Bahiiiiiiaaaa

The scene:

A place where the sea determines much of life.

A city of hills where neighbors are close and the nearest coconut water vendor is even closer.

A beach that locals and travelers share with gusto, and the covering is minimal.

A place where the green countryside is still close by.

Welcome to... Salvador da Bahia, Brazil! Salvador is the 3rd largest city in Brazil and is located on the Atlantic Coast, in the northeastern state of Bahia. It is also the current home of my friend Diego, who is studying for his masters' there in the State University. Here's a photo account of my week there, a fantastic time!

Here we're eating at Diego's usual lunch spot, in a makeshift restaurant below street level. The food was delicious and inexpensive. I had feijoada, a local dish of slowly stewed beans, with sausage and beef, with pasta, rice, and salad on the side.

Here, Diego's mom shows me her plants at their family home in Feira, about 1 hour from Salvador. She was a super fun and straightforward lady... She let me know when my Portuguese made no sense and simultaneously made me feel right at home.

Here we're checking out an old monastery/lighthouse. In the distance is the main downtown part of the city, across the bay. And this is my best imitation of a female Paraguayan photo pose. It's a work in progress.

It was a week of unexpected encounters with interesting people, made even more interesting with my poor Portuguese but everyone's insistence of speaking it with me. This is Nathalia from Rio de Janeiro. We met on the beach and hung out the next few days!

Here is Pelourinho, the "old" part of the city. It's well known for its steep streets and vibrantly painted buildings.

After a open air, live band dance party, we followed behind this drum team, who also attracted a crowd of impromptu samba dancers behind them. You couldn't help but bounce along to the rhythm.

So as you can see... we had a pretty darn fun group. Here, Diego, his older brother Ede, Nathalia, and I head to the street dance party. I don't think I've ever danced more in a single week in my entire life. And I LOVED IT! My advice... Get to know a little bit of Brazil. I think you'll love it too.