Salvador, Brazil

We arrived in Salvador in late morning. We got a cab to our hostel, and the cab driver dropped us off about 2 blocks away from our hostel. We had to walk up a steep, cobbled stone hill in the 90 degree heat with our 30lb bags. And we got lost for a little bit. It was not fun. We eventually found it, and it was in the back of an art gallery. We found out the private room we requested was unavailable. But they ended up giving us a 4 person dorm for just us two, and we got a discount. So it all worked out! After resting for a little while, we wandered into the city. It´s the most African influenced city in South America. It´s very colorful and lively, with live music everywhere on the streets. We found a restaurant to eat at, where we each got a free Caipirinha. We shared a steak that came with rice and fries. All the meals in Brazil come with rice and fries! After dinner we called it an early night, because we were still recuperating from Carnaval!

We slept in the next day and then headed to the beach. Going to the beach was really nice, as we hadn´t been to one since Punta. Not counting the times in Rio where we danced on it at night or when we landed on it after hang gliding. And PS – they sell everything you could want on the beach: hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, jewelry, food. After sun bathing for a few hours we walked around the city some more. We saw lots of shops with souvenirs and paintings, and hung out in a square sipping on some coconuts.

Our last day in Salvador we checked out at noon, although our flight out wasn´t until 3am that night. We left our bags in the hostel´s storage, and returned to the beach! It was much hotter, but at least we got tan! For lunch we ate at a place on the beach, which had German menus for some reason. Leif thought he ordered a hamburger, but ended up with a slab of chicken and an array of fruit. But it was still tasty! We hung out at the hostel till 8pm, when we got a ride to the airport. At the airport we ate Subway and Bob´s Burgers. Oh, and Bob´s has an amazing chocolate milkshake! We finally checked in at midnight and were able to board our plane at 3am. Eight hours and three plane rides later, we arrived in Manaus!