Day 30 – Salvador, Brazil

We spent the day in Salvador, Brazil today. We had read all the stories about how dangerous Salvador is etc., but we decided not to do an organised tour and instead did our own thing and we are so glad we did.

Before you even get outside the cruise terminal building, there are tour reps and taxi touts clamouring for your custom. We arranged a fixed fee for a return cab ride up to Pelourinho for 100 Reals (about £13). When we got to Pelourinho however we asked the driver (via Google Translate!) if we could come back an hour later than we originally stated. The driver then announced that this would double the price! After much haggling (via Google translate) and spying a convenient taxi rank about 20 yards away, we paid him for the ride up to Pelourinho and told him to forget the return. Why he thought he could rip us off so blatantly when there are plenty of other taxis around is anyone’s guess.

We visited the “Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco” which dates from the 18th century and was apparently built as an annex to the “Igreja e Convento de São Francisco” (which was unfortunately closed). It is considered a masterpiece of religious architecture with its carved baroque style sandstone facade being the only one of its kind in Brazil.

We then spent about 3 hours mooching around Pelourinho. It has a staggeringly colourful (if faded) beauty, charm and character. As it was a Sunday a lot of shops and cafes were closed, but enough were open to make it enjoyable. But by far the biggest draw is the architecture and kaleidoscope of colours. Beautiful graffiti adorn worn out facades and every corner you turn is another goldmine of photographic opportunities.

We met a splendid little chicken who was diligently guarding her house by clucking angrily at us before darting behind her gate, and we met several dogs (one of whom helpfully followed us around the church), and various cats.

After a thoroughly pleasant morning we took a taxi down to the Mercado Modelo (craft market) which is only a few minutes from the ship. This area does feel safer, although nowhere near as picturesque.

If you are planning a visit to Salvador any time soon, here are a few tips to help make your day go smoothly:

1. Do NOT try and walk from the lower city/port area to the upper city. We drove up in a cab and passed drug addicts literally smoking crack on the pavement. Anything you read will tell you the same story – Salvador is a dangerous city. You need to stick to the tourist areas which are supervised by the police, who maintain a very visible presence.
2. Negotiate your cab fares before getting in and of course only use registered cabs. Although our first driver tried to rip us off, we emerged unscathed and he drove off having done himself out of a fare.
3. If you wander down a street that suddenly feels a bit sketchy or deserted, just turn back. Stick to the areas where tourists are plentiful and police are visible. 
4. Only take what you absolutely cannot do without. My husband and I left one phone on board our ship and only took one debit card and about $50 worth of cash. We had no problems in that regard.
5. Pelourinho is hilly, with many very steep slopes to walk up and down. Also much of it is very unevenly cobbled which means you need to tread carefully. It is probably not great for those with mobility problems. 
6. NOBODY speaks a word of English. Be sure to learn a few phrases of Portuguese before you go – you will need it! We managed by using google translate, but we did wish we had a bit of the language to ease communication.
7. Try and have some small denomination bank notes as most places aren’t willing or able to change a 200 Real note. 

All in all we had a wonderful day in Pelourinho and came back to the ship with sore feet and hundreds of photos! ☺️