Brazil, Salvador, Bahia

Mar 1, 2020

1 min read

Salvador, also known as Saõ Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos, was one of the two places we wanted to stop at on our way towards Chile and ultimately New Zealand. With limited time, we didn't do this city full justice - it is after all the capital of the state of Bahia and the 4th largest city in Brazil. We did however wander beyond the area we were strictly advised to stay within.

We concentrated our efforts in the area known as Pelhourinho, the historic center, one of the oldest colonial cities in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Colourful cobblestone streets. Salvador was one of the first slave ports in the Americas and the African influence is seen everywhere. The city has a great vibe, great cuisine, lots of music and drums and while, sadly, we weren't there for Carnival, it is supposed to host one of the largest parties in the world.

The city is full of churches, churches on top of churches, all lavishly decorated. The Portuguese brought Catholicism with them and the slaves built their own church in their limited free time, the simpler blue church, Igreja Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos.

Michael Jackson filmed, They Don't Care about Us, in this historic area - the video is worth a look just to see how colourful the place truly is.