Salvador

02.04.2007 - 10.04.2007 35 °C

Salvador seems to be having some sort of carnaval hangover. Which is a shame, because I had gone there for the afro brazil music and the dancing it is so famous for. But there wasn`t a lot of either going on! Sure, I saw glimpses of it. You can not walk down a street without the sound of drums floating from the windows above, bus drivers play their stearing wheels whilst stopped at lights, the school children joining in on the windows on the back seat, and Tuesday nights are home to street parties with free live music and dancing. (Salvador had a lot of slaves brought there, so there is a great afro-brazilian culture, resulting in a really cool fusion of arts, music and dance.) It just wasn`t what was I expecting and I was a little disappointed. I have been assured though that it`s only like this for the 3 months after carnaval when everyone takes a well deserved break from partying before heading back to their samba schools in anticipation of next years reveleries. Just wish someone had told me that before I went!! And I had of course chosen to stay there over Easter so it was near impossible to get out there until afterwards as the cheap flights were all booked up! But it did give me the oppourtunity to witness Easter celebrations in a highly Catholic country. A procession of people followed `Jesus`and `Mary` through the cobblestone streets, ending in front of a church in the main square. Speaking of churches, it is said that Salvador has a church for every day of the year. I`m not sure of that, but there are a staggering amounts of them, including one built by the slaves, who retalliated by carving pregnant angels and others with oversized sex organs!!
I was hanging out with this American guy, Andrew, one night who had been here late last year (he was obvisouly even more disappointed then me as he has seen what Salvador actually could be like.) As we went to walk down an alley we were ushered out of there by a woman because it was a dangerous spot to be walking in at night (there were some very dodgy guys hanging out in that alley). Andrew claimed he was so bored he wouldn`t mind being mugged because at least it would have added some excitement to his evening!! I wasn`t quiet that bored! Some claim that Salvador is even more dangerous than Rio. I was beginning to think it would be a miracle to get out of Brazil unscathed!
And I was not prepared for how touristy the place is! You can barely walk a metre without being harrassed to buy something (I`m talking Thailand standards here!), some one trying to give you a `gift` and don`t even glimpse (let alone take a picture) at the caipoera guys in the main square or they will come running after you, shouting for your money. Luckily I had been warned of this so I gave them a wide berth!
Of course I still had a nice time there. Met lots of great people staying in the hostel, Nega Maluca, and spent most of the days heading to the beaches nearby. And there are some great beaches nearby. Across the port there are some islands with beautiful, crystal clear, warm waters that overlook the city - kinda like swimming in one of Sydneys inner harbour beaches, only with palm trees and bars on the sand!
A little up the coast from Salvador there is this great little town called Arembepe that we took a day trip too. This place is paradise and I wish I had discovered it earlier as I would have stayed there for a few days. There is this tiny little hippy village on the beach which is famous for having Janis Joplin and Mick Jagger stay there in the 60`s, still there are barely any tourists there, we were the only people on a deserted beach. The sea was a little rough for swimming but behind the beach is a little river, with fresh, warm waters, perfect for a dip. The locals hang around the bank of the river playing their guitars and singing, (and smoking pot, as all good hippies do!), not a care in the world.

Salvador rooftops