| Salvador, City of Contrasts |
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| Thursday, 28 January 2010 12:38 |
 The ship arrived at the port of Salvador and tied up at Salvador Commercial Port just before 8AM yesterday. Salvador is Brazil’s former colonial capital and presently is the capital of Bahia, a northeastern Brazilian state. The city of Salvador displays picturesque scenery as viewed from the ship approaching from the open sea. Multicoloured homes with red-tiled roofs and stunning architecture of cathedrals and administrative buildings standing on the higher grounds of Salvador draw a contrasting view with the commercial structures and few houses along its coastlines. Salvador is the ship’s second port of call in South America and the second port of call in Brazil as well.
A cultural mix of both African and European heritage, Salvador’s contrasting heritage is more evident in their architecture, food, music and dance. Salvador’s strong African influence was the result of the slaves that were brought to work to Salvador’s vast sugar cane farms hundreds of years ago.
I was supposed to join on a scheduled tour in Salvador but due to work related stuff I called it off. Opportunities that I missed includes visit to the fortress of San Antonio, a fort erected to protect the Portuguese colonists from Dutch invaders; the historic center in the municipality of Praca, where Brazil’s best-preserved colonial structures are located; Lacerda Elevators, the first elevator installed in Brazil; a visit to Palacio Rio Branco and Castro Alves Square; a visit to the Cathedral Salvador and Sao Francisco Church; and a visit to one of the city’s oldest squares and was once a slave market, the Pelourinho Square. I got everything done but not until half hour had passed since the excursion bus had left from the quay. But I still managed to catch glimpses of Salvador because after lunch I went out and had my own tour. Worried that I might get lost…LOL… I decided not to go too far from the seaport. So, my self tour was just around the confines of the streets and small shops which were just some walking distance from the pier. View larger image here.
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