My mum took off her oh-so-French scarf—meanwhile, all the Brazilians on the Lisbon–Salvador flight were just stripping in the middle of the airport, ditching their bulky European winter layers.
We hugged one more time and crossed the road to the quiosque just outside the airport for some coffee.
Yes, at midnight.
Welcome to Brazil—a slice of bolo de laranja with your late-night arrival?
My mum unpacked, discovered the air-con—”keep the remote, trust me, you’ll need it”—the electric “suicide” shower, fragrant Brazilian soap, and a few tropical fruits. Then at 2 a.m. we figured the lesson would continue the next day.
Elevador Lacerda, the Pelourinho and Santo Antônio Além do Carmo
The Elevador Lacerda isn’t just your boring Otis elevator. It connects the Upper Town and the Lower Town because here’s an important Salvador lesson. Don’t take the damn ladeiras.
These steep little streets—the ladeiras—are everywhere in Salvador. They don’t cut through the city so much as slide down its hills, often lined with squats and abandoned buildings. They may look charming, but many are deserted and just plain dangerous if you don’t know where you’re going.
So everybody takes elevators, a legit form of public transportation in Salvador. There are many of them, most closer to funiculars than to actual elevators.
Praça Tomé de Souza offers one of the best views over the Lower Town, and it’s just a few blocks away from Pelourinho, the Black cultural heart of Salvador, and the very hippie-chic Santo Antônio Além do Carmo.
Cidade Baixa from R. Chile, 37 – Centro, Salvador – BACidade Baixa from R. Chile, 37 – Centro, Salvador – BACidade Baixa from R. Chile, 37 – Centro, Salvador – BAR. Chile, 37 – Centro, Salvador – BACidade Baixa from R. Chile, 37 – Centro, Salvador – BAElevador Lacerda, Praça Tomé de Souza, S/N – Centro, Salvador – BA, 40020-000Elevador Lacerda, Praça Tomé de Souza, S/N – Centro, Salvador – BA, 40020-000Cidade Baixa from Elevador Lacerda, Praça Tomé de Souza, S/N – Centro, Salvador – BA, 40020-000Elevador Lacerda, Praça Tomé de Souza, S/N – Centro, Salvador – BA, 40020-000Elevador Lacerda, Praça Tomé de Souza, S/N – Centro, Salvador – BA, 40020-000Elevador Lacerda, Praça Tomé de Souza, S/N – Centro, Salvador – BA, 40020-000Cidade Baixa from Elevador Lacerda, Praça Tomé de Souza, S/N – Centro, Salvador – BA, 40020-000Praça da Sé – Pelourinho, Salvador – BA, 40020-210Cidade Baixa from Praça da Sé – Pelourinho, Salvador – BA, 40020-210Praça da Sé – Pelourinho, Salvador – BA, 40020-210Igreja e Convento de São Francisco – Ordem Primeira, Largo do Cruzeiro de São Francisco, S/N – Pelourinho, Salvador – BA, 40020-280Praça Pedro Arcanjo, R. Gregório de Matos, 10 – Pelourinho, Salvador – BA, 40026-240Pelourinho, Salvador – BA, 40026-240Pelourinho, Salvador – BA, 40026-240Igreja do Santíssimo Sacramento do Passo, R. do Paço, 52A – Santo Antônio Além do Carmo, Salvador – BA, 40301-408Escadaria do Passo, Ladeira do Carmo, 24 – Centro Histórico, Salvador – BA, 40301-410Plano Inclinado do Pilar, R. do Carmo, 2 – Santo Antônio Além do Carmo, Salvador – BA, 40301-405Plano Inclinado do Pilar, R. do Carmo, 2 – Santo Antônio Além do Carmo, Salvador – BA, 40301-405Plano Inclinado do Pilar, R. do Carmo, 2 – Santo Antônio Além do Carmo, Salvador – BA, 40301-405Plano Inclinado do Pilar, R. do Carmo, 2 – Santo Antônio Além do Carmo, Salvador – BA, 40301-405Plano Inclinado do Pilar, R. do Carmo, 2 – Santo Antônio Além do Carmo, Salvador – BA, 40301-405Praça Tomé de Souza, S/N – Centro, Salvador – BA, 40020-000Coffee much needed, Av. Sete de Setembro, 117 – Nazaré, Salvador – BA, 40060-000
The Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia by the Water
My second you-gonna-love-it suggestion was the MAM, aka the Museu de Arte Moderna.
Not only is the art cool, but this museum’s setting is quite unique—it’s right by the water and comes with its own beach.
“Day four. Mum is wandering around favelas and drinking giant Instagram-esque cocktails on the beach,” I texted my siblings.
My mum gets daily updates from her cat—pictures, not texts from dear Émile.
I send updates to my brother and sister, mostly photos of my mum actually smiling.
“I’ll keep her alive,” I added. “And it was a zero-alcohol cocktail.”
Plus, favelas, aka comunidades, are perfectly safe when you know where you’re going.
It’s just… people living their lives. Poverty isn’t dangerous per se, and favelas aren’t all about drugs and guns. Sometimes they simply happen to serve excellent beach cocktails.
Comércio, Salvador – State of Bahia, 40301-155Comércio, Salvador – State of Bahia, 40301-155Comércio, Salvador – State of Bahia, 40301-155Praia da Preguiça – Centro, Salvador – BA, 40060-286Praia do MAM, Av. Lafayete Coutinho, 1010 – Contorno, Salvador – BA, 40015-160Praia do MAM, Av. Lafayete Coutinho, 1010 – Contorno, Salvador – BA, 40015-160MAM Museu De Arte Moderna Da Bahia, Av. Lafayete Coutinho – Comércio, Salvador – BA, 40015-250MAM Museu De Arte Moderna Da Bahia, Av. Lafayete Coutinho – Comércio, Salvador – BA, 40015-250MAM Museu De Arte Moderna Da Bahia, Av. Lafayete Coutinho – Comércio, Salvador – BA, 40015-250MAM Museu De Arte Moderna Da Bahia, Av. Lafayete Coutinho – Comércio, Salvador – BA, 40015-250MAM Museu De Arte Moderna Da Bahia, Av. Lafayete Coutinho – Comércio, Salvador – BA, 40015-250MAM Museu De Arte Moderna Da Bahia, Av. Lafayete Coutinho – Comércio, Salvador – BA, 40015-250MAM Museu De Arte Moderna Da Bahia, Av. Lafayete Coutinho – Comércio, Salvador – BA, 40015-250MAM Museu De Arte Moderna Da Bahia, Av. Lafayete Coutinho – Comércio, Salvador – BA, 40015-250Praia Unhão, Salvador – State of Bahia, 40060-067Praia Unhão, Salvador – State of Bahia, 40060-067Praia Unhão, Salvador – State of Bahia, 40060-067Praia Unhão, Salvador – State of Bahia, 40060-067Praia Unhão, Salvador – State of Bahia, 40060-067Praia Unhão, Salvador – State of Bahia, 40060-067Praia Unhão, Salvador – State of Bahia, 40060-067
The Beaches of Barra
Finally, we spent the weekend at the beach, at Barra—where else would we go? Half of Salvador was already there.
Don’t mind the hat and blue sarong—not mine. A Brazilian family was also taking pictures and decided to stage their own photo shoot.
Hey, that’s Brazil as well.
Sorry, no Instagram—I only have WhatsApp and a CPF. I’m only half Brazilian.
But my mum is getting the hang of it—late-night coffee, beach weekends, elevators instead of ladeiras, and strangers directing her photo shoot. Not bad for an introduction to Salvador.
Forte de Santa Maria, Av. Sete de Setembro – Barra, Salvador – BAForte de Santa Maria, Av. Sete de Setembro – Barra, Salvador – BAPraia do Porto da Barra, Av. Sete de Setembro – Barra, Salvador – BAAv. Sete de Setembro – Barra, Salvador – BAAv. Sete de Setembro – Barra, Salvador – BAMuseu Náutico da Bahia – Farol da Barra, Largo do Farol da Barra, S/N – Barra, Salvador – BA, 40140-650Av. Oceânica, Barra, Salvador – BA, 40140-130Av. Oceânica, Barra, Salvador – BA, 40140-130Av. Oceânica, Barra, Salvador – BA, 40140-130Morro do Cristo, Av. Oceânica – Barra, Salvador – BAMorro do Cristo, Av. Oceânica – Barra, Salvador – BAMorro do Cristo, Av. Oceânica – Barra, Salvador – BAMorro do Cristo, Av. Oceânica – Barra, Salvador – BAMorro do Cristo, Av. Oceânica – Barra, Salvador – BAMorro do Cristo, Av. Oceânica – Barra, Salvador – BAPraia do Farol da Barra, Av. Oceânica – Barra, Salvador – BAPraia do Farol da Barra, Av. Oceânica – Barra, Salvador – BAPraia do Farol da Barra, Av. Oceânica – Barra, Salvador – BAPraia do Farol da Barra, Av. Oceânica – Barra, Salvador – BAPraia do Farol da Barra, Av. Oceânica – Barra, Salvador – BAPraia do Farol da Barra, Av. Oceânica – Barra, Salvador – BA
