Monday - January 28, 2008

Salvador da Bahia, Brazil 

 Salvador da Bahia is a city divided into two parts; the lower city which is the newer part, and the upper city which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The two parts are connected by a huge elevator. It is a fascinating city, loaded with lovely old colonial buildings and spectacular beaches. Also, the African influence is very evident here, including a mystic religion blended with African ritual that we know as voodoo!

As I said in the summary, we arrived just a week before the huge Carnival celebrations begin, and workmen were busy putting up boarding to protect buildings and parks and viewing stands for the more sedate participants. Our driver said that the rest of the crowds, which can number in the millions, are all out dancing in the streets and the party can get pretty wild. As one Samba musician noted, "To shake your rump is to be environmentally aware." We were too early to see the festivities but we did see an all-drum band marching through the streets of the old town, and as Mike and I said, how could anybody possibly stand still while listening to that beat!

We really loved walking around the historical center of Salvador. The buildings are all painted in lovely, soft colors and those that are weathered only add to the ambience.

There are a number of very nice parks with fountains and ladies wandering around in their native costumes, that I have to say are not the most flattering. The skirts have big hoops at the hips that make the women look about 7 feet wide! A photographer in the main square had costumes that tourists could stand behind to have their pictures taken.  One man was trying to talk me into posing, when I said, "Look at these hips - I think I look bad enough already with posing behind that!" He gave me a big smile, patted me on the arm, and walked off to find the next sucker. I didn't know whether to be insulted or relieved. 

On our walking tour, we visited two of the main churches in the old center. The first was the 17th-century Cathedral, which was very beautiful with its interior gold decorations and Portuguese hand-painted azulejo blue and white tiles. We thought the gold-leaf decoration was quite remarkable, until we walked into the second church, the 16th-century Sao Francisco.

The painted ceiling of this church was stunning, and the intricately hand-carved interior was plastered with gold! I have never seen anything like it. Our guide said that 8 kilos of gold leaf were used. In the cloister, the walls were covered with azulejo tiles. The church is a monument to the enormous wealth that this colonial city produced in its heyday.

Speaking of wealth, Brazil is still to this day the major exporter of semi-precious gems. Imperial topaz is only mined in Brazil, and it is the largest supplier of aquamarine, tourmaline, citrine, amethyst, and blue topaz, and is one of the largest producers of emeralds, opals, and diamonds. Naturally, there are jewelry stores everywhere, even on board ship! As luck would have it, the only public toilet in the center of the old city, or so we were told, is at the H. Stern jewelry store. And even more naturally, after an hour or so of touring, we all needed a toilet. So in we trooped to use their facilities. And naturally, the women were all curious as to what the jewelry looked like. Well, the short answer is that it all looked beautiful! And before we knew it, I was the proud owner of an exquisite pair of dangle earrings with a blue topaz, an aquamarine, a smoky quartz, and a citrine in each. We think this may be the most expensive potty stop we have ever taken!

We ended the city tour by walking down some cobble-stoned streets lined with colorful local art galleries, restaurants, and boutiques to reach another large square where the slaves who worked the mines and the plantations in colonial times had built their own church, seeing as they were not allowed to enter the churches built for the owners. 

A scenic drive back to the docks returned us to our air-conditioned ship. The temperature had been in the low 80s most of the day but the humidity was quite high and we were dripping wet by the time we got back. A quick shower and a good dinner (no need to ask -  of course I wore my new earrings) made us feel 100% again.