seekingmygreaterperhaps

Oi pessoal! For Easter weekend, I took a trip to Salvador for the first time. This is on every Brazilian’s list of- wait have you been to XXX place yet? Bahia is the state where Salvador is located and is known for having some of the best beaches in the country. I was delighted to experience the heat of Salvador and the beauty of this place. (Axé from the title of this blog means energy, a new slang I learned there)

Up first was a free walking tour through the historic part of Salvador. I ran into a couple different people from my school at the airport in Brasilia who were going to Salvador, and we met up a few times throughout the trip. For the free walking tour I hung out with Rebekah and Rodrigo! They were doing the Portuguese walking tour, and I thought, sure!

I know a few things about myself on a walking tour. I like to keep it moving. I know there is so much history in many of the places I visit. But talk at me for 5 minutes and then move two buildings down and talk more. Please do not keep me standing in one place for 30 minutes. I lose interest and start day dreaming and wandering around to look at other things. An audio learner, I am not.

That being said, Salvador is one of the most culturally rich places in Brazil. (This BBC blog does a really good job of the history if you’re into that.) Salvador was the main landing port for the Portuguese who were bringing Africans over as slaves. About 80% of Bahian people can trace their lineage back to Africa. You can see the celebration of this heritage everywhere in Salvador, from the colorful buildings to the food to the music everywhere. It is truly a stunning place to visit. (In this particular blog post, I am not going to go in depth on everything I “learned” in the walking tour because I was busy seeking the shade and admiring the beautiful buildings.)

The Lacerda Elevator is a symbol of Salvador, and honestly of Brazil too. I had an ice cream from here too which was the right cold treat. I’ve alluded to the heat a few times already, and just to put it out there- Salvador is hot. I was sweating pretty much the entire time I was there, and there wasn’t a lot of break from the heat, except for the ocean. It is a humid and sticky place to be. Salvador hosts a very popular Carnaval, and after visiting, I don’t know how people do it. Millions of people crammed into hot historic streets all sweaty on each other? It takes a special kind of person.

In the photo above, you can see the yellow building in the background. That is a very famous market hall (now) that used to be the main auction place for slaves who came right from the harbor. (This is a fascinating time lapse of the route of slave ships coming from Africa.) In my long weekend, I actually didn’t make it down to the market place or that area of the city.

Ah, I made it to the beautiful Pelourinho, iconic. Every building is brightly colored, the streets are cobblestone, and the people are very kind. Michael Jackson shot parts of his music video “They Don’t Care About Us” in this exact neighborhood. There is a big live music culture (in all of Brazil) but the drumming here is very fun. You may see capoeira demonstrations as well- which is the martial art form that was developing right here in Bahia.

I read about the above ^ juice cart on a blog, and I just have to pass it along here too. This guy sells cold lime coconut juice in the middle of the touristy part of the Pelourinho, and absolutely buy yourself a cup. It is flipping hot, and this juice hits all the thirst quenching desires that you could have to get you through the rest of your tour. You can get a free sample but, buy the drink. Trust.

After the tour ended, Rebekah, Rodrigo and I made our way to Santo Antonio neighborhood for lunch. Had I known, I would have stayed over there because it is so cute. But I stayed in a neighborhood closer to the beach, which is also good, so it’s a toss up. We had lunch at Restaurante La Lupa, and it was absolutely wonderful. (I have a friend who lives in Salvador and also recommended Bar Ulisses and Poro Restaurante and Bar if you’re in the area.)

Afterwards Rebekah and Rodrigo invited me to enjoy their hotels pool and to shake off the heat of the day- an absolute YES from me.

The next day I had breakfast at Coffeetown before I walked to the modern art museum of Bahia because it didn’t look very far on the map. Well, I ended up walking through kind of a sketchy area (the top part of the area in the picture above). It was morning and I was safe, but I definitely took an uber on the way back. Plus- it was hot. 😉

I personally don’t think the MAM is anything super special. They had 2 exhibits open while I was there, so maybe there are other cool things to see? The view of the bay was lovely. I didn’t stay long until I went back to the area I was staying and headed to the beach. I then spent most of the day on the beach, dipping in the water and eating whatever vendors were selling that walked by.

I had a fantastic cocktail at the Bar Fundo De Quintal and watched the sunset. It was absolutely beautiful.

Later I met up with a friend and we went to see some live music in the heart of the Pelourinho (historic old town). All live shows like this are free in Salvador, which is very cool. Without knowing where it was though, it would have been hard to find because you just kind of walk through like a speakeasy type thing and it comes out onto a huge patio and there people are, dancing and singing along. Brazilians are so inclusive with their music and dance- people just love to be together.

My colleagues and I were doing a (stupid) fitness competition, and I didn’t want to fall behind, so I set out early the next day to go on a run and ran up the coastline a little bit more than I had previously seen. It was really stunning.

For lunch I made my way to Jabu Resto Bar, which was the highlight of my dining experience in Salvador. I had the tasting menu, and it was an absolute delight. I am really turning into a food person and appreciating a good fine dining tasting menu. I highly recommend going if you are in Salvador! I am one person so I didn’t need a reservation, but it filled up pretty fast.

Now, a note about Acaraje- seen above. This is THE dish that Bahia is known for. I had this at one of the most famous joints in Bahia located in Rio Vermelha- Acaraje da Dinha. Acaraje is a fritter sandwich made with shrimp, a special yellow sauce/paste, and veggies. I had another acaraje the day before with okra and the okra was so slimy I couldn’t get over it, so for this particular dining experience I skipped it. Note- Brazilians eat shrimp with the skins on. As a Midwestern gal, this is hard for me to get around, but I put it out of mind and did my best. Some of my Brazilian friends swear by acaraje as their favorite food ever… for me it is tasty, but not my favorite. Definitely eat it while in Bahia, and be careful with the spice level!

I essentially spent my days hanging out on the beach and reading. I am a water girl for sure, and it was a wonderful way to spend my time. There are many beaches in Salvador, let alone Bahia as a whole. You just can’t go wrong with renting a chair and posting up for the day.

Thanks for joining me on this trip to Salvador! Until next time.