Catharina Paraguacu Salvador

... of formation dancing (which I LOVE) but it's all a bit more rough and ready - deep African beats rather than samba, more of a mix of people and the costumes aren't so glitzy - some people dance barefoot in the streets. Overall I like Salvador better, especially the music - have even heard some that sounds like drum and bass! The dancing is more diverse too - we've seen break-dancing, capoeira and a lot of traditional African-style dance too. After having a bit of a dance ...

... prior. At this ceremony, the practitioners, dressed all in white, offered themselves as mediums for the spirits and entered into trances during which they shook and yelled and had to be guided around the room by other members of the group. Our last stop on the Candomble circuit was the Igreja do Bonfim, the most important church for the religion. Here, we tied fitas (ribbons) to the gates surrounding the church in the hopes our wishes would come true by the time the fita ...

... a brazilian id to set it up. Again, Gustavo got me the solution to this problem so I became reachable again. Appart from this we had to deal with the landlady who wanted to overcharge us and plenty of more other issues ...

... the main chapel that appeared to be covered entirely in gold leaf! There were many other churches and sights here to see, but mostly we walked around and soaked up the atmosphere. The Brazilians, perhaps some of the most spirited and friendly lot we've met on our travels, made it easy to strike up conversation. We found ourselves getting chummy with everyone from the hosts of pousadas ...

... at the pool at the hotel after dinner the first night.             Dinner the first night was basically one crazy party. All of us had a couple of drinks before we went out and then my group of four people drank six bottles of wine at dinner in addition to a few drinks that were included and a few more that Daniel got us. The food was amazing. It was a Brazillian barbeque restaurant, which is Brazil's famous restaurant style. Endless amounts of grilled meat and ...

... to know why?!? There are numerous large stages set up all over the city to show free concerts, live music and dance. Dieter suggested we goto the church with the steps in front of it, as most of the other stages were set up for tourists, and watch the best local musicians all jamming together, with a massive crowd of locals cramming the stairs, about 25 metres wide and at least 100 steps high, with the ...

... up the road to find our place. Was it really so bad here?<br><br>When we found our hostel we buzzed to be let through the big metal security gate (I guess not a good sign, but reassuring for safety) and the guy on the front desk was an absolute star. <br><br>He checked us in with the minimum of fuss, gave us plenty of tips for exploring the town and gave us the ...

... of dances. Everyone, young and old (there were kids age 6 to grandparents there!), knew all the words to all the songs and everyone was singing and dancing and having fun together. I enjoyed it so much because it was very different from parties I?ve experienced in America. I?ve never been to Mardi Gras but from what I?ve heard the focus is very different then Brazilian Carnival. People were drinking at Carnival, but nothing near how people would be drinking if it were a ...

... there weren't any bathrooms along the entire parade route, which means that every wall and the entire beach that lined the roadway turned into a giant port-o-potty. It was disgusting, but we really had no other choice. Will actually jumped into the ocean at one point, and by the end of the night, I was so drenched in a combination of sweat and beer and water that had been sprayed all over everyone in the crowd that you would have thought I went swimming too. We ...

... The dome, *lthough open, held energy re*lly well *nd you felt *s though you h*d been on * journey when you left the dome´s force field. We spent the l*st night *nd morning of the p*rty snoozing in the dome with our sleeping b*gs, rec*lling *ll th*t h*d t*ken pl*ce, *ll we h*d seen *nd * little s*d *s the p*rty w*s coming to *n end. Then there w*s the M*in Floor. The very cre*m of glob*l psy, d*rk *nd progressive tr*nce w*s present on the M*in Floor. It w*s the re ...