Descending over the Bahia Todos os Santos reveals an eye-popping view of a bustiling metropolis of skyscrapers, towering apartment complexes and dingy slums. Paraphrasing one of the great American orators of our time, Ray Nagin, Salvador is a chocolate city. This is not the place to come if you are uncomfortable around people of color. I am the only fair-skinned resident in the neighborhood except for the passing taxi drivers and the British couple with me in the Hotel Maridina. The shift in environment sets a new, exciting tone of discovery. Shops, kiosks, and stands spill onto the sidewalks. Vendors peddle anything and everything that could possibly be sold. The scene is chaotic, yet oddly under control. As a first impression, Salvador overloads the senses with an excess of loud whistles, human commotion of a darker
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