Sunset at the Salvador Farol

Sunset is my favorite time of day here in Salvador. And it’s not just because the temperature drops a wee bit. Instead it’s because of the rich sunset tradition here in Salvador. Rich sunset tradition, you may ask? You bet! Every evening at the Farol (lighthouse) in Barra between dozens to hundreds of people gather […]

How to Drink Beer like a Local

Beer is a big part of the culture in Salvador. A running joke for the past few years, during the economic and political crisis, has been, “as long as we have beer, there is no crisis”. And, with any major cultural element, there are guiding principles that inform the culture and etiquette. First, beer-drinking is […]

Surviving the heat in Salvador

Located at just 12 degrees south of the equator, we don’t really have seasons in Salvador. Being a tropical climate, the average daily temperature year-round is between 75 and 80˚ F year-round (24 – 27˚ C) with little nighttime cooling. And, humidity sits at 80% year-round. The only way you can really distinguish summer from […]

Itacaré, Bahia, Brazil

Weather in Salvador, Brazil

Salvador, Brazil weather has just two seasons — shorts and a tank top vs. shorts and a t-shirt. No, I’m kidding. It’s just shorts and a tank top. Year round. In all seriousness, being just 12 degrees south of the equator, it’s toasty-warm and humid (80% humidity) year-round. The key difference between summer and winter […]

Neighborhood Review: Barra, Salvador

My husband and I have a saying, “Barra tem tudo” (“Barra has everything”).  We live in Barra, and before buying our apartment looked at a bunch of other neighborhoods, but kept coming back to Barra for the sheer convenience — and ocean views. Are there less expensive places to stay? Sure. Do they have the […]

Review: Casa do Carnaval

Opening in February, 2018, the Casa do Carnaval (House of Carnaval) was long overdue in the city that has the largest carnaval in the world. Fittingly, it sits in the historic center of Salvador, in a lovingly-restored building between Praca da Se and the Pelourinho. At $30 reais, it’s quite a bit more expensive than […]

Beginner’s Guide to Carnaval in Salvador

To say my first Salvador carnival experience was overwhelming and bewildering would be an understatement. First, there were new and unfamiliar terms — bloco, camarote, pipoca, circuit, fantasia, adabá — that I had to understand to navigate the behemoth event. Second, in the two months since I had last been to Salvador, the logistics of […]