"Ah Salvador! Capoeira,Candomble and... " a Salvador da Bahia Travel Page by sunlovey

The music, the dance, the religion, the fooooooooood....... what a place. We landed in Salvador really late at night. We had no idea what to expect, despite reading up on it in travel guides. I guess that can be said for all the places we travel to for the first time. But the more exotic you go, the more amazed/perplexed/astounded/surprised you are.

It's almost hard to believe that Salvador and Rio are in the same country. But- the same could be said for a pair of states/cities in the U.S. That said, it was a good thing we didn't spend our entire trip in Rio, it would have been such a small taste of what Brazil on the whole entails, encompasses and has to offer. I can only imagine what the Amazon is like for that matter, world's different even more so, I'm sure.

OK, so yeah, we arrived late at night and were wisked away to our hotel, as we drove into the city we could see the silhouettes of a few favellas, but the first thing I saw that enchanted me... clued me into what sort of magical place we were entering, was Dique de Tororo. Amazing and vibrant sculptures of traditional Bahian women, larger than life, hovering above a lake, with lights cast upon them. I literally rubbed my eyes then turned to Tim "Did you SEE that!?" I asked. I think I thought I was dreaming.

The days that followed in Salvador were full of new sights, scents, sounds, tastes and ...emotions! An amazing culture, preserved. A drum beat that lingers in your soul. Dancing that entranced. And oh my gosh! MOQUECA! A scrumptuous delicacy that I could not get enough of!

The streets of the Pelourinho district are charming, beautiful, fascinating and chock full of the coolest shops, restaurants and activity. You'll be drawn back to this area every day you're there.

But, if you can pry yourself away, take the trip up to Praia do Forte too. This little village, although touristy, is lovely, the beaches are nice, the atmosphere is ultra relaxed and project Tamar is worth seeing.

This is Dique de Tororo... my first taste of Salvador sometime past midnight on our arrival-depicting the various gods of Candomble illuminated by light. Surreal. I didn't get a photo of it by night but I did get a postcard, I will try and scan it in soon....