Salvador da Bahia
We took the advice of the campsite in terms of security and we left in "Uber" for the historic center located 35 minutes with as little valuable as we can.
We only have on us our bags for cameras and video that we carry across the shoulder, a bank card and some liquidity and the guide of the backpacker.
Nicknamed the Black Rome or Mecca of Negritude, Salvador da Bahía has become one of the must-see tourist destinations.
The city was until 1763 the capital of the Portuguese Crown in Brazil,
The Historical Centre, known as "Pelourinho", was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 because of the profusion of historical buildings it contains, testimony to the grandeur of the city in colonial times when Brazil was occupied by the Portuguese.
We started our visit with ' The Terreiro de Jesus ' whose official name is" Praça XV de Novembro ". It hosts a colourful mix of people: groups of tourists zigzagging between the different churches, and crowds of onlookers around capoeira rodas. (Afro-Brazilian martial art)
We immediately see the impressive police system put in place... The safety of tourists is a topic not overlooked by the authorities.
* Catedral Basílica: Built by the Jesuits between 1657 and 1672. It has a facade in liais, a stone with very fine grain that served as ballast on Portuguese boats. The interior combines baroque and rococo styles.
* Museu Afro Brasileiro: It is dedicated to African culture in Brazil. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, some five million Africans were deported to Brazil, mostly Bantu from Angola, Congo and Mozambique, and Yorubas from the Gulf of Guinea and Nigeria. Some rooms are devoted to the history of candomblé; you can see 27 cedar panels by the Argentine artist Carybé (1911-1997), Bahianais of adoption, representing the orixás.
* Igreja e Convento Sao Francisco: It is nicknamed «the gold church», a masterpiece of the early 18th century. Carved woodwork of a thousand patterns and gilded it is a profusion of baroque style that adorns the interior. The paintings on the ceiling, by José Joaquim da Rocha, as well as the sculpture by Manuel Inácio da Costa depicting Saint Peter of Alcantara, are admirable. Tiles adorn the cloister.
* Pelourinho: Largo do Pelourinho is located on a street in old Salvador. So called because of the pelourinho (pillory) that was there in colonial times, it was the place where slaves were punished before the crowd.
Lunch break in a restaurant where we discovered one of the traditional dishes of the region of Bahia la « Moqueca » ( kind of pot au feu de la mer) ... a treat!!
In the afternoon the streets come alive as the hours go by. Drum formations repeat either parading or stopping. A crowd of all ages dance with them ... It’s a taste of carnival.