When you think about attending carnaval in Salvador, what do you picture yourself doing? Are you in a bloco walking right alongside your favorite band or artist, wearing a commemorative shirt that tells the world, “yes, I am with them?” Or, are you in a camarote (viewing stand)? Maybe even one that has a spa […]
When you think about carnaval in Rio de Janeiro, you probably think about the Sambadrome. And when you think about carnaval in Salvador, you probably envision a trio elétrico passing along a beach surrounded by throngs of people. Am I right? Those dreamy beach images are from the Barra-Ondina circuit, one of dozens of official […]
Salvador carnaval is a marathon, not a sprint. While the official carnaval days are Thursday through Tuesday, it extends several days in either direction with additional official activities. And, if I was to be honest, the carnaval season actually starts on December 4th with the festival of Santa Barbara / Iensã. Yeah, they like a […]
Wondering what a trio elétrico is or why popcorn (pipoca) is an indispensable part of Salvador carnaval? Then read on below for a list of the most commonly used terms so you can navigate Salvador’s carnaval with confidence. Abadá — Originally a term used for capoeira uniforms, this term refers to the shirt that carnaval […]
I stayed in Pousada Estrela do Mar my very first trip to Salvador so it will always have a special place in my heart. It is this pousada where I roomed with the woman who, as a result of that trip, is now one of my closet confidants and dearest friends. It is also the pousada […]
The Hit Hotel in Barra, Salvador is located at the port of Barra, a fantastic location, right on the Orla across from the famous Porto da Barra beach. When you leave the hotel you literally cross the street and you are at the steps leading down to the beach. And I do mean “literally”, not […]
When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade — or, in our case, green papaya juice. Our (mis)adventure started when we had our apartment painted and the strong smell of fumes drove us out and we had to find a new place to sleep while the fumes dispersed. Since staying in a hotel or pousada […]
Interested in learning a bit of Portuguese while you are here in Salvador? Then Barra is the neighborhood for you — all three of the Portuguese schools in Salvador that are geared towards foreigners are located in Barra. The basic model for teaching Portuguese is almost identical across the three schools and they all have very […]