Pousada Poesia Hotel Salvador

... Afro-Brazilian culture, means 2 weeks of street parties all over Salvador, mainly in the Pelo! There are 8 stages set up around the city with live bands performing every night from 7pm tp 3am free of charge! Our hostel was about 5 minutes from the main stage with 10,000 people partying it up every night. It was amazing to see these okes going for it! Beer stalls and vendors made a fortune with their 3 beers for 5 Reals (£1.50) specials. Vendors ...

... jaded monosyllabic response. But eventually Catherine arrived all smiles, we got a room in the back and got ready to see what carnaval would be like in this fishing village where we were the only white people.  it turned out that Grasola was a former philosophy teacher who now stayed at home to look after her blind mother, she didn't get any more talkative but the house was cool and there was plenty of entertainment. Carnaval turned out to be one stage an unreasonably ...

... Well he didn´t turn up the other day, as you know, and his phone was off and I just assumed we were done... Turns out there was a massive fight in his neighbourhood and one of his friends got stabbed and he had to take him to hospital and things were manic... I spóke to him yesterday and he came visiting for me with Neidi and Beto (both whom I met in Australia and really love) and then also Emerson joined us later. What really surprised me was that ...

... hotel was weird as it was the only part of my return where I recognised nothing, but we realised that I had only ever passed during the day, so it was a new experience. It was a lovely reunion - The plane got in at 12 and we ended up talking till 3am about life the universe and everything, and we had a few things to sort about being a ´friendship´ rather than anything else, but both of us are happy with the outcome, and it was an easy conversation that just flowed. It ...

... beat," you almost don't hear the "t", it's just a really abrupt ending, and he had a lot of trouble understanding the contribution of the "t." Also, it took him about 5 minutes to say "birthday." I told him, if he could avoid saying "birfday" he was already doing better than a lot of native speakers. Anyways, enough about that. The silver lining to the fact that I haven't met people in my pousada or in a volunteer organization is that I haven't been hanging out ...

... br><br>After breakfast (which was scrummy), we managed to get chatting to the owner, a lovely Irish guy called Sean. He helped us decide what to do in Salvador, what to do around the area and where to go on the way down to Rio. Katie pumped him for info like a tv ...

... until 5am... Aside from that, we spent our time browsing the museums and took an evening trip to Barra, another coastal suburb of Salvador, to see the sunset from its lighthouse. One evening we decided to take up an opportunity to attend a Candomblé celebration. Candomblé is the Brazilian version of the West African Yoruba religion...very similar to what I saw in Cuba, although practised more widely here. It was the final celebration of the calendar, and the ´house´was ...

... and farewelled us. Loi and I exchanged necklaces, and emails. He travels frequently with the Capoeria international Rodas, so I might see him before December (when I plan to come back if possible) either in Europe or Australia. It´s been a pretty solid friendship from day one and he´s making copies of the DVD´s hes made (of the local dance styles) and will post them to me. I also made solid contacts with Anderson and a lovley couple Berenice and Wendell. They live in Paris ...

... a bit for interview and classes on Monday at school. Bit of shopping too with Isabella, hostess, but Brazil´s expensive compared to other SA countries, prices comparable to England! And Brazil´s fashion is generally tighter, brighter and louder than England´s... Monday-first day at school, a bit nervous to be honest, everyone already in groups, made friends, knows each other etc. As am doing intensive course, I also have lessons in arvo. Followed by a samba lesson that I ...

... and oily juices from tonight's escargot spraying all over his back. It happened just as Ketut our area supervisor was telling us about filling in the guest comment cards and if we'd had good service to make mention of it. The look on his face was priceless. Sue also got some on her clothes. K offered to get the jacket dry cleaned but it was formal night and we were in our rented tuxes so they can clean it themselves. Al isn't feeling too great ...