Salvador streets
So colourful and bright