The start to the next day was like deja-vu. I slept in past breakfast, woke up and took a shower at 12:30, and joined my new buddy Marcus for another day of site seeing in Salvador. Marcus suggested Ribiera, a part of Salvador that was also recommended on the napkin I received on the airplane.
Marcus is an interesting guy…an overachiever to say the least.
He’s in his mid 20’s and is fluent in Portuguese (of course), English, and Spanish. His greatest hobby is learning languages and so our days would consist of us practicing our English, Spanish, and Portuguese. We would spot a tree for instance, and Marcus would teach me the word in Portuguese while comparing the make up of the word to the word in Spanish and English. He is studying English at University and also completed a certification course in something related to security, in addition to working at the hostel.
The main attraction in Ribiero is its church.
It was nice but nothing special after having visited at least 20 different churches throughout South America.
Outside the church there were many locals and tourists. A few blocks away we found this beauty.
I snapped that by sticking my camera through the gates. I have no idea what the property is used for and the only person to ask was a older prostitute soliciting us for sex.
But the real gem of Ribiera is the neighborhood itself. We both remarked how relaxing and laid back the atmosphere felt to us. We wandered for a few hours, occasionally walking past locals, ice cream parlors, small restaurants, etc. It’s a place I would really enjoy living.
Like I said, the locals are relaxed. This is a picture of a few just chilling in a derelict yard.
I could tell that this neighborhood used to be a happening place by the look of so many colonial buildings. But few are still kept looking new.
Ribiera has a beach and fort as well. Sooooo many forts in South America.
After a bit of walking we found our place on the beach overlooking downtown Salvador.
We sat and talked for a few hours. Later on we found an ice cream parlor and ate some native Amazonian fruit flavored ice cream that tasted a bit sour. I would have preferred vanilla.
That night turned into a bit of a surprise. I was lying in bed around midnight when I decided on going to the bathroom. Upon returning to my room I ran into the friends I had just spent time with 2 days prior in Rio. They had just arrived in Salvador and still had their backpacks on as they were checking into the hostel.
Like me, they attempted to check into the same other hostel that was full. Although they found this one much easier than I.
The following day, myself and my friends (the 2 Canadians and French girl) spent some time near the hostel in Barra and back to Pelourinho where I showed them around.
The beach in Barra is also quite nice, even if its a bit rocky.
Back in Pelourinho, a Baiana woman is dressed in her traditional white African attire selling traditional soul food: deep-fried on a portable stove.
We ate lunch at a cheap kilo restaurant, which is a Brazilian buffet restaurant in which you help yourself from a buffet and weigh your plate on a scale at the end of the buffet counter. Kilo restaurants usually serve varied, home-style Brazilian food: beans, rice, meats, vegetables, pastries, casseroles and salads.
After lunch the four of us toured the Afro-Brazilian museum. We even got to watch a traditional ceremony…kidding. It’s just a picture of a picture of a ceremony.
Unfortunately, we made conversation with that one old man who spends every day of his hanging out in the museum. Of course he does not work there, but he still managed to know every. single. boring.fact about the museum and the staff that has worked there in the past 50 years.
I am pretty certain every museum in the world has one of these guys. Needless to say, we spent a bit more time in the museum than we planned.
We wandered some more after finally escaping.
Hippies from Argentina that sell jewelry to survive.
One of the many outdoor cafe’s and homeless people wandering the streets.
A famous theater
The day was beginning to end and so I led them down the elevator to the lower city to show them Mercado Modelo. That was also a mistake. We proceeded to spend 2 hours there while one of my friends spent the time deciding on whether he wanted to purchase a mass produced drum that can be found anywhere. He did buy it and for the next week, all i heard was him banging on the drums. It was awful!
I think that’s a fake smile. I can’t imagine I was that happy sitting on a bench for two hours.
I can’t imagine I was that happy sitting on a bench for two hours.