Where do I even begin with Carnaval? It was such an amazing experience - so much to say, but I haven't got the slightest clue on where to start... there's about 40 pages in my journal about the entire week. I keep trying to start this entry and just have too much to say that I get overwhelmed and stop. haha. So, I'm going to try and sum it up, best that I can. I guess I'll just start with the beginning, thats what normally happens , right ....
Salvadors a huge city up north in the state of Bahia. (on the map, find the circle... there's Bahia) I'm not really sure what the towns like when Carnavals not happening ... kind of like New Orleans minus Mardi Gras, but from what I saw, Salvador was pretty dirty and smelly, with a lot of history and poverty, plagued by a significant problem of crack and human trafficking. I mean, it's not a shit hole if thats what youre thinking because up until now thats pretty much how I've painted the picture. Salvador has a lot of "soul" and with all that's going on - it's still a really cool city filled with good vibes and really nice people.
I stayed in Pelourinho, a historical neighborhood, kind of out of the way from everything- everything meaning the modern downtown barrio of Barra along the beach. In Pelourinho, the buildings are really colorful and look a million years old with detailled architecture slowly chipping away from the sides. The streets are cobblestoned and narrow. (first picture) Everyone seems to have the skill to be able to paint... well. Ladies cook acerajé outside in the squares, people sell their paintings and you can usually find someone singing outside for anyone who's willing to stop and listen. Think.. Lappa in Rio or San Telmo in Buenos Aires. The north of Brazil is filled with west african influence and completely different than south Brazil.
I met these two little girls in a store that thought I was so interesting by my terrible portuguese accent. They were cool.
This is a picture of the acerajé I was talking about : its kind of like a "bread" made from black-eyed peas, fried in dendê oil- then cut open and stuffed with a spicy paste, veggies and shrimp . Its pretty typical in the Candomblé religion... which is like a branch of voodoo commonly practiced in Bahia.
