Ups & Downs in Salvador

The weather in Salvador could not have been more different than Rio. While we were buying umbrellas and getting soaked the entire weekend, the students who flew up and spent the extra days in Salvador were lounging on the beach in beautiful, sunny weather. Luckily this weather would continue over my final two days in Brazil.

Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia (Brazil has 27 states or Federative Units). Salvador is also one of the oldest cities in the Americas and is the third most populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro). The city has 3.5 million people and is notable for cuisine, music and architecture. In fact, it’s sometime referred to as Brazil’s Capital of Happiness due to its countless outdoor parties and street carnivals.

We had another beach apartment lined up for Salvador (via Katie Pritchard) and while I was stuck on the ship the first night being on-call, many people spent the night at the apartment. Four of us (Eddie, Carla, Alison, and I) were meeting up with the group and spending the 2nd night at the house. We headed off the ship relatively early and wound our way through the city. We stopped to shop at one of the markets when I spotted a guy selling soccer jerseys on the street. I had been looking for an Argentinian Messi jersey since the final days in Buenos Aires and spotted one on the line. My legal counsel, Alison (one of the RDs, who got confirmation that she passed the bar exam on the voyage, and will be working at a law firm starting in January), advised me on one of the most important rules of Semester at Sea: If you see something you want, don’t wait to get it later. Thus, I made quite possibly my favorite purchase of the voyage. And with the World Cup Draw putting Argentina with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, and Nigeria…I’m 100% confident they will win their group and easily make it to the Quarterfinals, which means I’ll have plenty of days to wear the jersey in support of the South American squad not named Brazil.

Market in Salvador, Bahia

After the shopping was done, we headed to the Elevador Lacerda (Lacerda Elevator). This is the first elevator of the urban world, opened in 1873. It is 191 feet tall and plays the role of public transport between Cairu Square (in Lower Town) and Thome Square de Souza (in the Upper Town) in the Historic Centre of Salvador. Thome Square de Souza (the City Square) is where a lot of public buildings are, such as the new City Hall, the former headquarters for the Government of Bahia, and more. Unfortunately, we didn't realize there was going to be live bands and a big party happening in this area later that evening. Had we known, we definitely would have come back and danced the night away.

The Lacerda Elevator - Allowing 30 people to cram into a tiny elevator together.

We wandered around and stopped at the Church of São Francisco and walked around the Anchieta Plaza. The convent and church are very important colonial monuments in Brazil. The friars of the Franciscan Order arrived in Salvador in 1587 and built the convent and church. The current church was built between 1708 and 1723. Next our group headed to the apartment near Porto da Barra Beach. We drove by the former Esadio da Fonte Nova, a fútbol stadium inaugurated in 1951 with a maximum capacity of 66,080 people. Unfortunately, there was a tragic incident when a section of the stadium’s highest terraces collapsed in 2007 killing 7 people and injuring 40 others. Since then the stadium has been closed and has since been demolished. The Bahia Arena is currently being constructed in its place as a venue for the 2016 Summer Olympics for fútbol matches.

Church of São Francisco

We arrived at the apartment and found that 12 people would be spending the night this evening, which was more than expected; however the apartment could hold up to 14, so we were good to go. We went and grabbed lunch at a local beachside restaurant and shared a number of plates comprised of beans, rice, and various types of meat. After filling up, we headed to the Porto da Barra Beach and I finally got a chance to lay out on a Brazilian beach!

Porto da Barra Beach

When we walked on the beach, we were immediately approached by attendants who wanted to set us up. We agreed and soon all had a beach chair with a caipirinha in our hand (easily the best ones we had all voyage). The temperature was hot and the sun was out in full force, so after lying out for a while, it was time to get in the water. The water was the absolute perfect temperature…not cold at all. 

Alison & Carla Enjoying Caipirinhas

While enjoying the water, we noticed some local kids jumping off a rock ledge coming into the ocean. We decided to swim over to the area and check it out. Our group was pretty apprehensive about jumping because Ruben and I noted there were areas where we could touch the bottom without going underwater. After treading water for a while, the dauntless side of me came out, and I decided to just go for it. I climbed up, picked out a spot that looked a little deeper, and jumped. It was a blast and soon our group all decided to jump as well. In addition, there was a large group of students at the beach who apparently were apprehensive about jumping as well…until they saw all the SAS staff members doing it.  I was glad to find out they are sometimes cautious about decisions…and that all of us made the jumps with no injuries.

 The Jumping Group 

(with the rock ledge in the background)

Three of my students in the Baltic Sea: Sophie, Shannon, & Emma

One nice thing about the Porto da Barra Beach is that it is one of the few Salvador beaches facing west. We stayed to watch the sunset and I headed out to take some pictures of the Farol da Barra, the lighthouse on the coast. It stands 22 meters high, painted with black and white bands, and was built inside the Forte de Santo Antonio da Barra. In the 17th century, the port of Salvador was one of the busiest on the continent, so a lighthouse was constructed in 1668. A more modern lighthouse was built in 1839 and is the one that still stands there now. Unfortunately, after snapping some shots of the lighthouse, I decided to walk out on a rocky area to try and get a better picture. I took a step, slipped on a slick rock, and fell. What made the fall bad for me was the fact that as I felt myself slipping/falling, I decided to save the camera…instead of my body. Thus, the camera came out of things perfectly fine, while my body took the brunt of the rocks.

Farol da Barra - Lighthouse (pre-slip)

The apartment we were in had an agreement with the hotel next door, the Grande Hotel da Barra, so we were able to go and swim in their pool before heading back into our place. We hung out, had swimming contests, as well as handstand contests. I am certain my 8-year old self would kick my butt in a pool handstand competition, as I did rather poorly. After the swim, we all headed back and cleaned ourselves up (me more than others). We decided to stay in for the evening, so we ordered some food, had a dance party, and hung out till about 2am. 

The next day was our final day in Brazil. We awoke, had breakfast, did some shopping in the stores in the area. Everyone seemed to be buying Havaianas flip flops…honestly, one member of our group bought 8 pairs (I’m still not sure how many are actually gifts for others). Afterwards we decided to head back to the beach to take advantage of being on land before we had to be back on the ship for 11 days. 

Faculty/Staff of SAS - Enjoying The Beach

By 1pm, we were heading back to the port area; however, I had to make a few final stops. Carla, who speaks Portuguese, was my translator as I had to exchange Brazilian Real for Euros. As a US citizen, I can’t get money out in Cuba, so everyone aboard the ship had to be prepared to come in to Havana with some currency. After some last minute purchases, we were back at the MV Explorer to help with embarkation. Unfortunately, it started raining, thus we were out in the rain for 2 hours as our community came back…luckily, this time we had everyone accounted for! 

After getting aboard, I showered, grabbed some food from the ship BBQ that was taking place, listened to post-port reflections, and called it an early night!

We would have 11 days until we reached Havana, Cuba. However, the US Department of the Treasury informed the Institute for Shipboard Education (who manages Semester at Sea), that only members of the community with educational purposes could enter Cuba. Thus, 9 days in to the trip to Cuba, we’d be stopping at Freeport, Bahamas to drop off 57 individuals. This group includes the Lifelong Learners, the dependent children, and any spouse/partner not working on the ship. Needless to say this was not taken well, but in the end, it had to be done. The 57 individuals are currently put up at a resort (all-expenses paid) in the Bahamas for the next 4 days…not a terrible consolation prize.

We have no more full days "at sea" and only 7 more days till we reach Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The semester has flown by and I’m going to try to make the most of my final week. Thus, my blogs for Cuba, the Bahamas, and the final days on the MV Explorer will be completed once I get back to Cleveland.

I hope you've enjoyed the blog thus far, enjoy the holidays, and I hope to see many of you soon!

“How many people long for that past, simpler, and better world, I wonder, without ever recognizing the truth that perhaps it was they who were simpler and better, and not the world about them?”