Salvador (Brazil)

I’m going to try to remain objective about the city where I was born. Salvador de Bahia is chaotic, it’s really hot all year round, the traffic is dreadful, the people are very casual and often unprofessional, and there is a lot of poverty. That's the dark side.

You will see the other side of the city in the form of a beautiful old colonial city (Pelourinho), with lovely beaches, welcoming people, and exotic and delicious food. Salvador is the essential point of departure if you want explore the state of Bahia in greater depth, which is one of the most beautiful in Brazil, because of the diversity of its landscapes.

From my whole trip to Brazil, the state of Bahia truly remains my most dazzling memory. And the city of Salvador de Bahia, with its very particular charm and character, was definitely part of the reason for this.

The city's Afro influence makes its cultural character unique on every level. Capoiera is a philosophy here, African dance a hobby, Candomblé the religion and food an art form. And on that subject, be sure not to miss the chance to try an acarajé : a kind of sandwich fried in palm oil using bread made from a black-eyed pea paste, and very often stuffed with Vatapá (a coconut milk and peanut paste) and smoked shrimp. Acarajés are packed with calories, and watch out if you're not used to hot, spicy food!

Salvador de Bahia  is divided into two parts: the city area and the beach area. In the city's heights, you can visit and explore Salvador's very colorful historic and colonial center, Pelourinho. It is inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage and is a popular place to stay for tourists. It's also a center for courses of all kinds, including lessons in dance, cookery or music for those wanting to immerse themselves more fully in the local culture. There are also museums, churches and forts to be found here, as well as the port and the famous "Elevador Lacerda", which enables you get from the upper city to the lower city, and vice versa.

Salvador's beaches are often packed, so don't be reluctant to travel a few kilometers by bus and venture off along the coast. You'll find some heavenly little places in which to simply laze around and relax there.

Brazil is huge, which makes it really really difficult to choose what to visit. However, I do really encourage you to include Salvador on your itinerary when traveling through this magnificent country.  

I arrived just as the carnival was beginning. It's a piece of street theater and a carnival of the people. Everybody devotes hours of work to preparing for the event. The people all take to the street and are dancing by 5 pm and through until 5 or 6 the following morning.

The groups parade past, all very different from one another. There are the rastas, all in red, gold, and green, the Indians all painted and carrying bows and arrows, groups made up of women only, percussionists swinging along like anything, not forgetting the electric trio which consists of three enormous trucks, which are all lit up and decorated, each carrying an orchestra standing up and playing music on the platform, with enormous speakers taking up the whole sides of the trucks. Behind, there are thousands of people having a tremendous time and dancing the samba. Then everywhere, there are little dance halls where everyone can dance to the music they like.

The city lives to the rhythm of the carnival for four to six days. The elevator that links the lower part of the city to the upper part is free for the duration, buses are available to get people to the different parades, depending on the neighborhood. The stores are closed. Everybody parties. There are street sellers offering meat or cheese kebabs all full of Bahian specialties, including the famous 'caïpirinha'.