Call this Unseen Jewel Salvador

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Brazil is a country boasting of color, festivals, happy people and the undying love for religion and happiness. We often see Brazil’s local color through numerous exposures on films, music videos and travel blogs.

While it is true that this South American nation is a must-see place, many still haven’t seen the other hidden gems of Brazil that is simply worth anyone’s time. Lying on the outskirts of the country are selected cities which are blessed by the Heavens specifically on the sheer beauty that it has to offer.

Brazilians are one lucky race as they get to belong to a country where even the remotest of areas are a treasure despite of odds. One most missed parts of Brazil is a haven called Salvador de Bahia or Salvador in local terms. What does this city have that’s just difficult not to pay attention to? Let’s all find out.

Location

Salvador is situated on a small, roughly triangular peninsula which breaks up Todos os Santos Bay from Atlantic Ocean. Salvador is also said to be an important export port of Brazil. It is located at the heart of the Reconcavo Baiano, a rich agricultural and industrial area. It has a wide variety of landscapes ranging from rolling mountains to splendid valley. The remarkable feature of Salvador Brazil is the escarpment which divides Salvador into the Cidade Alta and the Cidade Baixa.

The coastline of Salvador Brazil is equally varied, having majestic, sandy beaches, mangrove swamps, sea cliffs and few islands. Itaparica is the largest among them. Bahia is situated on the coast, with the turquoise Atlantic Ocean lapping at its shores. This state is in the northeast of Brazil, South America. Bahia is the fourth most populous Brazilian state. Its capital city is São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos, commonly shortened to Salvador.

Climate

Salvador features a tropical rainforest climate with no discernible dry season due to no month having an average rainfall of 60 mm. Temperatures are relatively constant throughout the course of the year, featuring warm and humid conditions.

Salvador’s driest month of the year is September, where the city receives on average 10 cm (4 in) of precipitation. Salvador’s wettest months are between April and June when at least 20 cm (8 in) of rain falls during each of these four months.

Transportation

The Salvador’s Deputado Luis Eduardo Magalhaes International Airport is one of Brazil’s main airports. All of the biggest Brazilian airlines have flights to the Bahian capital city. The city also receives flights from the main hubs of Europe, South America and the United States.

The airport is 28km from the city center (via the Paralela expressway) or 32km (via the seaside). Two kinds of taxis are available in the airport, the executive taxis (Coometas and Comtas), and the normal taxis. Executive taxis are prepaid; they have a table of prices rather than meters. The other taxi option would be the normal taxis which are metered.

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Salvador’s long-distance bus station is in the middle of the new city, 14km from downtown. Salvador is accessible via scheduled buses from all around the country and from Paraguay. Inside the bus stations there are taxis (local taxis and executive taxis) and local buses which can all take you to many places in Salvador and the metropolitan area.

Executive buses in the Iguatemi Station can be accessed from the Iguatemi Mall by way of a busy walkway. Bus travel in and out of Salvador can take a lot more time than expected. Count on an average speed of 50-60 km/h when planning your itinerary.

Salvador’s metro system operates from Lapa (in city center) to Bom Jua. Campo da Polvora Station is 700 meters from Historic Center and Acesso Norte Station is near Bela Vista Shopping Mall. The Line 2 will link the international airport. The first stage between Acesso Norte and Rodoviária (bus station) will be ready in October 2015.

What to See

Museu Afro-Brasileiro

Holding one of Bahia’s most important collections, the Museu Afro-Brasileiro exhibits wood carvings, baskets, pottery and other artwork and crafts linking Brazilian and African artistic traditions.

The highlight of the museum is a room lined with 27 huge, breathtaking carved wooden panels by Argentine-born Carybe, who is perhaps Salvador’s most renowned 20th-century fine artist.

Praia Porto da Barra Beach

Praia Porto da Barra beach is rather like the Pelourinho: small, picturesque, usually crowded, loaded with vendors selling everything imaginable, and roughly half those present are foreigners.

The bay’s waters are clear and calm, and the people-watching is fantastic. To the left of the lighthouse, Praia do Farol da Barra has a beach break popular with surfers.

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Barra’s waterfront is lined with bars and restaurants and is well lit at night, but it gets a bit sleazy in the later hours.

Forte de Santo Antonio da Barra

Built in 1698, Bahia’s oldest fort is more commonly called the Farol da Barra for the lighthouse (South America’s oldest) within its walls. In addition to having superb views, the fort houses an excellent nautical museum, with relics and displays from the days of Portuguese seafaring (and lots of interesting information in English.)

As you catch the sunset here – from the grassy ledge behind the fort or from the museum’s gorgeous terrace café – realize that Salvador’s peninsula is the only location in Brazil where the sun appears to set over the ocean.

Pelourinho

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The centerpiece of the Cidade Alta is the Pelourinho, a UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site of colorful colonial buildings and magnificent churches. As you wander the cobblestoned streets, gazing up at the city’s oldest architecture, you’ll realize that the Pelo is not just for tourists. Cultural centers and schools of music, dance and capoeira pack these pastel-colored 17th- and 18th-century buildings.

The area has undergone major restoration work – which remains ongoing – since 1993 thanks to UNESCO funding. Admittedly, the Pelo has lost a lot of its character in the process, but to say that it is now safer and better preserved is an understatement.

Mercado Modelo

The original 1861 Customs House was partly destroyed in a fire in 1986. After reconstruction, it was transformed into a tourist market, the Mercado Modelo. When shipments of new slaves arrived into port, they were stored in the watery depths of this building while awaiting auction. Night guards report all sorts of phantasmal activity after closing hours.

Live music and free capoeira demonstrations often occur out back – be sure to ask the price before snapping photos of the capoeiristas. There’s a touristy but fun café-restaurant, Camafeu, on the upper level; the terrace, looking over the bay, is ideal for a shopping break.

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Images

(1) www.youtube.com
(2) www.ticotimes.net
(3) viajantesemporto.blogspot.com
(4) www.nordestebrasileiro.com.br
(5) www.panoramio.com

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