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Carnival in Salvador



Before Carnival we were lucky enough to stay on the island Itaparica, near Salvador. 

Our lovely air bnb
hosts Carlos, Gabi and Mel took us out on their motorised canoe to deserted beaches and mangrove lined rivers. They cooked us delicious local seafood dishes, shared some homemade cachaca with us and quite frankly - we all got on like a house on fire!



Our first welcome sign, from Gabi, Carlos and Mel!
Deserted beach of Itaparica



Carlos and Gabi are working with 'Clean up the World' to keep their beaches safe and clean. They really are dedicated to their work and have done a lot for their community. Their website is: www.cantoecologicopt.blogspot.com.



Captain Brad gets to drive the boat!


Their house was an absolute sanctuary; with mango and coconut trees, a beach right out the front, turtles wandering the garden and the occasional visiting monkey. If anyone ever visits Salvador, this place is a must!



A visit back to Itaparica with friends on a private yacht

A carnival party in the water. 
Carlos, Gabi and Mel come to collect us from the Yacht
The yacht at sunset


From there it was on to the absolute other extreme: Carnival, Afro - Brazilian style in Salvador. We can safely say, we have never seen anything like this in our lives. Unfortunately, I have no photos from the street parties as it was too dangerous to carry anything of value. All the photos I have are from our hotel balcony/front door.



Salvador from the boat




Everyday the following would happen. We would wake up, at 12pm, hungover and late for breakfast. We would say to each other, "No beer tonight. Let's have a quiet one." But it would only take one step out of the hostel to get caught up in the atmosphere and start on the beers again until the wee hours.



Tres Mais Por Favor!
The perfect hangover cure; Shrimp Moqueca with Chilli!


Huge semi-trailers loaded with giant speakers would drive along a circuit, with popular bands and DJs on top, blasting out music full ball. I honestly do not know how anyone in Salvador has any hearing left.


At times, the whole crowd would know a song and would all dance in big long conga lines in perfect unison. I am talking booty shakes, bumping and grinding... Thousands of people! On a scale of 1 to Beyonce, it was about an 11!


The Ghandi March for peace. View from our hotel.



We definitely stood out in the crowd (my knees just can't handle the old bump and grind - I am barely able to dance the twist nowadays) and we didn't see many other foreigners at the street parties. Thus, we made good targets for water guns, silly string and kisses (mainly for Brad).


There we were, squished right in the middle, with no control over which direction we moved!








After that week, we were past exhausted and ready to get out of the big cities for a while.


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Comments

  1. Carlos Gabi e Mel2 April 2014 at 18:49

    What a great couple you guys are...what a magic experience you're going through!
    Enjoy it all, it will be your luggage for life....learning the best : how to keep it simple and always smiling!
    We loved knowing you guys and having you here with us was the best! Too short though.
    We'll have to fix it...
    Um beijo da Bahia!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous22 May 2014 at 12:25

    We agree, it was too short! But we can visit again soon and you are always welcome in Australia. Would love to show Mel some Kangaroos!

    ReplyDelete

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