I See The World And The World Sees Me: Bahia, Salvador (part one)

WELL, it was time for a much needed break, so what better place to escape to than sunny SALVADOR, BAHIA!!!!!!!!!! We went for one week and were very excited as neither of us had been there before. I had only ever seen it in movies, but that was enough for me to form a strong attraction to the city.

DAY ONE!

It was quite a journey from the start as the plane departed from Porto Alegre which takes about three and a half hours on an overnight bus. We arrived at the airport at 3am and had to kill two hours until check in. We didn't sleep at all on the bus and were exhausted! I got in trouble for sitting on the luggage trolly by a secruity lady. Apparently that's only ok for kids to do, opps. Next, a 6 hour flight with two stopovers where we were not allowed to un-board. Not to mention water was not provided and could only be purchased for a ridiculous price. De-hydration and stiff bodies aside, it was all worth it when we arrived.

View from plane of Rio de Janeiro

We made it to the hotel and rested for a while, than began exploring what would be our new neighborhood for the week. Our hotel was oposite the beach, so in the evening we walked along the coastline towards the city, following a map we had teared out of a guide book from the hotel.

Our first stop was the "Jardim dos namorados" (the garden of the couples) which isn't really a garden but a site with circular seating where lots of people rollerskate and skateboard. Here we found a Baiana stall who was selling some traditonal food called ......
She only put the tiniest amount of chilli on it, but it was more than enough. The Baiana ladies are very mysterious, they have this knowing kind of cheekiness about them.

It was at the beach near the light house that we really noticed the different,amazing energy of Salvador. There were a group of young people on the sand with their instruments jamming, families played games and looked for crabs in the rocks, whilst others made offerings to Yemanjá (godess of the sea). I paddeled in the water and took it all in under the moon.

We then jumped on a bus to check out the night life. This area was where a lot of tourists hang out. Very crowded with lots of outside tables, bars and stalls. This night there was a night market as well.

The front of an art gallery by an interesting local artist

In need of a beer we searched for a bar that captured our mood. Here was the winner! It had an outside patio that overlooked the water and an ecletic arty interior. The owner of the bar had lived in Sydney, Kingscross for 6 months (small world).

DAY TWO!
In Bahia, the sun rises at 5 am and even though we had thick curtains, we would still wake up early. This was a good thing as breakfast was between 6am-10am.

In the "Mercado Modelo"

There was this Baiana costume standing for people to get there photos taken. There was no one around so i went to stand behind it for Moises to take a picture. Very quickly, a lady from one of the stalls came running over saying that if we give her a little money she would finish the costume with a scarf and bowl of fruit. Why not.

Behind my big new body is the famous elevator, "Elevador Lacerda"

View from the top of the elevator

The Marines building and sculpture nicknamed "the bum of the Bahian woman"

Funky art on front of cafe. We wanted to go inside as the interior was equally as funky, but our budget only permitted the buffet next door. Good food though and great to get out of the heat (30 degrees everyday).

We kept walking and made it to "Pelourinho" the historical side of town and what I had been looknig forward to the most. The buildings were colourful and the churches were huge! really beautiful :) This church had a very decadent Baroque interior. It was commented that back then they didn't know what to do with all their wealth, I've never seen so much detail in gold leaf.

The best few of the village could be seen from these steps. Here we witnessed some very rude European tourists that seemed to have the opinion that anyone who talked to you wanted money. There was some religious group handing out flyers and the woman said to her partner "don't take it, they just want money". Little did they know that they could understand English and were condemmed to "stay with the devil" in Portugues. To continue their disrespect, a local man who was a little drunk but harmless was trying to start a conversation. The woman got up with a disgusted look on her face followed by her partner who wouldn't even shake the mans hand when it was offered. The man started to walk past us, so Moises called out some words of consolement and then we had some company for a while. He told Moises some interesting history about racial prejudice and how sad it makes him when people treat him this way, as the couple. Our new friend fell asleep beside us on the steps, so we moved on.

I was a bit shy taking this photo as I didn't know what the cute old man would think, but Moises bought a water from him so it wouldn't be so obvious. Classic.

We walked around for hours then came to rest at a bar that had some live music.

The girl had a great voice and set list. Here we spent the rest of the afternoon. There was a gorgeous homeless man that came to enjoy the music as well, and even got up for a bit of a dance. He only had his shorts, a blanket, and a crucifix that he had made from sticks. As it turned to evening and it got a little colder, a man gave him a brand new t-shirt and he was like a child at Christmas. He was so excited and even asked the man after he had put it on whether it looked ok on him. He was always smiling.

DAY THREE!

A free tour of a couple of beaches was included as part of the holiday package.

This is the first lighthouse built in South America.

Another beach "Praia do Farol Itapua"

Another Baiana lady making traditional food on th beach.

We went for another evening walk to feel the cool breeze. Lots and lots of people jogging at dusk when the temp is bearable for exercise .

Coconut stand

view of the city

DAY FOUR!

Try to follow: Moises', aunty's friend Lucinda has some family in Salvador and she was kind enough to call them so they could give us a tour around.

They took us to a historical Rococo style building that had sculptures inside and another exhibition space round the back of the building (where we are here). Lucinda's sister in-law is a photographer and took photos for this exhibition.

The exterior of the building. Cool huh!

We were relieved that they took us to the "Igreja do Bonfim" as it was a long way from the hotel to try and figure out buses. The architecture wasn't as spectacular as others we had seen, but there was something very powerfull and special about it. Many people believe that the first time you come to this church, if you make a wish (prayer) then it will come true.

A man with sadly, no legs sat on th steps of the church.

This room looks a bit creepy, but the plastic body parts represent all the people whose legs, arms, etc have been healed. There are also photos of the people. Its kind of a shrine of gratitude.

Everywhere we went we were offered these ribbons with "Lembrança do Senhor Bonfim". The women that gave us ours told us that she would tie them around our wrists and with each knot (three) we could make a wish. The ribbon stays on our arms until it falls off naturally, and then our wishes will be granted. Many people would tie them to any space avilable on the Bonfim church as a wish/prayer.