Salvador

Go back to Brazil II.
Go back to Itatim Day Two.

Salvador
Pelourinho in Salvador.

We (maybe I) woke up fairly hungover the next day but we wanted to leave early since the guys were going to try to make it back down to Rio in two days. A 3-4 hour drive brought us to Salvador where our friends dropped us off in a hotel and where we said good-bye. We were thinking of wandering around the city by ourselves that afternoon but got lazy and spent time chilling at the rooftop pool (very nice!).

We had arranged for a guided tour of the city for the next day which really turned out to be as interesting as we had anticipated. The founding of the city dates back to the mid 1500s and it served as the first capital of (colonial) Brazil. It has retained its vibrant Afro-Brazilian culture to the present day and preserved a beautiful historic old city core, now called the Pelourinho (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). A great, full-day tour including some local cuisine and a cachaca tasting. Gotta say that the cachaca from the farmer near Pedra Riscada seemed to be better and smoother; apparently, not surprising as Minas Gerais is renowned for producing the best cachaca in the country.

The following day, we flew back home via Rio.

Photos

Itatim
Morro da Toca (May 2026).
Itatim
Itatim (May 2026).
Bahia
A quick gas stop in Feira de Santana before finishing the 2500km trip in Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
The rooftop pool at our hotel in Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Views from our hotel (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Rooftop pool at the hotel (May 2026).
Salvador
Some urban beach that was visible from our hotel (May 2026).
Salvador
Views from the rooftop deck of our hotel (May 2026).
Salvador
A favela in Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
A closer look (May 2026).
Salvador
Nautical Museum of Bahia (May 2026).
Salvador
Porto da Barra Beach (May 2026).
Salvador
Some street art at Porto da Barra Beach (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
A neighborhood with some colonial buildings (May 2026).
Salvador
Just across the street from Dique de Tororo (May 2026).
Salvador
Somewhere by Dique do Tororo (May 2026).
Salvador
Orixas (African dieties) at Dique do Tororo (May 2026).
Salvador
Orixas (May 2026).
Salvador
Orixas (May 2026).
Salvador
Colorful Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Igreja da Ordem Terceira Secular de São Francisco (May 2026).
Salvador
Policia Militar (May 2026).
Salvador
Shirley and Lula at Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Shirley and Lula and a lady wearing a traditional Baiana dress (May 2026).
Salvador
A tourist thing to do (May 2026).
Salvador
Posing with a lady wearing a traditional Baiana dress (May 2026).
Salvador
Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Pelourinho randomness (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Funicular railway (May 2026).
Salvador
Kind of interesting (May 2026).
Salvador
Views from Plano Inclinado Goncalves (funicular railway; May 2026).
Salvador
Another one of the funicular railway (May 2026).
Salvador
The lower station of the funicular (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Rambutan (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
I think the monument has to do with the capoeira tradition (May 2026).
Salvador
Mercado Modelo in Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Marina near to Mercado Modelo and Elevador Lacerda (May 2026).
Salvador
Lula and Shirley in front of the Mercado Modelo (May 2026).
Salvador
Inside Mercado Model (May 2026).
Salvador
Elevador Lacerda from below (May 2026).
Salvador
Looking NE from the top of Elevador Lacerda (May 2026).
Salvador
Mercado Modelo from Elevador Lacerda (May 2026).
Salvador
Elevador Lacerda from above (May 2026).
Salvador
Views from atop Elevador Lacerda. That’s Forte Sao Marcelo out in the bay (May 2026).
Salvador
A closer look at Forte Sao Marcelo (May 2026).
Salvador
Fishing boats in the bay (May 2026).
Salvador
A view of Av. Lafayete Coutinho from top of Elevador Lacerda (May 2026).
Salvador
Elevador Lacerda (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador street art (May 2026).
Salvador
Apparently the fanciest and priciest hotel in Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
How about some cacao fruit juice?
Salvador
Cacao fruits (May 2026).
Salvador
Cacao fruit juice (May 2026).
Salvador
Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Cachaca bar in Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Cachaca tasting (May 2026).
Salvador
Fancy bottles, fancier prices and still not quite as smooth as the home-made stuff in Minas Gerais (May 2026).
Salvador
A lady wearing a traditional Baiana dress (May 2026).
Salvador
A traditional Baiana dress (May 2026).
Salvador
Street art (May 2026).
Salvador
Shirley and Lula in Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Shirley in Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Old men playing cards (May 2026).
Salvador
African religious offering (May 2026).
Salvador
Clay bowls in the culinary museum (May 2026).
Salvador
More Pelourinho randomness (May 2026).
Salvador
The charming and colorful Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Two wankers in Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Colorful Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Shirley posing at Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Lula and Shirley in Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rasario dos Pretos or Church of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Black People in Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rasario dos Pretos (May 2026).
Salvador
Escrava Anastacia – an unofficial, popular folk saint venerated in Brazil (but not in the Vatican; May 2026).
Salvador
Shirley and our guide, Lula, in Salvador’s Pelourinho (Old City) district (May 2026).
Salvador
Pelorinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador’s Pelourinho neighborhood (May 2026).
Salvador
Shirley strolling through the Pelourinho neighborhood (May 2026).
Salvador
Pelourinho neighborhood (May 2026).
Salvador
Policia Militar (May 2026).
Salvador
Pelorinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Pelorinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador street life (May 2026).
Salvador
More Salvador street art (May 2026).
Salvador
A police station (May 2026).
Salvador
Shirley and Lula strolling through Pelourinho (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Some colonial building in Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim dating back to the 18th century (May 2026).
Salvador
Basilica do Senhor do Bonfim (May 2026).
Salvador
Donation room where the healed faithful donate plastic replicas of various body parts that were miraculously healed (May 2026).
Salvador
Ribbons outside of the Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim (May 2026).
Salvador
Forte de Nossa Senhora de Monte Serrat in Salvador (May 2026).
Salvador
The Fort (May 2026).
Salvador
Admiring the views of Salvador from the Fort (May 2026).
Salvador
One more from inside the Forte de Nossa Senhora de Monte Serrat (May 2026).
Salvador
Wrapping up our day in Salvador (May 2026).
Brazil
And that’s a wrap on our second Brazil trip (May 2026).

Go back to Brazil II.