BRAZIL
Rio may be the heart of Brazil and São Paulo its financial hub, but a few days in Salvador da Bahia reveal this vibrant city to be its soul.
Salvador da Bahia simply bursts with life.
It’s Children’s Day, and the beach is heaving with carefree locals enjoying their day off. A sea of umbrellas stretches around the bay; and the din of chatter, laughter and music means you have to shout to be heard. There are barbecues, flying soccer balls, samba moves, and the sights and sounds of locals having a great time. Salvador da Bahia is full of feelings just bursting to be expressed – in music, dance and prayer – and everyone’s welcome to be part of it.
We’re staying in the Pelourinho district, its cobblestoned streets lined with colonial-style terrace houses of blue, ochre, pink and peach. We’re lucky enough to spend three nights in one of these beauties, a former home turned into a gracious boutique hotel. La Villa Bahia is charming, and I fall under its spell the instant I step inside. There are 17 rooms on three floors, and they’ve all been restored to reflect the city’s colourful history. Mine features antique and distressed furniture, wide old floorboards, and French doors that overlook the courtyard and pool below.
At breakfast, expect a table laden with food and amazing coffee. Lace tablecloths and antique silverware set the scene for baskets of freshly-baked
rolls, platters of meat and cheese, sweet-savoury cakes, eggs and more. The offerings for breakfast change every morning, encouraging guests to begin their day at a leisurely pace, allowing the time to just take it all in.
It’s warm and humid, and the open doors let in the sounds from streets abuzz with activity. Although there aren’t swarms of tourists here, stands of sarongs, hats and colourful jewellery burst out of doorways. Local men calling out “agua, agua” (water, water) ply the streets to quench the thirst of locals and visitors alike.
La Villa Bahia is in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old Quarter – on the historic main square presided over by Igreja de São Francisco, a Portuguese-Baroque bell-towered church. All religions are respected in this city, and there are 365 churches to prove it – including many dedicated to the mystical AfroBrazilian Candomblé faith.
Salvador was the capital of Brazil until 1763, and it was an important source of gold and sugar for Portugal. The African influence on the city is also hard to miss – 80 per cent of the population is black. The New World’s first slave market was established in Salvador in 1558, and Brazil was the last country in the world to abolish slavery (in 1888).
Fortunately, the African people managed to retain much of their culture despite centuries of slavery. The Candomblé faith, for example, originated in Salvador during the 16th
“Salvador da Bahia is full of feelings just bursting to be expressed in music, dance and prayer.”
century and has since spread through Central and South America – and it has even reached Europe. Candomblé, which is a mishmash of Catholicism and African faiths, worships many spirits, and incorporates singing, dance, tambourines and drums during services and festivals. The name itself means ‘dance in honour of the gods’. Tourists are welcome.
In Salvador, you’ll notice masses of colourful ribbons tied on church fences and adorning the wrists of the locals. You can buy your own ribbons from women wearing white dresses in the main square. Each colour has a meaning – orange offers protection from disease; blue offers protection to mothers and children; white promises wisdom and inner peace.
We’re further immersed in Salvador’s rich culture with a twohour lesson in capoeira – the AfroBrazilian martial art that combines dance, acrobatics and music. We also enjoy a drumming workshop learning the beats used in Candomblé and capoeira, and a cooking lesson in the home of local chef, Moema Brocchini.
We learn how to cook moqueca
– a traditional stew of prawns, fish, coconut and vegetables, along with rice and toasted manioc flour. Salvador was an important port on the Portuguese spice route between Africa and Asia, so mild spices define the local cuisine.
The streets of Pelhourino really come alive on Saturday afternoons, with drumming, dance, markets and chatter. Spend a while trailing after the musicians as they make their way through the streets, before dining at one of the restaurants. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself moving to the beat. Salvador is like that.