Salvador is the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia and the fifth largest city in the country with a population of 2.6 million people (over 4 million in the metro area). It was established in 1549 by Portuguese settlers and became the country’s first colonial capital. Considered by many to be the birthplace of modern Brazil, the city is rich in history and culture. 

It was the primary port of the transatlantic slave trade for the sugarcane industry and still has a lot of African roots as the heart of Afro-Brazilian culture for music, food, dance, and history. Today nearly 80% of the city’s population is of African descent and it holds the title of being the most African city in the Western hemisphere.

The energy of the city is unreal and like no other place I’ve been. It reminded me a lot of New Orleans but with Afro-Brazilian culture and flare. The whole city is a walking music festival and never ending dance party – constantly a drum beat playing on the streets, Samba music bumping on every corner, random parades, big Brazilian booties bouncing in the club, and nonstop action. You can’t walk a block without seeing another street musician. It’s colorful, loud, and fun.

Everyone has said to be super careful with your phone because lots of pickpockets (in all of Brazil but particularly in Salvador). You just have to be extra vigilant with your phone and valuables in public areas. If you’re going to take it out then do so quickly and cautiously. It’s okay to snap a photo and immediately put your phone away, but you don’t want to walk around phone in hand sending texts or looking at Instagram. The locals do it, but as a tourist it’s ill advised. I escaped Salvador with zero issues. 

Getting In

It was an incredibly long travel day to get from San Francisco to Salvador with three flights in total. I took BART to the airport after dinner, but my flight wasn’t until 12:45am so I had over four hours to kill. I caught up on the blog for a while before going through security (I couldn’t even check my bag until four hours before). When I went to the lounge, it was packed and I had to add my name to the waitlist. I still had plenty of time to kill so why not? After waiting 40 minutes, I was finally able to enter the lounge and enjoy some free food and drinks. It was a nice lounge and the food was actually quite tasty. Then I slept the entire time 3hr50 flight going from San Francisco to Houston. 

We landed in Houston at 6:35 and I had a 3.5 hour layover before the next leg of my trip. Once again I took advantage of the access my Capital One card gives me and went directly to the lounge. I ate some breakfast then sat in a comfy chair with my eyes closed listening to music. The time actually went by quickly and before you know it I was on my 10am flight to Panama City. We ended up sitting on the runway for an extra hour so things were about to be interesting in Panama City because my layover was only 1hr25. The flight was a little over 4 hours and I slept for some of it and caught up on the blog for the rest of it. By the time we landed in Panama City my flight to Salvador was leaving in 45 minutes and had just started boarding. I was in the back of the plane so it was going to be a close call. Most people on the flight had a tight connection so there was no real way to fast track the process. This would be the second time in my life that I’ve had to run through the Panama City airport. By the time I was off the plane, there was about 30 minutes (20 minutes to door close) until take off. And of course I had to go to the other terminal so I jogged from terminal 2 to terminal 1, and lucky enough for me, my flight was the first gate in terminal 1. Phew! I was one of the last people to board but I made it with time to spare. I just didn’t get to eat any lunch, but I had some snacks to hold me over until the always delicious airplane dinner.

The flight from Panama City to Salvador was another 7 hours. I worked on the blog, watched a few movies, and took the Portuguese notes on my phone and hand wrote them in a notebook. It went by relatively quickly. I landed in Salvador at 12:40am. Exactly one day since my plane left San Francisco (not exactly because it’s 3 hours ahead but also I got to the SF airport more than 4 hours early so the travel day itself was longer than 24 hours). Sheesh what a journey. I knew going to Northern California for Sam’s wedding was a detour but it made for an incredibly long travel day back to South America.

Readjusting to Backpacker Life

I was glad to see my college friends and make jokes like no time had past, plus it was nice to have a little taste of American life, but it also got me out of my backpacker travel rhythm. At this point I feel very comfortable going into a Spanish speaking country, but I had a little more nerves and anxiety going to Brazil, a new country with a new language and culture. I reminded myself about the mental stresses I faced the first couple days when I lived out of my car last summer in Colorado; how it was difficult to adjust at first but ultimately turned out to be one of the best experiences in my life. Or how nervous I was when I first arrived in Colombia in 2022 on my last South American adventure. I’m no stranger to going outside my comfort zone. Change can be tough, but I’ve always been good at adapting, and once I do, then the experience ends up exceeding expectations.

Brazil is so massive that it’s a bit overwhelming to come up with a game plan for only six weeks that includes seeing a lot of the country, but also doesn’t spend too much time transporting around different areas. I could spend six months in Brazil and still only cover a portion of the country. Also their airlines operate like the U.S. where the price goes up exponentially closer to the day of the flight, so I can’t just book a last second flight from the north to the south. Instead I booked a few fully refundable flights from different cities on different dates to give myself options. My goal was to only take one flight and otherwise take the bus.

I’m coming in with zero to none Portuguese but luckily there is a lot of similar words to Spanish. However the pronunciation is completely different. Many words are spelled the same in Spanish and Portuguese but pronounced completely different. The difficulty of Portuguese is that words don’t sound like how they are spelled. Of course there are patterns to how words are pronounced, it’s just going to take time for my brain to adjust. For example the word restaurante is pronounced like “heh stoh rawn chee”. R’s are H’s. Got it. I had heard that many Brazilians speak Porteño – a combination of Portuguese and Spanish so I will try to use that to my advantage (or at least they will understand if you speak in Spanish…or understand better than English). 

Lodging 

Since I landed after midnight the first night, I booked my accommodation by the airport. I didn’t get to the B&B until almost 2am and luckily the woman whose house it was spoke perfect Spanish because she had lived in Argentina for 20 years. It put me at ease that we could communicate. My ability to speak Spanish already coming in handy.

The next four nights I stayed at Nomad’s Hostel. It had been recommended to me by my American friend Cecelia that I met in Bolivia. I thought she was going to be there but unfortunately we just missed each other. Nonetheless it was an amazing recommendation. It turned out to be one of the best hostels I’ve ever stayed at. They did a great job creating a tight knit community. There was a WhatsApp chat for people to communicate on and it was very active. They would also post nightly parties and events in the city. I ended up meeting so many amazing people during my four nights there, which quickly squashed my anxieties about being in Brazil and put me back into the adventurous backpacker mindset.

Food 

I wasn’t super familiar with Brazilian food coming into the trip but I had heard it was good. Salvador has a lot of traditional dishes specific to the Bahia region it’s located in. The most well know dish from Salvador is moqueca (although I met two Brazilians from Espíritu Santi who argued that moqueca is originally from there; it’s like Peru and Chile arguing about who created the Pisco sour, each place believes they are the originators). Moqueca is a seafood stew made with white fish and shrimp slow cooked in a coconut oil and red palm oil broth with tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and garlic. It is served with white rice, farofa (toasted cassava flour), and pirão (porridge-like paste made from mixing the moqueca broth with cassava flour), and coconut milk pinto beans. It’s a dish so delicious that I ended up eating it three times in my four days. The serving size when eating it with two people is insanely large. I always left with a moqueca baby growing in my stomach. But it was an appropriate amount when I ate it with seven people. 

I also ate abará – black eye peas paste with red palm oil, garlic, onions, and shrimp wrapped in a banana leaf and topped with a sauce. 

Another delicious food I tried was Caja flavored ice cream. Caja (known worldwide as hog plum or yellow mombin) is a tropical fruit with a sweet and sour profile that worked well as an ice cream flavor. 

Overall my appetite was smaller than normal due to amount of drinking I was doing. Hungover me isn’t the best eater. 

Wandering Around Town

On my first day, I dropped off my backpack at Nomads before check in and ate a tasty abará at Maimbé (recommended by the hostel). It was a great first meal to taste the flavors of Brazilian cuisine. Then I walked on the boardwalk along the water around the Barra neighborhood. Salvador faces the Bay of All Saints in one direction and the Atlantic Ocean in the other. The views were beautiful and it was nice to hear the crashing sound of the waves. I walked by Morro do Cristo and the famous Farol do Barra (lighthouse). 

Then I went back to the hostel and utilized the WhatsApp chat to join a group of backpackers going to Monica’s Bar. This is a bar that you get to by row boat (you can also get there through a mini favela but we opted for the boat). The Brazilian girls rowing us there had Olympic level strength to take a group of seven. 

I had a few beers and some good convos and laughs with the group. It didn’t take long to get over the nervousness that I previously felt. From here on out I was back in my backpacker zone. The sunset views on the water from the bar were incredible and the colors just kept getting better after the sun went down. That night I drank a few caipirinhas (famous Brazilian cocktail made of cachaça, lime, and sugar) at the hostel and met so many new people. It set the tone of socialization for the days ahead.  

On the first night at the hostel I chatted with a Colombian girl, Sara, and we decided to explore the city together the following day. I spent the entire day speaking Spanish with her. She didn’t speak much English, but was fluent in Portuguese because she was currently living in Ihla Grande and had been living in Brazil for the last eight years. It was great to be with someone who spoke Portuguese to act as my translator. My ability to speak Spanish coming in handy once again (this would be a running theme). 

Pelourinho 

Pelourinho is the historic center of Salvador and a great representation of the energy and liveliness of the city with its cobblestone streets, colorful flags, and nonstop live music. I ended up here every night. It is also the location of Michael Jackson’s balcony where he filmed his music video of “They Don’t Care About Us” alongside a local Afro-Brazilian percussion group so the pop star is beloved here and his music can constantly be heard in the streets. 

Sara and I wandered around Pelourinho getting lost in its beauty and charm walking down whichever street caught our attention next. One downfall of the area is all the pushy street vendors. It’s a popular thing to receive (or buy) a bracelet and tie it around the fence in front of a church three times making a wish each time you tie the bracelet. This woman came up to Sara and I and said the bracelet was free. So we figured okay we’ll follow the tradition. But then afterwards she started pestering Sara into buying a necklace. Against her will, and after some bartering on the price, she ended up buying one. Meanwhile during their negotiation a kid came up to me with white paint and started painting a design on my arm saying it was a part of their culture. Afterwards he asked for 20 Reals. I did not consent to this! Sara looked at me and goes “Corre!” (Run!). So we started quickly walking away. I felt a little bad but also I never agreed to let him do that so it wasn’t exactly a fair deal. Sara and I both agreed that it was a learning experience. The best thing to do to avoid the harassment is to just quickly walk away.

We were hungry and all of the outdoor restaurants had people trying to corral you to their spot. But one woman in particular, Susie, had a great energy and really bonded with Sara. Susie’s restaurant had outdoor seating in a beautiful narrow alley with a drummer and trumpet player serenading the streets. Okay this is the spot. The rest of the day (and following days) whenever Sara and I would cheers a drink, or if we had a moment of silence and didn’t know what to say, we would go “Susie!”. It became our top inside joke. 

We were constantly laughing, making silly faces, and just being goofy. I really enjoyed hanging out with Sara for this. I plan to visit her in Ihla Grande when I head down south. It can be difficult to have the same personality in Spanish but this was more akin to how I normally act so I was proud of myself for being able to do so. Of course there were still plenty of moments where I wanted to add more details to the conversation but couldn’t because my Spanish has its limitations. Sara was definitely doing more of the talking, but I was still able to add my splashes of humor. For lunch we shared a moqueca and I was a big fan (although this turned out to be my least favorite of the three that I ate).

After lunch we went to a famous church, Igresa de Sao Francisco. It was okay. The beautiful ceilings and chandeliers were nice but the violent photos of the crucification of Jesus weren’t our favorite. Then we went to Foundation Casa de Jorge Amado, the house of the famous Brazilian author. I didn’t really know much about him so it was interesting to learn his story (everything was in Portuguese so I’m not sure how much I actually learned).

We went to Elevador Lacerda (which connects the Upper City, Cidade Alta with the lower city, Cidade Baja) to watch another amazing sunset and crack more jokes. Then we watched a free concert band playing in the square in front of the elevator. They mostly played Brazilian classics but then they hit us with a Michael Jackson medley that had the crowd moving. We sat in the grand stands drinking beers bobbing our heads and watching the moves on the dance floor. 

Sara had a friend from Salvador, Isabel, who came to meet up with us. They met three years prior and hadn’t seen each other since so I let them blabber to each other in Portuguese while I drank cachaça (popular distilled spirit made from pressed sugarcane) and bull shitted on my phone. There was a drum ensemble playing Afro-Brazilian beats on the streets nearby so I left them for a bit to enjoy that. Once again a guy painted a design on my other arm with white paint without my consent. I said no obrigado when he asked but he continued to do so anyways. And of course he wanted money after but I held strong on not giving him any. Sorry dude, I didn’t want this. Sara and Isabel were dying laughing when I returned with my other arm painted. I ended up going to the bathroom and washing off both sides because I felt like it made me look like fresh meat tourist. 

Then we went to the club to go to the event posted in the WhatsApp group to meet up with the rest of the people from the hostel. I recognized a lot of people from the night before and also made a handful of new friends. The DJs were playing Brazilian Afro house but the music was all over the place. Some tracks were really good and others were questionable. Regardless we were all having a good time dancing and chatting. Sara was tired and went home but I stayed out with the rest of the group. The first show ended at midnight and we went to another club down the road. The music was great but the venue was very small and cramped. I ended up becoming friendly with a Bolivian girl from the hostel, Dani. She was from La Paz so I was able to talk with her about my recent experiences in Bolivia. Then a few of us took an Uber to Rio Vermehlo (another neighborhood in town) and went to club San Sebastián. It was a much bigger venue and the music here was great. This was the spot to be! We stayed out dancing until 4:30am. From exploring Pelourinho during the day to dancing for nearly eight hours in the night, it was an unforgettable day! I now understand Brazil and I am in love! 

Porto da Barra Beach

Day three was a struggle to start the day after partying until 4:30 in the morning. I slept until 11 then a French guy, Axel, and I went to lunch for another round of moqueca. We went to Restaurante Dona Suzana recommended by the hostel and it did not disappoint. It was probably the best moqueca that I had, and it paired nicely with an amazing waterfront view. The flavors were on point and they had was a spicy sauce that made me sweat like I was in a sauna. It was nearby Monica’s Bar from the other day and had amazing waterfront views. Rather than take the row boat we walked through the mini favela. The streets were narrow and the tiny houses were clustered together. It was totally fine during the day, but I would be hesitant to go here at night. 

Afterwards we met up with a big group of people from the hostel at Porto da Barra Beach. Hungover and dangerously full, I was ready to be a blob on the beach and soak in the sun. The beach was packed with people and like everywhere in Salvador, full of energy. There were vendors walking around selling food, drinks, headphones, etc; people kicking the soccer ball around; way too many guys in speedos; and music blasting from multiple different groups. The water was the perfect temperature – slightly cold but refreshing after sitting in the sun. It was a relaxing few hours on the beach and once again we were blessed with a colorful sunset on the water. 

Brazil Futbol Match 

After the beach, we had a quick turnaround to shower at the hostel and get ready for the Brazil futbol match. The hostel was playing the game but we wanted to soak in the energy of the city. I could be at a hostel anywhere in the world and watch the game, but I’m in Salvador and want to be with the Brazilians. We got wind of a bar in Pelourinho that would be fun and Ubered that way. The crew was me, Axel, Paula (Colombian girl who also spoke great English), and two British guys. As we got close to the bar, streets were hectic and the traffic horrible. We decided to get out of the Uber and walk. The game was about to start, and on our way to the bar, we stumbled upon a square that had hundreds (thousands?) of people standing in front of a big screen TV with beer and street food vendors. This will do! We were toward the back and being a short guy I could barely see the TV screen. That’s okay, I’m here to soak in the energy of the locals. We had to stand in a tightly packed crowd for the entire game. It was surprisingly quiet during the game with a lack of chants compared to when I was in Argentina. Nonetheless the place absolutely exploded when Brazil scored their only goal. Overall it was a pretty boring game and ended in a 1-1 tie with Morocco. 

Then we walked around Pelourinho, which felt like walking around New Orleans after a Mardi Gras parade. There were thousands of people in the streets drinking and dancing. You didn’t even need to walk into a bar. You could just buy a beer off a vendor in the streets and walk around. It was absolute chaos. I wasn’t sure if this was because of the futbol match or if this was just another Saturday night in Salvador. Probably a bit of both. Either way it was super fun! Eventually we went to a bar so we could finally take a seat at a table on the outdoor patio. We ran into Sara, Isabel, and a few others from the hostel. After a couple drinks at the bar, the British guys were continuing the party but a group of us decided to go home. I was tempted to go out but wanted to be a good tourist the next day and knew I wouldn’t be able to do so if I had another late night. 

Me and the South Americans 

Originally I was going to leave Salvador on Sunday, but during the Brazil game I decided that I wasn’t ready to leave quite yet. I had met so many amazing people at the hostel and I wanted to keep connecting with them. Also I was thoroughly enjoying the vibe of the city. Sara and I planned to be tourists together again and that morning our group size grew as others showed interest. It ended up being me and five South Americans (six once Isabel arrived) so the two languages spoken all day were Portuguese and Spanish. The group was Sara (Colombian but speaks perfect Portuguese), Paula (Colombian – only person who spoke some English so she was my reprieve. Although I tried to stick to Spanish with her too), Dani (Bolivian), Vitor (Brazilian), Veronica (Brazilian), and Isabel (Brazilian) met us later in the day. Needless to say I was very quiet and just  soaking in their conversations. My Spanish is good one on one but it’s difficult when in a group. The conversation moves too quickly and by the time I’ve come up with something to say, it’s too late. That’s okay. I enjoy getting out of my comfort zone and being in these scenarios. It’s a more authentic experience than hanging out with a bunch of European backpackers. I mean I am in Brazil. I’m here to connect with the local people and culture. 

We Ubered to a new neighborhood further out in the city. Our first stop was Basilica do Senhor do Bonfim. This church was more impressive than the last one. It’s much different doing tourist activities with South Americans than doing them solo; everything moves at a much slower pace. Everyone has to take a million photos and videos with different poses. They also went into every souvenir shop looking at all the trinkets. We spent close to an hour and a half at the church; an activity that would have taken me five minutes. It was all good though, I was there for the company. Even if I wasn’t talking much, I was still enjoying the moment and having a different type of backpacker experience. 

Afterwards we walked toward the water and strolled along the boardwalk. It was a much more quiet and peaceful part of Salvador; and also very local. I’m pretty sure I was the only gringo in the area. There was one section of the walk that was pedestrian only where the path went in front of small waterfront properties with incredible views. People were sitting on their stoops drinking beers, a guy was cutting a freshly caught fish, and life was moving at a slow pace, It was cool to see another side of Salvador. 

We continued walking to Forte de Monte Serrat, which served as another prime location to model for photos. Even I got into the mix and did a number of poses in front of this one window that had beautiful views of the ocean and the beach with the Salvador city skyline in the backdrop. 

Then we had a late lunch/early dinner at a restaurant on the pier. What did we have? You guessed it…moqueca round three! It was for seven of us so it came out in a massive bowl and this time it included langostinos. I was very hungry as all I ate was a small breakfast. This was the first time that I finished moqueca and didn’t feel uncomfortably full. Plus the portions were a bit smaller in a group of seven. The crew was bantering and laughing with the waitress the entire time. Interactions with locals are so much better when you’re with people who speak Portuguese – waiters, uber drivers, people in the street. Brazilians are very friendly and chatty. There’s always a conversation to be had. Even if I wasn’t the one talking, it’s still fun to witness this type of energy. 

After the meal was time for another beautiful sunset. This one might have been the best of them all. The colors melted from yellow and orange into a fiery red. It was a great way to cap my final day in Salvador. 

But the festivities weren’t over quite yet. We Ubered to Pelourinho to grab some drinks at a bar, but as we got closer the street was blocked off for a São Joao parade. We did not know this at the time, we just happened to stumble upon it. São Joao celebrates the birth of Saint John the Baptist and is the highlight of June festivities in Brazil, particularly in the north. Fortunate timing to be here for it. We found a spot in the crowd with good views of the parade. It felt like watching a broadway musical in the streets. The participants were dressed in various colorful outfits doing coordinated dances, singing, and being very theatrical. It was a pleasant surprise to witness the parade; this city never stops! The culture and history resonates through the air. Afterwards we went to a sorvertia and got ice cream. I wanted to try something new so I ordered caja flavored ice cream. The mixture of sweet and sour flavor was delicious! 

We Ubered back to the hostel around 8pm and sat around chatting for a bit. At the same time I did my laundry at a self service place down the street. I had avoided doing it earlier in the day so I could be a tourist, but now was the time. Overall it was another unique and memorable day in Salvador! I capped off the night watching MMA in the upstairs room at the hostel with a big group of people, finally returning to speaking English.