Salvador de Bahia 12th - 14th June

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Salvador is a beautiful colonial city looking out over the South Atlantic - cobbled streets and brightly coloured buildings. Often called Africa in exile due to it's mainly afro-carribean population, we certainly felt like we stood out here more than anywhere (Katie especially). Food in Salvador was far spicier than in the rest of Brazil on account of this, which was certainly a welcome variation. As was a deliecious type of meat called "Carne do Sol" - beef that had been salted and then sun dried (a variation called "Carne do sol y luna" we reasoned was simply the same stuff that they had forgotten to bring in).

Possibly even nicer than Quito Old Town...

Yup, Katie stood out.
Salvador was a complete opposite to Rio - whereas Rio was pretty frantic and manic, Salvador was a great place to sit in a central square and have a beer or five in the evenings. The city did have a bit of a rough edge about it, but we usually felt safe due to the large police presence on the streets. However, the Brazillian government clearly does not issue it's officers with umbrellas because as soon as it rained, they left the streets to take shelter and the downtown took on a much more threatening feel until it dried up (apparently muggers are undeterred by rainfall). Thankfully though, nothing bad happened.

One thing to note about the place is that the beaches are much more impressive from afar - one afternoon we decided to head down to the sea-front and we found mounds of rubbish lying around. Kinda detracts from the atmosphere when you're catching the rays. Better to sit in the old city and enjoy the heat over a caprihina (rum, limes and sugar) or a caprinoska (same thing but with vodka).

Stunning beaches - but only from afar!

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