After taking a 5 hour bus from Itacare to Bom Despachio, waiting 45 minutes, and then taking the 1 hour ferry across the bay, we arrived in Salvador. Stepping off the ferry in Salvador was like stepping into a new country. In the heart of Bahia, Salvador is a city of approximately 3 million people seeping with culture and the ever present beat of drums. Salvador also has a very high African American population due to the slave trade that used to exist in Brazil, and has been referred to as “the African soul of the country.”
We made our way by taxi to Pelourinho, which is tourist area located in the upper part of the historical center. We were dropped off in the main square and pointed in the direction of our hostel. We were both tired and weary as we made our way slowly over the severely uneven cobblestone roads. A dazzling African American woman in a large skirted and colourful dress pointed us down a very steep road towards the hostel we were looking for. After a pleasant check in, and a trek up 3 flights of stairs to our room, we took a few minutes to get ourselves organized before making our way down for caipirinha happy hour, where we met a few of our hostel mates. Galeria 13 proved to have a few very interesting people staying at it, including a 60-something Australian woman who has traveled nearly the entire world, an English guy who has been in Brazil for 2 months and only seen 2 cities, and a Norwegian girl who is fresh out of highschool, yet has more maturity than some 25 year olds I know. After happy hour and dinner nearby, we had a relaxing night hanging out in the lounge visiting with some of our new friends. This was also our first opportunity to meet the owner of the hostel, Paolo, and his 2 dogs, Zulu and Spartan. For those who don’t like dogs, Zulu can be quite intimidating, weighing nearly 150 pounds. As a dog lover, I had a good time playing with both dogs over the 4 days we stayed at the hostel!
The following day proved to be unproductive in terms of sightseeing, but quite productive in other aspects. After enjoying a massive and delicious free breakfast, we set out to do some much needed laundry. The hostel didn’t have laundry service, but Paolo pointed us in the direction of a very good local service. After dropping off our laundry, we explored the Pelourinho area, discovering that it mostly consisted of churches; I counted at least 6 of them. Although they were all beautiful, I loved the Afro Brazilian church where thousands of coloured Bahia bands were tied. The bands come in an array of colours, each symbolizing something different, including friendship, spirituality, passion, wisdom and inner peace, health, and fertility. It became a tradition at the Bonfim church to tie a band on using 3 knots, making a wish for each knot, and this tradition has become popular throughout Salvador, and particularly at the Afro Brazilian church. The bands are beautiful, and I love the meaning behind them, so I bought a few to tie to my backpack and to leave in various locations.
In between hopping from coffee shop to coffee shop in the area, we made our way to a view point of the lower city, and the bay beyond. In this area, I forced Ryan to stand behind figurines dressed like locals so that we could have a cheesy photo. I swear he hates me sometimes! From the viewpoint, the lower city looks quite grungy, as the buildings have now been deserted and are overrun with plants and covered in grime and the residue of pollution. Nevertheless, we made our way down using the massive elevator they have constructed in order to visit the local market. The market was neat, although similar to Otavalo, it became very repetitive very quickly. After picking up our laundry, we made it back to the hostel just in time for happy hour, and then went out for a late dinner with a few people from the hostel. We were joined by our Australian friend, a couple from Palastine and Spain who now live in Switzerland, and 2 German girls. As we sat around the table enjoying a shared seafood meal, I thought about how fortunate I am to spend time with such an interesting array of people from all over the world. One of the things I truly love the most about traveling is spending time with people from a different culture who truly see the world through different eyes than myself. I was awed by the laughter and pure love of life each and every person at the table had. Perhaps these feelings were the caipirinhas talking – I’m really not sure!
After breakfast the next morning, we set out to see the famous Bonfim church. I was awestruck by how many Bahia bands were tied onto the church, and as Ryan and I tied a few on, we had difficulties finding a place where our band would fit around. We made our way into the church, and found that in one of the back rooms there were wax figures of body parts that had been healed from wishes made by the Bahia bands. Apparently it is a tradition to make a wish using a Bahia band for a sick person, child, or an ailment of a particular body part, and then if the wish is granted to hang a wax figure of this body part or person. For some, the Bahia bands really have been a livesaver. That afternoon, we went on a walking tour through the Pelourinho area, learning a bit about the various churches and the history of the historic center. The tour was decent, although the man leading it was a bit of unique character, reminding me of someone I worked with at my last job (I won’t say who!). The tour finished in time for yet another happy hour, and while half of the hostel went out in another area of the city, a few of us made our way to a pay by the kilo restaurant with live music that was good, although far too loud. I was both exhausted and still battling a cold, so I was in bed and sleeping like a baby at a very early hour for a Saturday night!
We spent our final full day in Salvador in the Barra area of the city, which is a bit more upscale than Pelourinho. The taxi dropped us off at the mall, and we made our way down to the waterfront, where we had a great view of the city and the beach. We walked the length of the beach to the lighthouse, before making our way back to the mall to enjoy some lunch, unnecessary shopping, and of course, the air conditioning. Ryan and I both bought Havianas, and I officially feel like I fit in here in Brazil now! As we wandered through the mall, I felt as though I was back home in Canada with the assortment of nice shops and clothing botiques. It never ceases to amaze me how malls all seem to look the same in various countries throughout the world. Once again, we made it back just in time for happy hour and dinner before it was time to pack our bags for our early morning flight to Foz de Iguacu. Although I was ready to leave Salvador, I was a little sad to leave Galeria 13, as it was one of the best hostels we’ve stayed at on our trip so far.