Blogs from Bahia, Brazil, South America - page 3

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South America » Brazil » Bahia » Lençóis April 13th 2016

Had to get up at 5.45 a.m. today to catch the 6 am bus for Lençois. Wouldn't normally choose to get up at that time but, quite honestly, I was glad to see the back of Salvador although I do have to do an overnight there en-route back from Lençois to Parati. Getting this bus would also give me time to fix up a tour for the following day. Rita said she would be up in time to see me off - she normally gets up early which I was glad about, if only because she seemed to have occasional problems getting any of her sets of keys to open the door. As It turned out, she ordered another taxi for me when the one I thought I had ordered failed to appear. She also made ... read more
Prefeitura Municipal, Lençois
View of Lençois overlooking the river
Typical street, Lençois

South America » Brazil » Bahia » Salvador April 11th 2016

Seem to be spending most of my time since 'the incident' googling 'is it safe to go to X on Saturday/Sunday am/ pm ( perm any two)? The rest of the time I spend trying to work out what it is safe and not safe to take with me. Today I opted for the money belt and a water bottle, but no mobile phone, so no photos today, which is a great pity. As advised by the guide books, I also carefully calculated the amount of money to take with me on the basis that this would be just enough for my outing, about £20. I decided to go to an island which is a popular day trip or holiday retreat for Salvadorians - it's called Itaparica. I picked up a taxi to take me to ... read more

South America » Brazil » Bahia » Salvador April 10th 2016

Got Rita to give my outfit the once over from a security point of view before I left the flat today. She speaks no English but is much better at miming than me. I was wearing my money belt hidden below my T-shirt and that was it! I put a small amount of money in my pocket for immediate use , no water bottle with me because I had no belt to fasten it to. She approved but after she had seen me struggling to remove her house keys a few times from my money belt suggested I needed a purse with a shoulder strap for these, which of course I have at home but didn't bring with me. I decided to give the 'pelourinho', the historic centred a miss, at least today. A friend of ... read more
Barra shopping centre
Bird-sellers
Sunset, Museum of Modern Art, Salvador

South America » Brazil » Bahia » Salvador April 10th 2016

If any of you thought some of my blogs were interesting, wait until you read this one which, unfortunately, is interesting for all the wrong reasons! I phoned the credit card company first thing using Viber to see why my payments were being blocked. The customer services guy I spoke to confirmed that this card had indeed been stopped and that security wanted to talk to me. Before he transferred the call he asked me what I thought of Brazil, fine, I replied I replied, until now. Yes, but what was it really like - he had always wanted to go to Brazil. Did I speak Portuguese and if so how much? I explained that without Portuguese it would be difficult to travel independently, particularly on public transport, and that even the taxi drivers appeared to ... read more
View of Barra
Igreja de Bonfim, Salvador
Ribeira, Salvador

South America » Brazil » Bahia » Salvador February 14th 2016

Sunday 14th February, 2016. Salvador da Bahia, Bahia, Brazil Salvador da Bahia is the largest city on the north-eastern coast of Brazil with a population of about 3 million. It is the capital of the state of Bahia, located on a small peninsula that separates All Saints Bay from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The bay forms a natural harbour. All Saints Bay is the largest bay in Brazil. It was first encountered by the Portuguese, in 1501 after the arrival of Pedro Álvares Cabral's fleet in Porto Seguro. Later, Gaspar de Lemos arrived at the bay, and it was named by the Italian Amerigo Vespucci in 1502. In 1549 a fleet of Portuguese settlers established the town of Salvador. The settlers were headed by the first Governor-General of Brazil, named Thomé de Souza. Salvador ... read more
3. Palácio do Rio Branco
27.  Basilica do Senhor do Bonfirm
2.  The View from the top of the Elevator

South America » Brazil » Bahia » Salvador February 12th 2016

Carnival week has ended and it was pretty much what you’d expect: drinking, dancing, and bad Spanglish. In light of all the festivities, I’d like to think I’m seasoned enough to make a sort-of ‘survival guide’ for all the scared Americans out there about to partake in the biggest party South America has to offer…and maybe the world? Yes. Definitely the world. 1. Take people’s advice, but don’t let them scare you. Friends and strangers alike warned us about the crime here an ungodly amount of times. At first it was a kind reminder, then it really scared me…almost to the point of not going different places…then it became an annoyance. They mean well, obviously, but if I let their warnings prevent me from going to the places I wanted…I would’ve regretted it. 2. ... read more

South America » Brazil » Bahia » Salvador February 11th 2016

I feel Bahia before I could see it. That electric Carnival energy rattles me. In the historic district, where are hostel is, a cluster of bright colored houses sit in rows. Almost like something out of Key West. Our hostel is Nega Maluca, a quaint hostel right near Pelourinho. Inside, there is a tiny hallway that leads to a community kitchen and back outdoor balcony, overlooking the rest of the historic district. Travel photography lined all the walls, except it wasn’t places being captured – but people. There are pictures of dark, dusty workers from China, a mother and her baby in full face makeup from India, and a Namibian girl with black skin and hair painted bright red. The look on their faces captured perfectly in that you could feel them, like you knew them. ... read more
Salvador, Bahia
Sushi at Soho

South America » Brazil » Bahia » Salvador January 26th 2016

After Rio, we were slightly disappointed by Salvador. The original reason for going there was to visit Pelourinho, the historic center of the city and a UNESCO heritage site. It's an important Portuguese colonial site that was refurbished very nicely. It's also the birthplace of Olodum, a drum band that became world famous by their performances with artists like Paul Simon (The Obvious Child) and Michael Jackson (They don't care about us). Other bands perform on the streets as well, which is a great spectacle and the drumming is absolutely amazing. The historic center certainly is pretty with it's colonial houses painted in pastel colours, but it has also become very touristy and overly crowded. The rest of Salvador is quite shabby - there are many very poor people and you see favelas as far as ... read more
Pelourinho Salvador
Pelourinho Salvador
Michael is still alive and kicking in Salvador

South America » Brazil » Bahia » Salvador January 23rd 2016

Salvador, Brazil Salvador is located on the North East coast of Brazil. We arrived here quite early for our visit. Salvador is the oldest city in Brazil and is the capital of the state of Bahia and is noted for its cuisine, music and architecture. Our tour took us from the lower town, upper town and around the peninsular.A particularly stark and notable feature is the escarpment that divides Salvador into the Cidade Baixa ("Lower Town" - port area and neighborhoods along the bay), and Cidade Alta ("Uppe... read more
FAVELA 1
FAVELA 2
HIGH TOWN

South America » Brazil » Bahia » Ilhéus January 20th 2016

Wednesday January 20th, 2016. Ilheus, Bahia, Brazil Ilheus is a popular city located in the southern coastal region of Bahia State. It has a population approx 220,943. It is located approximately 211 km (131 miles) south of Salvador which is the state's capital. The city of Ilheus was originally founded in 1534 as Vila de Sao Jorge dos Ilheus and is now known as one of the most important tourism centres of north-eastern Brazil. This was a little unbelievable however as when we asked for a map at the tourist office they didn't have any! The city's economy is mainly based on tourism. This is because of the beaches and culture with early Portuguese colonial buildings and history which appeals to Brazilians and foreigners alike. It was once one of the biggest exporters of cocoa beans. ... read more
7.  Jorge Amado's House
2.  Sao Sebastian Cathedral
5.  Living Statue, Ilheus




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