Patamares Hotel Salvador

... t recommend going anywhere near there at night, but defo worth a look during the day.

Oh, bus ride from Rio to Sao Paulo took 7 hours and cost R$81 each, and was very comfortable, reeclining seats and footrest. Make sure you take a sleeping bag though as it gets cold cos of the air-con. Get the bus from Rodovirio in Rio to Tiete. We bought bus ticket at the terminal with a company called 1001.

Au revoir

... life tonight. We sought to figure if, in the end, a soup kitchen who serves 300 is just as well as a nonprofit who aids 300 million. Is the volunteer cook just as successful as the CEO of the Red Cross?
Anthony enlightened me of an old story. A story in which one man’s gift, however large, does not suffice for another man’s gift which is everything. Meaning, the devotion of one’s whole-self is a true testament of success. For someone ...

Hey

Arrived in Salvador and was quickly whisked to my hotel by Roberto - a smiley welcoming Bahian (a Brazilian from the state of Bahia). We talked about whisky and football - the usual conversation I have with a Brazilian when they hear I am from Scotland. The former is slightly easier for me to chat about than the latter!

The heat, the humidity, the smell and the Portuguese quickly gave me that holiday feeling. At the ...

... 13 and I tell you I cannot imagine what the actual festival would have been like because this was carnivale to me. A huge stage was set up in the main square (Terreiro de Jesus) and another smaller one in the San Francisco Praca. Stall after stall was selling Caipirinhas, beer from 2 reales, smirnoffs, and every other kind of drink you could imagine. Food stalls were selling cheese sticks, cakes, popcorn, bbq meats, patties filled with salsa and camarones, crepes and a whole lot more. Huge ...

... lost my flip-flops on several occasions in the carnage of the Bloco but miraculously found them. Carnival tip of the day, never wear flip-flops in a Bloco, trainers are a must! Tonight was probably the best night out in my life, completely amazing! It's really hard to put into words! The music, the people, the atmosphere. Over 2 million lined the streets of Barra, Salvador tonight, unbelievable!!! Day 48 - 23/01/09 An uneventful day and night at Carnival today. Stayed in the ...

A quiet day in port with nothing specific planned. We debarked with our new "Irish" friends Maureen and Terry Mackian from Victoria, British Columbia. We walked from the ship to the Elevador Lacerda, which takes us from the commercial district (where we docked) up to the older part of the city. Lots of fun walking about ...

... I wanted the full head it would only be 35 reis - Flaviano tells me this is better than local price. Dissapointing was the fact that the Acadamia de Dancar in pelo has no lessons for the general public as rehearsals are closed in preparation for carnaval. I will understand that for next year just before and just after carnaval is difficult for classes. No bother as I am getting a lot from learning from one teacher. Thats the way I always do it. One then another one when I am ready ...

... duenos de la pousada, nico (y su chica jimena) y jonhy su hermano, argentinos que lo han dejado todo alla para instalarse aqui en brasil, tenian esos dias la visita de hermanos, primos, amigos, etc... un grupo estupendo y divertido que han ensenado a los peques a hacer piza. hamburguesas, etc... estuvimos intentando esquiar en la lancha, nos llevaron a una isla preciosa de la bahia, bueno, una maravilla de gente y de dias. Pero no todo es bueno ...

... and waited ... and waited ... It was suspenseful moment, for my heart. I spotted a sidewalk spot where Geórgia and I had once stood kissing, in front of a bus full of school-children who chanted out the windows, "Ooh, ahh! Vai dar casamento!" (Ooh, ahh! You´re gonna get married!) I remembered one night when we´d watched a silly David Foley movie ("The Wrong Man," or something) and Geórgia had sprinkled her young laughter throughout like a dewy flower blossoming. Ooh ...