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The overnight bus got us into Salvador bus terminal at 4.00am (rather than 6am like we thought). We got straight in a taxi to our apartment where we would stay for 10 days. The apartment was great and has the most amazing view of the Bay of All Saints where we’ve seen perhaps the best sunsets of our entire trip.
The main reason for our visit to Salvador was to explore the World Heritage area, the Pelourinho. With a rich, colourful history of African slaves, Portuguese rule and incredible decadence, Salvador is a fascinating city.
Our apartment was in Vitoria, an affluent and relatively safe area with lots of museums. The Museum of Decorative Art is a grand building with an impressive collection of decorative items such as crystal, silver, jewellry from African Queens, furniture and more. There were some really beautiful pieces that we'd have happily brought home with us.
The historic area is relatively safe with a good supply of police at hand. However, when you are given a map at tourist information they show you which roads are safe to walk down and which ones to avoid. (We’d already made a huge error by walking
down the wrong street on our first day, soon realising that we were on a path next to a shanty settlement and there were some decidedly dodgy characters about ... we got in a taxi as soon as we were able).
Map in hand, we explored some more. The first church we ventured into was truly special. The Church and Convent of Saint Francis is a golden church in a heavy Baroque style. There are some beautiful Portuguese tiles in the church and the convent, jacaranda wood carvings and beautiful paintings also.
Then just a few doors down was the Church of Third Order of Saint Domingus. Not as grand as its’ neighbour but definitely worth a visit. The museum upstairs is full of some beautiful church art and furniture and the crypt downstairs is interesting.
While wandering the streets there were ladies dressed in elaborate African costumes and their job was to get you to go into a particular shop. One lady said that we could take a photo of her, but only if we had a look in the shop first. Ah well, it was all done with a smile so we didn’t mind.
Art-Deco Lacerda Elevador
Linking the commercial district at the bottom with Pelourinho at the top On another day we returned to the Pelourinho to wander the streets some more. There we found rows of colourfully painted shops and houses along the cobbled streets, leading to more churches and museums. There was a hotel which was built within a magnificent convent, perhaps the most beautiful hotel in Brazil, done so sympathetically that it kept the serene beauty of the convent intact.
The Basilica is under restoration at present, but you can still see its impressive details such as the carved ceiling and the golden chapels. At the back there is a museum and in one of the rooms a church group were meeting and having a sing-song (very good they were too!).
We spent one day down at the club at the bottom of our apartment building. They have a pier with swimming pools and restaurant and we literally stayed there all day eating, drinking and cooling off in the pool. I tried a quick dip in the ocean but it was a bit choppy (and I wondered about sharks...). There were thousands of tropical fish in the ocean which were easily seen from the restaurant. Amy found a friend to play with so
she kept herself busy for hours while we read trashy magazines.
For my birthday (yes it was the big “four-oh”) Andy and Amy took me to a Folkloric dinner show at Coliseu Restaurant. Firstly the buffet was excellent, with Afro-Brazilian inspired dishes and steak fresh off the grill. We even had a bottle of Argentinian Cab-Sav - totally indulgent, totally delicious!
Then the show started. The costumes were simple, with big skirts worn by men and women in the African culture, but the dancers were superb. The dances reflected different aspects of daily life - fishing, hunting etc - and also their Gods.
When the men performed Capoeira, a martial art developed by the slaves of Bahia, we were completed blown away. The very fit young men could do the most amazing acrobatics on the tiny stage and could not have been more energetic. They were somersaulting, backflipping, spinning on their heads and at one point - during the dance with machetes - the top of a machete broke off and flew through the air towards our table, hitting my wine glass, sending red wine across the table in a dramatic fashion. Thank goodness it didn’t hit
one of us though otherwise it would have been a night to remember for another reason!
They were truly the most exciting performers we’ve seen for a long, long time. The band consisted of very talented drummers who were great performers in their own right.
A brilliant night was had by all.
On our final day in Salvador we started in the commercial district and took the Lacerda Elevator up to Pelourinho. We visited the museums we had not yet seen. The Afro-Brazilian Museum had some interesting exhibits demonstrating the African roots of the Brazilians along with some attractive carved wooden panels and other artefacts. The adjacent Museum of Archaeology was also very good.
Salvador da Bahia differs to other Brazilian cities we’ve been to. The people are different - just as friendly but more assertive (presumably due to the number of tourists they receive). The city is edgy and we were more cautious than in most other cities. The Pelourinho is not grand, but pretty, with a faded, rustic beauty and charm that made you want to spend more time just wandering around. Outside the historic area there is a beautiful coastline that is worth
exploring.
Tomorrow we fly to the Pantanals, the largest wetlands in the world!
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