Salvador da Bahia 5/1-5/2

Next stop on our trip - Salvador da Bahia.  

Salvador is the capital of the state of Bahia in the Northeast of Brasil.  Salvador was the first capital of Brasil and is the center of Afro-Brasilian culture because it was where the Portuguese first landed in Brasil with African slaves.  

Salvador is extremely hot all year around, is packed full of churches and lined with busy beaches.

Quick lesson in Brasilian travel: Dont Expect ANYTHING To Be On Time! Ever!

Our first night in Bahia we never made it to our hostel and ended up spending the night in the airport.  Why you might ask?

Oh, maybe because our flight from Rio didn't depart until about 30 minutes before we were supposed to arrive in Bahia (mind you, it's a 2 1/2 hour flight).

But here's the best part... Our flight wasn't even considered "delayed".  

Only In Brasil.

So, because of "Brasilian Time", we arrived in Bahia after midnight and there were no more busses running until morning.  Hence, airport sleepover.

My tile bed and backpack pillow were quite luxurious :)

 Since we knew we would be spending a lot of time at the beach in Rio and in the next leg of our trip, we decided to stay in a neighborhood called Pelourinho near Praça da Sé, which is the historical center of Bahia.  This area is full of old buildings and churches and is the home to many cultural festivals in Salvador.

Igreja São Francísco em Praça da Sé

(Yay for SF)

 We came across some people practicing Capoeira and decided to show off our moves.  They obviously liked Zaria the best (probably because she's black), but Grant and I thought we would show them up with our ninja-like arm jabs.  

Capoeira is a form of dance fighting that emphasizes the movement and flexibility of the legs as well as acrobatic technique.  Apparently Grant and I missed this memo.

This is more like what Capoeira actually looks like, but Grant looks a little scared, understandably.

 The city of Salvador has an upper and lower level, which can be easily accessed by pedestrians using this awesome elevator in the center of the city.  This was only a 5 minute walk from our hostel and only costs 15 cents to ride.  The upper level leads right out to Pelourinho while the bottom level opens up to Salvador's famous Mercado Modelo.

My favorite stand at Mercado Modelo.  How cool are these masks?

 The view of sunset from outside Praça da Sé in Salvador da Bahia :)