Salvador de Bahia & Fortaleza, Brazil

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Salvador de Bahia, Brazil and Fortaleza, Brazil
February 25 and 28, 2010

There was great similarity between these two Brazilian cities. Both are coastal commercial cities with between two and three million people. Both were colonized by the Portuguese who were in search of the sugar cane, rubber and gems in the area. Today both struggle with the challenges of any big city in the world.

The African influence is evident in the faces of the people, the music, the art and food. Not surprising when one remembers that the Portuguese were big slave traders and a check of the world map reminds one of the proximity of Brazil to West Africa. Or as our “English speaking guide” explained: The Portuguese came here; the Indians killed the Portuguese so the Portuguese brought in slave to do the work. There it is, Colonial history in a nut shell!!

The “old city” in Salvador de Bahia is quite well preserved and a walking tour along the cobblestone streets almost made 200 years vanish….except for the beggars and tourist police. Both were rather surprising as we’ve been exposed to very few beggars on this trip. The tourist police in Lima, Peru did an almost 100% effective job of keeping beggars and pick pockets away from tourists. The tourist police here did a good job but were not quite as effective. Our guide had a perspective on the too: it’s not the Brazilian people who steal, it is the drugs.

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Photos

Salvador de Bahi, Brazil
Overview of the harbor area

Old Town
Most of the buildings in the historic part of town are in pristine condition

View of the Atlantic
Marina at Salvador de Bahia

Africian Influence
Shop with Africian art and textiles

Lite every city
Salvador de Bahia as streets with crumbling curbs, rubble and trash. Usually tourist buses avoid these areas.

Beautiful parks
We did a driving tour that took us past several lovely parks and public areas

Complex power pole
High rise residential buildings (both old and brand new) contrasted against a seemingly complex wiring system

Beautiful Salvador de Bahia
A modern city

Comments

[Lenni]

Hi Becky and Dick, I'm glad that Regent's timing was good in that you were away from the coast of Chile when the BIG ONE hit. I've been thinking about you all along and love your travelogs. Thanks for sharing this special adventure....Lenni