Blogs from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, South America - page 34

The people you touch, the way you touch them, I hope they touch you too, cause in this life its hard to tell whats false and what is true... The things you see, the way you see them may never be seen again... The thing that's strange is you only live once and never look back again. Im dying to be alive, not trying to just survive, lets not go through our lives without just dying to be alive. - Hanson The journey to Brazil was a long one. We were at sea for about a week and the last couple days we hit 'rough water'with waves about 7feet and our stomachs were all feeling it. Thank God for those little bands you wear to prevent motion sickness. When we arrived into Salvador, Brazil we were ... read more

where is the light switch....oh its INSIDE that glass box....beside the bare wires attached to a heating element...ahhh, thats the shower....its quite easy...you put your hand through the wires to turn on the water, flick the switch with heats the element, and magically you have warmish sparkie water....oh and mak sure you angle the water from the light switch :)..I bid thee good morning from the head f@#k that is Salvador in the exceptionally sunny northwest of Brazil....daves says hi...at least thats what I,m hoping the noise from the toilet is.... ...after one day we are sufficiently sick of little boys who have aids/want money/want friendship.... its really annoying you can,t actually get into the town with all the hassle, had to turn back....found some really sweet bars with very approachable women....oh, and since Salvador is ... read more

- FOOD: Good hot rolls on the plane to Campo Grande, new restaurant discovery buffet style like in Rio (I´d missed it) - AREA: Learnt a new Brazilian dance (although it was the same as salsa as far as I was concerned), HI hostel in the area where big bass bands play with 3 tier bunks that are VERY high - PEOPLE: Many who wanted to show us how to dance - WEATHER: Rain, sun, rain, sun, rain, rain Thur 5th May: Salvador didn´t seem as scary as it had done before. I think because we knew what to expect and because there were 2 of us. We had a drink in a street I´d wanted to sit in before when I´d been on my own and then went to the area near our hostel with ... read more

- FOOD: More lovely Bahian dishes (moqueca, cashew jugo, faijoado (smoked meat, black beans and orange), local cake base snack with shrimps - the whole shrimp including shell and tail to be eaten, Brazilian only 'pina' fruit and gorgeous lunch cooked by Regina (my local Salvador contact) - AREA: Big city. Pelourinho area has small, cobbled streets and a nice feel. The rest of Salvador has miles of quite unspoilt beaches, favelas next to wealthy areas, local market in Bonfim that certainly doesn't pass health and safety regs, very interesting candomblè religious ceremony where people go into trances, beautiful chuches covered in gold, capoeira (a cross between a dance and a martial art), - PEOPLE: Women wearing traditional huge dresses, tons of very persistant street sellers that insist they are your friend, lovely hospitable families willing ... read more

Faking an Upset Stomach It was the day after the carnival ended in Salvador da Bahia. I was staying at Geraldo's place, sharing a room with Robert Brown from Auckland, New Zealand. Geraldo is a Brazilian with Jewish origins. His wife is of Italian extraction, as many Brazilians are, especially in Sao Paulo. His wife is very interested in India and has named their daughter 'Kirana', after the Sanskrit word 'kiran' which means the 'ray, usually of the Sun'. Geraldo lived and studied in Texas for two years and so spoke good English. His impressions of the US is that Americans feel that the US is the centre of the Universe. Salvador is the first place where I had participated in the Carnaval. I don't know how it works in Rio de Janeiro or New ... read more

3/3 Arrived Salvador early and it is BIG! Staying in a gorgeous Pouseda that overlooks the historical part of town. 2 minute walk down one alley and up another steep one and youre in the middle of the Poul, which is the tourist area, full of galleries, shops, restaurants, hotels but it has a lot of character, the buildings are well preserved and the people are lovely. Huge african population, so theres a strong culture of traditional dances, reggae etc. Liking this very much. Spent the day walking along the port, through churches, dinner in the Jesus Square and crashed out, listening to the drums and music playing across the valley. 4/3 Spent the entire day in bed, had a swim, then watched the dance classes being held in buildings across the valley. Went to a ... read more

Hey guys, My name is Jason. I’m 23 years old and I just graduated from Amherst College in Music and Political Science. I’ve been in Brasil now for about 4 months. I spent the first two months staying with friends of my parents in Sao Paulo (they lived here for two years back in ’89) learning Portuguese and teaching some English classes on the side. I’ve been in Salvador now for two months, playing music (I play guitar and sing) and interning at a travel agency called DiscoverBrazil. I’d love to meet some of you fellow Americans doing the same (I’m from Philly…..EAGLES), as I am going traveling for about two months after Carnaval. If any of you guys need suggestions for rad places to go in your travels let me know. I know Salvador pretty ... read more