Sorria, voce esta na Bahia

I've been really wanting to go to Salvador (Bahia) ever since I landed in Brazil and I finally got my opportunity. I was a little nervous at first, now that I am travelling alone (Bye Chris and Andrela!). However, through my trip in the Dominican Republic last year, I learned that many people often do travel alone. I just have to be cautious as to who I hang out with and where I go. Hostels are a great way to meet other lone travelers who have the same sense of adventure as I do. In Salvador, I stayed a week at Galeria 13 Hostel where I met many people from many countries everyday. I met a lot of people from the UK, France, Japan, Brazil (of course), the Netherlands, Canada...etc. Although I knew them for one day, meeting the Canadians was one of my memorable nights. These two guys would go back and forth with sarcastic comments about everything. Their sense of humor is one that I am used to and miss greatly. Their sarcastic humor kept me laughing the whole night, almost couldn't breath. They made me feel kind of homesick, wanting to speak to my friends in Canada.

On the night I arrived I met Eri, a Japanese girl that had been studying in Argentina the past few months and decided that she wanted to see Brazil before she returns to Japan. Also travelling alone, we spent most of our time together sight seeing, going to the beach, and going out. She also helped me when I stubbed my other toe for the 2nd time (the 1st time had been 2 days earlier in Rio and Andrela had helped me, thanks!). I definitely need to lift my legs when I walk and watch where I step :(. Eri and I have a very similar view of the world and we are both eager to conquer it. Next time, we'll travel to Chile together, we girls can dream right?

My hostel is located in Pelourinho which was once the city center during Portuguese colonialism. Founded in 1549, this neighborhood is filled with old historical monuments and buildings that date as far back as the 17th century. It should be noted that Pelourinho also had the first slave market on the South American continent. Most, if not all, of the architecture is very colonial in style and each building is painted in different colors. And yes, this is the other location that Michael Jackson shot his music video that I talked about in a previous blog post about the Santa Marta favela in Rio.

Each day as I walk on Pelourinho's stone paved streets, the spicy smell of acaraje is always in the air. I made sure to have one each day while I was in Salvador, however I did get sick of it after the 5th day. At every corner of the plazas, there are women dresses in traditional Bahian attire and selling the local dishes. Influenced by old African fashion, these Bahian women stand around Pelourinho while tourists take pictures with them. Their dresses are both elaborate yet beautiful. The headscarf reminds me of current Nigerian fashion, which I love. 

I was very surprised to see how strong the African culture has stayed in Bahia. Like the history of African-Americans, Afro-Brazilian slaves were often forced to forget their African traditions, religions, and cultures. However in Salvador, the people have been able to maintain their blended African traditions, mainly influenced by Nigerian and Angolan culture. From the food to the clothes and religion, the African influence is strong here. One week was not enough, I will definitely come back to Salvador.

Next stop....Aracaju :).