Salavador, bahia - life and night life

Salvador

So we`ve spent the last two days in Salvador, Bahia, home to the second largest carnaval in the world (next to rio). This is really the most visually striking city we`ve been to so far (and I thought rio was quite beautiful).

We were lucky enough to be here on a Tuesday night, Salavador`s biggest party night. It is really incredible, every tuesday, the local government sets up tons of stages and booths for performers and vendors (mainly bars) and there is dancing in the streets and plazas from about 7 pm to midnight. And it`s mainly the locals who are attending. It`s not some kind of gimmick for the tourists. You see people from all ages out dancing. And it happens every week and it`s all free (though some clubs and private venues charge admission for some of their events). There are also samba bands and drum ensembles going through the streets. It was the most fun I had going out so far in South America and it will be hard to beat. When we were walking around at 4 pm, you can feel this sense energy and excitement as all the booths were being put up. It reminded me of seeing all the booths and stages being set up before new years eve.

After being here for 10 days, my initial impression of Brazil can be described as `rich.` Okay, I know it`s a vague word to describe an entire country and I may have another thought when I leave. Obviously I don`t mean rich in monetary sense, nor do I mean that it is super lavish (despite the 5 star hotel and beach house). I mean it in terms of depth. There is an appreciation for life and culture that is so simple yet deep. I see it their food, the lush landscape, the fashion, the music and the arts, the love of their country and their football teams. It all runs deep. Not that Peru or any other coutry is simple. Argh, I hope you get what I thinking. feel free to post comments if you`re confused and I will try to clarify.

Back to the Forest

Anyways, we`re leaving tonight to go to a the Chapada Diamantina National Park, six hours east, to do another trek. I must confess, I am not looking forward to going back to bug country. 95% of my nasty sores and scabs from the jungle have finally healed (and in their place, either white or purple pock marks, but hey it`s better than boils). For those of you who are still contemplating wedding gifts, a gift certificate for plastic surgery might be well appreciated by June. I am sure you all appreciate the dermatological updates as part of my blogs and so I promise to give you all the detials when we get out of the jungle.

Clarification on Noodles

Okay, I should have been more specific, I would kill for Pho, Chow Mein (Hong Kong Style), Yaki Soba, Singapore Fried Rice Noodles, Pad Thai or Chow Fun. I don`t have the resources and probably not the talent to pull any of those dishes off well. But we`ve made spagetti in our hostel and I`ve had ramen a couple times to try to take the edge off my craving. They were good meals but it`s not the same.