Bahia Days and Nights...

(Sorry that this is kind of wordy…I am keeping this blog as a record for myself as well and so I want it as detailed as possible.)

I chose to spend my five days in what many say is the real cultural soul of Brazil, the state of Bahia. We came into port in the northeastern city of Salvador, which is where I spent my first day and night. It is the most African city in Brazil, and is highly populated by the descendents of the millions of slaves that were once brought over from Africa. The city itself had a very interesting orientation overlooking a beautiful bay. The city is divided into an upper and lower section, with an elevator connecting the two. The lower city was very poverty-stricken and yet beautiful in its own way. The upper city was bustling with life throughout mazes of hilly cobble stone streets. The architecture of the city is absolutely amazing, though it is apparent that much of it has been deserted and run down over the years. It seems like I saw elaborate and ornate Catholic churches on every corner.

The first thing that struck me about Brazil was the intense wave of heat that hit my body upon exiting the ship. It is summer time near the equator here and air conditioning was a rare commodity. The entire time I kept expecting to open a door and feel a cool breeze from indoor air conditioning, but it was always the same steamy sweaty heat. After exchanging some currency and shopping in a market place, my friends and I went in search of a restaurant that we found in the 1000 Places to See Before You Die book. Unfortunately it was no longer there, so instead we went to this great restaurant that had been highly recommended to us. Nobody spoke a word of English and so we had no idea what we were ordering. We ended up getting this amazing steak lunch with rice and beans and some other unrecognizable sides. After spending a few minutes trying to figure out how to eat it, the waiter came over chuckling and tried to help us out. All in all it was a fun experience and a great introduction to the amazing food of Brazil. The next few hours were spent walking around the city, shopping, and sightseeing. The language barrier was actually fun and I got my first try at bargaining for local goods. The most interesting part of the day came when we wandered away from the touristy part of the city, and into the shopping districts filled with locals.

Later that night we went to a really nice venue for a welcome reception with local university students. It is actually summer break in Salvador and so there were not as many students as usual, but it was still a blast. We got to watch a performance of capoeira, which is an old dance developed in Bahia. It is really neat to watch because it is a combination of martial arts and dance movements set to the rhythm of drums. I was told that it originated from the African slaves as a means of self-defense from their masters. The rest of the welcome reception involved a lot of music, dancing, socializing and drinking. I got a chance to chat a little with our inter-port Brazilian student, who had been on the ship with us from Puerto Rico to Salvador. I learned a little bit about what it is like to be a Brazilian college student and hear her thoughts on the issues and politics of Brazil. After a late night, I headed back to the ship to try to catch a few hours of sleep before my trip to Lencois.

Lencois…
Lencois is a small old town in the northeastern interior of Brazil. It is surrounded by the Chapada Diamantina National Park, which contains multitudes of waterfalls, caves, plateaus, swimming holes and a tropical oasis. At about 5:30 in the morning, myself and a group of nine other SASers met and ventured to the local bus station to purchase tickets to Lencois. It was about a six hour bus ride west from Salvador. I absolutely loved the drive, and the bus itself was actually a lot nicer than I thought it would be. I was in awe as we drove past the stacks of favelas (slums and shantytowns) sprawled as far as the eye could see on the outskirts of the city. Never in my life have I seen anything like it. Over the next six hours I watched out my window as the scenery changed from the bustling city to rolling hills and farmland, to tropical, to desert and finally mountains. Upon arriving in Lencois we found a man who spoke some English and hired him and a couple of guides to take us around on treks for the next day and a half. We ended up staying in a really charming little hostel in the middle of the town. We rented out the entire top floor and even had our own little sitting area to hang out in. The first afternoon we went on a hike to a natural waterslide. It was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was located on the huge sloping river, full of pools of water with lots of rocks to jump off of. The slide itself was this wide sloping smooth rock spanning across the entire river, with water rushing down it from all sides. Incredible! (I’ll have to post some pictures later- it costs too much to do it on the internet on the ship.) After our hike, we went and ate dinner in this restaurant in an alley that was no more than the back of some woman’s house. We had massive steak dinners and drinks for the equivalent of only 3 US dollars. We spent a couple hours just sitting and visiting and having a great time in this little town, in this little alley, in this foreign country we had never been to before. We all agreed that we were having a “moment.” Having a “moment” is what we SASers keep referring to as the times where all we can think is “wow, this is one of the best times of my life…right now…in this moment.” The ten of us were complete strangers only days before, all from different schools and different places. But at that moment we were in the middle of nowhere in Brazil having the time of our lives together and bonding. The rest of the night was spent wondering around the town that was still very much alive late into the night with locals, children and travelers from all over the world. We met a man from South Africa who had spent the last 11 years of his life just traveling from country to country, living only off life and his faith. We played with local children who loved taking pictures of us with our digital cameras. Even though we were from different worlds and spoke different languages, I realized that laughter and smiles are universal. It was an eye-opening experience to say the least. The night ended with a toast to Brazil, Lencois, and new friends, and followed by some dancing in the streets.

The next day we had an authentic breakfast at our hotel and headed out for a full day of outdoor adventure. First we hiked to a waterfall for some swimming and cliff jumping. After spending some time there we drove to the bottom of a huge mountain plateau. We hiked to the top for an amazing panoramic view of the entire area. We took turns holding onto each other and leaning over a rock on the edge of a cliff. We felt like we were flying! It was such a rush! Afterwards, our guides took us to another restaurant in the outskirts of town. The food was very strange and I honestly still can’t believe I didn’t get sick from anything. Next we went snorkeling in caves filled with water. I had no idea you could even do such a thing! The water was crystal clear and the caves went really far in and down to incredible depths. After snorkeling, we walked to another cave with the most amazingly azul blue water I have ever seen. It was like something out of a movie. Lastly, we got a tour of a huge cave underground filled with incredible stalactite and stalagmite (I am like 99.9% sure I spelled those wrong) and bats. In the middle of the cave, our guide turned off the lantern to give us all a minute of meditation and reflection in the darkness. It was unreal (and a little creepy) to be in total darkness.

After our extremely long and tiring and amazing day in the outskirts of Lencois, we headed back into town to get some dinner and go out before our midnight bus back to Salvador. By the time we got on the bus, we were exhausted and smelly and dirty and in love with life. We were back at the ship by 6am that morning and headed straight to the dining hall for a great American breakfast. I think the dining staff on the ship were really confused as to why this group of smelly kids were at breakfast an hour early on the empty ship. We showered, slept for maybe an hour on the ship, than headed out for another great day in Brazil. I decided that it would be fun to take a ferry over to Itaparica Island. We spent the day walking the streets and sitting under umbrellas on the beach sipping coconut juice. It was really interesting because it seemed to be a vacation place for the locals from Salvador. I have never seen so many itsy bitsy Brazilian bikinis in my life! The rest of the night we spent in Salvador, taking in as much of the culture as possible. Everywhere I went in Brazil was alive and gearing up for Carnaval (often referred to as the world’s biggest party) which will be taking place within the next week or two. Many SASers are really bummed that we are just missing it, but I honestly don’t think we would have survived Brazil’s wild Carnaval celebrations!

The soccer match…
While they didn’t actually invent the game, it is safe to say that Brazilians have perfected the art of futebol (as it is called locally). I spent my last day in Salvador at a soccer game. These people are insane about soccer! It was one of the craziest things that I have ever experienced. The stadium was massive and filled with loads of crazed fans. There was swat teams, security and police everywhere. Our group even was escorted with our own security guard and guide in case things got a little rowdy. The match was team Bahia vs. Vitoria. I was routing for Vitoria because I liked the color of their jerseys better and the locals I talked to said they played dirtier. Unfortuately I was sitting on the wrong side of the stadium so I was too afraid to cheer at the wrong moment. The game ended in a tie much to my disappointment. After the game was over, the scene was absolute chaos. There was so much energy in the stadium that I am surprised I made it out and back to the ship in one piece.

Brazilian food…
The food in Brazil is amazing… that is, if you aren’t a vegetarian. At many restaurants they just keep bringing around slices of meat to your plate. It is always such a feast. In our pre-port meeting they warned us to not eat from buffets that had been sitting out, and to be wary of street vendors. We also couldn’t drink the water, have any ice, or eat fresh fruits or vegetables. I have to say that most of the time, especially in Lencois, we broke almost every one of those rules…we often had no choice! Some how my body has defied science and I am one of the only ones I know who hasn’t had some sort of gastrointestinal difficulties. I also have to admit that I am guiltily very glad to be eating back on the ship, where the food is both recognizable and fly-free. In Brazil I was usually warned away from the chicken, but I hate seafood, and the vegetables weren’t safe either…leaving me with only steak. I don’t think I can possibly consume any more beef for at least another month. I have put myself on full beef detox!

Saying goodbye to Brazil…
I was really sad when the ship pulled out of port because I feel like I barely had time to experience Brazil. It is such a huge country and contains so much wonder and culture. Some people went to the Amazon, some went to Rio de Janeiro, others to Iguacu Falls, some in stayed Salvador, and still others ventured out to obscure towns and villages. It has been fun seeing all the pictures and hearing all the stories of peoples travels. It only has fueled my desire to return some day. I had a wonderful time but am not sure that I could have physically survived another day there. I think that I will probably sleep through the entire crossing to Africa!

Most overheard quote in Brazil: “I am having another moment!”