Portobello Ondina Praia Salvador

... the beach, but it was uphill. And after a 38 hour day, it was a long 2 blocks from where the bus dropped us off. I'm a cheapskate, so paying $40 for a cab when you can pay $4 for a bus that drops you 2 blocks away isn't an option. When we got there, they were expecting us. I asked to see the room first, as I usually do. They did have a pool, but the room the guy showed me was a little musty and there were water stains on the wall. And there ...

... back on the boat to visit the second island, where we had the use of a sort of beachside hotel. There was no dock or pier on this island so a small launch was provided to take us from our big boat to the shore, but I gave my bag to one of the boys and boldly jumped in to swim to the beach. I didn't even know how deep the water was and couldn't judge the distance too well either, but it was fine and I enjoyed the swim. Would never have done that six months ago ...

... and then went for caiperinhas. The class was pretty easy as it had a lot of non dancers - actually all of them were non dancers so Ujahma concentrated on teaching me how to teach the moves. Making me name them and demonstrate them for the students. It was a good class. After the class I met up with Dorina and Flaviano (Jailton had gone to a capoeira lesson) and we saw projecto Dida in performance at Praca Teresa Batista and then across the road we ...

... hungry you pay more, if not it gets cheaper.</li><br><li>The Lonely Planet guide: it is been a basic tool in this trip.</li><br></ul>The worst<ul><br><li>The Pelourinho: appart from the security problem I wrote about before ...

... then most small cities in the states and they do so with nothing but natural herbs their ancestors have taught them how to use in the jungle.             They were poor by our standards, but rich in ways that most people don't understand or appreciate anymore. They've managed to remain relatively unimpacted by growing cities and western influence. The only thing that bothered me by the end of the visit was that since pharmacy availability is increasing and there ...

As with pretty much all of Brazil, Salvador has been great too. I'm sat writing this in a hostel there after spending the day on the beach, again and going to see a turtle sanctuary. The town is spilt into 2 main areas, The Pelourihno or the Old Town and the new areas of Barra, Vitoria and Campo Grande. We're staying in The Pelourihno which is just a hive of live music, dance and bahian culture. The streets are cobbled and the area has a real ancient feel to ...

... I wonder if we should call for some take-out?! ;) <br><br>(Later)<br><br>In the end we followed a recommendation from someone else working here and it was a very good choice. <br><br>A new seafood restaurant opened around the corner recently and by the looks of the queues outside most of the night it appears to really be flavour of the month here. <br><br>We ...

... following you. I had an awesome time in Salvador, but I don?t know how long I could stay there! Now for a little update on ship life. There?s not much to say about ship life, the days are all pretty much the same; classes, laying out on the boat, studying, gym, gross food, and playing cards and games all night. There?s really not much to do! We get a little bored on days when we don?t have a lot of studying. As for my classes though, I absolutely love them so far. I am ...

... was just a small village. No cars and the streets were all sand. You could walk everywhere barefoot. The streets were lined with shops, restaurants, and hotels. The beach had food and alcohol vendors and some bars. We partied on the beach all night and spent the night there. If ever in Brazil, you must visit a Brazilian steakhouse. They are known for their massive amounts of delicious food. We went with a huge ...

... m*gici*n G*udi from UK - *ccomp*nied by circus-like psy-performers on the Buddh* st*ge right on the be*ch. The psy-performers w*lked *cross the st*ges *nd from one st*ge to *nother shocking *nd delighting the d*ncing crowds with their *lien *ppe*r*nce. For the incredibly hot *nd sunny d*ys lots of sh*de pl*ces in tents were provided - for workshops from *ll kinds of medit*tion, ritu*ls to poi workshops. The psy-cinem* showed interesting movies during the nights ...