Lin and Sandy Grimwade's Blog: Back in Brazil: Part 1 Salvador, March 13

We spent a three week vacation in Brazil in October 2023, and felt we had scratched only a tiny corner of this vast country, so we are back again, this time in the northeast, and currently in the great pulsating metropolis of Salvador in the State of Bahia. Our Brazilian friend in Philadelphia warned us that carnival in Salvador is too crazy even for most Brazilians, and it does seem that the people here are doing their best to keep it going even though it officially ended over 10 days ago.

Salvador is a huge messy city on the Atlantic coast, divided by a steep cliff into upper and lower sections. The lower city is docks, commercial buildings, markets and a reputation for being unsafe. The upper city is where the hotels, restaurants, museums, and tourists are. There are elevators and funicular railways — all free — connecting the lower and upper cities.

The oldest area, Pelourinho, is a UN World Heritage Site and full of colorful old buildings, many undergoing restoration. Its steep narrow streets reverberate to the sound of drum school students’ public performances.

The performers hammer out complex and skillful rhythms under the direction of a “drum major”. They are accompanied by young men with pots of white paint with which they will tattooo your arms and legs in swirling patterns, if you agree to pay for the privilege. We have resisted so far.

In the squares are large ladies in voluminous white or brightly colored crinoline skirts that comprise the traditional costume of Bahia, who offer photo ops for a fee. Everywhere there are small stalls mixing up and selling caipirinhas — lethal mixtures of more or less recognizable local fruit with cachaça — local sugar cane rum.

Salvador was the center of the Brazilian slave trade, which brought over more than 10 times the number of slaves that were taken to the US. As a result there is a huge population of African origin in Salvador, and many cultural influences in food, music, dance and religion. There is a visible mix of black and white populations and cultural influences.

We have strolled the streets visiting interesting churches and museums, and drinking in the atmosphere.

On Sunday, we went to the Modern Art Museum, unfortunately mostly closed for renovation, an ancient lighthouse with a very interesting museum of marine history, and the Model Market — two floors of handicrafts, with an amazing art installation in the basement. We had forgotten how considerate and accommodating to old people Brrazilians are. When they see us in a queue to enter a museum, they gently suggest we should go to the front of the line.

Yesterday, we had planned a quiet day with a boat trip to two local islands. It turned out to be anything but. We got up quite early to go to the marina, which was quite chaotic, but eventually we located our guide, who helped us to get established on the “schooner”. There were three guides, all who spoke a little English, though we guessed that there were perhaps 6 English speakers and 80 Brazilians on board. Those Brazilians certainly knew how to party. The on-board bar opened at 9 AM and did a roaring trade in fresh fruit alcoholic drinks for the rest of the day. One of the guides was an amazing dancer, and was accompanied by a small, moderately talented band of banjo, washboard, and drum. They seemed to know every carnival song and all the accompanying dance moves, and soon everyone was singing and dancing along. People of all shapes and sizes were showing off their hip swivels, belly dancing, hand jive, limbo, samba and line-dancing, all within a strict choreography that they all seemed to know. We did not join in…surprise… though we thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment. Our first stop was the Ilha dos Frades, an idyllic spot where everyone made for the picture perfect tropical white sand beach. We first visited a beautiful little chapel on a hill with a lovely view then strolled through the cute little village before succumbing to the inevitable and plunging into the bath-temperature water for a refreshing swim.

Then it was back on the boat for a short trip to the next island, Itaparica. This was our lunch destination, but getting to the restaurant was quite an adventure. First, over the side of the boat to drop into a sketchy looking motorized wooden rowboat that held about 20 people, then a trip to the beach where we went off the side if the motor boat into 2 feet of water, waded ashore and eventually reached the restaurant. We were greeted with a vast all-you-can-eat buffet with many unfamiliar local dishes and ingredients. We did not indulge, but went for a stroll in the equatorial heat round a scruffy village, followed by a refreshing bowl of açaí sorbet, before an equally adventurous return trip to our schooner.

The final lap of this marathon was the 1.5 hour trip back to Salvador. Our swivel-hipped guide tried hard to get everyone dancing again, but most of the passengers were by then tired, and full, suntanned and sleepy. It was certainly the most typically Brazilian day we could imagine.

Tomorrow, we rent a car and head off north along the coastal road towards Recife.