Santa, Samba and Caiprinha
Written: Apr 06 '03
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Electrifying atmosphere, unique culture
Cons: Difficult to get to, dangerous in places
The Bottom Line: A synergie of Africa and Brazil make this place irresistable
|
|
|
| yidahoo's Full Review: Salvador da Bahia |
The phrase "cut the atmosphere with a knife" is often over used, but in the case of Salvador it is an understatment. In all my travels (109 countries on every continent) I have never visited such an electrifying city and that includes Rio. Perhaps it was the fact that it was Christmas but the city was alive with music, you hav'nt lived until you have heard "White Chrismas" to a samba beat.
Salvador is unlike any other South American city, it was here that the black slaves were bought over from Africa to work the plantations. From this misery developed capoeira a strange but enchanting synthesis of dance and martial arts. It was started as a form of passive resistance to the colonial masters, the martial arts symbolising the aggression that could not be used and the dance the freedom they desired. Go to the main market near the port any day and there will be any number of capoeira teams dancing, but be warned, they do'nt do it for free and some will actually turn nasty if you refuse them money. A little tip is to carry some small bills, preferably Reais if you want to watch them
Above the market, perched on a cliff and accessed by a lift is the old town, Pelourinho. Here I saw people dancing in the street for no particular reason, a huge Samba band playing the aforementioned christmas carol and drank caiprinhas till I was seeing double. For those of you who have'nt tried a caiprinha, your life is yet to be fulfilled. A mixture of Cacacha (brazillian fire water) fresh limes, crushed ice and sugar it is simply the most perfect hot weather refresher ever invented. For those of us stuck in Britain, you can create a feel of the Cacacha with white rum and a touch of tequila. Be warned it is as potent as it is morish.
The people are a mixture of Portuguese and African origin and this is a quite stunning mixture. They share the Brazillian's natural curiosity for strangers as well as the well known zest for life. It is indeed rare to see a Brazillian that is'nt smiling.
In summary if you have a desire for something a very different but engagingly interesting then Salvador is a place to go. Unless you are already an alcoholic that is
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Singles
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
yidahoo
|
|
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.