Goodfellows Travels: Friday 18th to Tuesday 22nd August 2006: BRASIL, Salvador

After a very smelly twelve hour ride (our seats were right near the toilet!) we arrived at the bus station in Salvador (aka Bahia) where we used the tourist information centre to find a cheap pousada right in the heart of the historical centre of Salvador. Arriving at our pousada we were really pleased with its location, pricing and the friendliness of everyone working there (much better than the place we stayed in Olinda!). Our pousada was located right in the heart of the Pelourinho which is the liveliest part of Salvador and the most beautiful with colourful colonial buildings, narrow cobbled streets and lots squares with churches and restuarants.

Salvador is dubbed the 'Africa' of Brasil as this is where the slaves where first brought to during the colonisation of Brasil and the influence this had on the city is to be found everywhere; in the music, food, art, dance and people. Each night we would witness the 'Axe' drummers parade through the streets always with crowds of people (tourists and locals) following behind them, dancing to the rhythm of the beat that was undeniably contagious and extremely loud! Whenever we´d walk through the small historical centre we´d always see the 'Capoeira' dancers performing in the street. This martial art/dance orginated from Senegal and is now an integral part of Brasilian culture, especially in Salvador where there are numerous Capoeira schools. It was truly amazing watching these people (male and female of all ages) perform this incredibly physically demanding sport in their bare feet on the pavements! They would backflip and somersault and pirouette on their hands as if it was as easy as walking down the street!

Whilst in Salvador we also managed to meet up again with Ricky and he showed us around one our first day to the places he´d discovered in his time there. We also enjoyed a great night out together; drinking caiprinhas in a square whilst watching the live music performance by a salsa band followed by salsa dancing till the early morning at the local club which was so much fun and this also where Oliver got his first taste for salsa dancing having been taught the basics by a Wayne Sleep lookalike who was also enjoying a night out in the club!

Our four days in Salvador were very relaxed (no need for guided tours or museum visits here!) as we just enjoyed being in the city soaking up the vibrant atmosphere, walking around the beautiful streets admiring the views (dancers, musicians, ladies in traditional African dress), choosing our favourite pieces of art (the streets of the Pelourinho are lined with local art work displayed outdoors), and enjoying the excellent food of Salvador. Our favourite dish was the Shrimp Moqueca, a speciality of Salvador, made with coconut milk and palm oil served in a earthenware dish whilst piping hot accompanied with rice and some extremely hot chilli sauce; truly delicious with a ice cold beer!

Salvador is definitely the best city we have visited on our travels so far!

The Pelourinho