| Page Views: 871 Last Visit to Salvador da Bahia: November, 2005 | Salvador da Bahia by ValbyDK - last update: Apr 10, 2008 |
|  | SALVADOR DA BAHIA - FACTS Salvador da Bahia is located on the northeast coast of Brazil (between Rio and Recife), and is the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia.
The area around Salvador was first encountered by Europeans in the beginning of the 16th century, and Salvador itself was established by Portuguese settlers in 1549. It soon became a main sea port and an important centre of the sugar industry. Salvador da Bahia was also one of the originally gateways for the African slave trade and that’s why you see the African culture everywhere in Salvador today - in music, dancing, food... More than 80% of Salvador’s more than two million residents are of Afro-Brazilian descent.
Salvador was the first capital of Brazil and remained so until 1763, when it was succeeded by Rio de Janeiro.
It is said that Salvador has 365 churches (one for each day) and was the seat of the first Catholic bishop of Brazil in 1552 - and is still a centre of Brazilian Catholicism. The old downtown area (the Pelourinho or Centro Historico) was restored in the 1990s and is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Today, Salvador is the 2nd most visited city by international tourists in Brazil (after Rio de Janeiro).
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| | MY VISIT In November 2005, I was staying one week at Marazul Hotel in the Barra area. Barra is a very lively neighbourhood with many bars and restaurants along the waterfront. The beach was only 100metres away from the hotel and was very crowded during the weekend. A large shopping mall, Shopping Barra, was also located within walking distance.
Salvador da Bahia has a reputation for theft and muggings, and we also had a couple of incidents where people were trying to empty our pockets! Still I enjoyed my stay and really liked the city: We had great fun in the nightlife and the old downtown is a very interesting area with many sights.
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| | FESTIVAL AFRICA BRASIL During my stay in Salvador da Bahia there was an African and Brazilian Music Festival at the 'Farol do Barra'. Great party and lot of good music:
Olodum
Edy Vox
MV Bill
Didier Awadi (Senegal)
Inacyra
Margareth Menezes
Thandiswa Mazwai (África do Sul)
Preta Gil
Ilê Aiyê
Daniela Mercury
Diodorina
Male de Balê
Mestre Lua
Gerônimo
Muzenza
Coumba Gawlo (Senegal)
Paulo Flores e Banda Maravilha (Angola)
Carlinhos Brown
Cesária Évora (Cabo Verde)
We didn't see all the artists, but Cesária Évora was (and is) one of my favourites...
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ValbyDK's Salvador da Bahia Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do
Tips: 12 - Photos: 13 | | | | Restaurants | Hotels & Accommodations | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | | Transportation | Local Customs
Tips: 2 - Photos: 2 | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping
Tips: 2 - Photos: 2 | | | Sports Travel
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1 | General Tips
Tips: 1 - Photos: 2 |
 Comments for ValbyDK about Salvador da Bahia | | | | |
icunme Tue Sep 1, 2009 11:31 UTC
Fascinating - took the delux tour w/you - great photos/detail - Barra looks as crowded as Ostia. Grazie, Carol <(•¿•)> | Debinha Tue Nov 4, 2008 23:41 UTC
It´s either Baía de São Salvador or simply Salvador, "bichinho"! Pick any one - and lots of "axé" (very good luck) for you! Thank for the visit ;-) | PierreZA Tue Sep 16, 2008 15:51 UTC
Such a great page! I will hopefully visit Brazil soon. Cheers, Pierre | volopolo Sat Jul 12, 2008 14:27 UTC
Brazil is a great country! the only problem is that its far from Europe. Nice page! |
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