Goodbye thirties, hello forties!

Last year, I turned 39 in Ubatuba, which is probably one of Brazil’s rainiest cities (I had been warned…).

This year, I turned 40 in Salvador, probably one of Brazil’s most fascinating cities. I decided to make the most of it—I signed up for a unique tour for my birthday, a deep dive into the city’s unusual markets and Libertade, the epicentre of Afro-Brazilian culture.

Holy shit, it was amazing.

I had no idea what to expect. I knew there would be two of us plus a local guide and that we would spend the day walking through neighbourhoods I wouldn’t dare to explore alone—that was about it.

It’s just past midnight now and I’m still digesting the experience.

I feel better about the world, that’s for sure.

Let’s rewind…

Hidden gems in Comércio

We met at 11 a.m. at the Mercado Modelo, just below the Elevator Lacerda. It’s now a popular handicraft and souvenir market but it was a prison for slaves at the beginning of the century.

Our guide was 58, passionate about Salvador and Afro-Brazilian culture. The other tourist was 27 and from a city north of Fortaleza, close to the Amazon River. He also identifies with Afro-Brazilian culture. In Brazil, it’s pointless to go by skin colour—I’m technically darker than some Brazilians with two feet into Afro culture, and except in southern Brazil where some locals could pass as Germans or Dutch, it’s a real mix of skin colours, hair types or other features.

We walked along the port—cruise ships are back, and passengers are quickly escorted to “safe” areas like the Elevator Lacerda. The port reminded me of Nantes or Saint Nazaire with giant flour silos and other industrial buildings.

But Comércio, Salvador’s business and financial centre, is a neighbourhood full of hidden gems—quirky sculptures or opulent colonial buildings.

Lesson learned, explore, explore, and explore! Brazil is a surprising country with a rich history.

The fish market

“Okay, we have to be careful here,” the guide said.

I immediately put my phone into my pocket.

“Yeah, this street is a bit tricky to cross.”

Oh, okay, this kind of dangerous, not the gringa-about-to-be-murdered kind of dangerous. Never mind.

Next stop, a fish market where the average fish was the size of a small shark. I found the market extremely clean and the people super friendly. It was quiet but it gets super busy on “sexta,” i.e. Friday, which is “dia de comida baiana”—most restaurants and eateries serve Bahia food like seafood stews.

São Joaquim Market

At first glance, São Joaquim looked like a typical Brazilian farmer’s market, much like the one I explored in Aracaju, with alleys full of exotic fruits and vegetables. Still enjoyable, though, and I’m working on learning the names of all the delicacies that are common in Brazil but impossible to grow anywhere else.

Then we stepped into a section of the market dedicated to Candomblé religious supplies, basically everything you may need for rituals like incense, voodoo dolls, deity statues, costumes, chairs, and more. Now, this was fascinating.

Even more fascinating was the fact no one was staring at me or seemed to care I was taking pictures. I felt completely welcome and accepted. Sure, we were speaking Portuguese so I might have passed for Brazilian—as long as you didn’t really pay attention to my broken Portuguese—but still.

Then we moved on to another section of this giant maze. This one was full of animals—goats, chickens, birds and more.

I paused for a second wondering if they were ending up in a plate or…

“For the Orishas.”

Gotcha. Animals are to be sacrificed and offered to Candomblé deities.

“How does it work?” I wondered out loud. “Like, how do you pick the type of animal to be sacrificed?”

“Oh, it depends on what the deity wants.”

“Right.”

Hey, who am I to judge? My culture cooks and seasoned rabbits, horses and more for the sake of a nice dinner.

Joking aside, this market is fascinating—it’s a colourful dive into Salvador’s culture and unique aspects of some Brazilian lives.

Up to Libertade

We took the urban elevator to the upper town to explore Libertade—in São Paulo, Libertade is Little Tokyo but in Salvador, it’s the epicentre of Afro-Brazilian culture.

Okay, let me rephrase this in a not politically correct way—it’s a lower-class neighbourhood with thousands of favelas around (the proper word is “comunidade”) and the population is 99% Black. But obviously, it’s much more than that—this is a place where people work hard to make a living, where resources are shared, and where beautiful things are created from urban art to music.

Libertade is huge. It feels like a city within a city. It’s a strong community with pirate radios, educational initiatives, amazing street food, and awesome parties, from Black Beauty Night to Carnival blocos.

And within Libertade is Curuzu Street, “the ghetto,” a reflection of Black empowerment. This is a neighbourhood within a neighbourhood, home to major Candomblé terreiros (where rituals and ceremonies take place), home to the unique Ilê Aiyê Carnival bloco.

Wandering the street of Libertade was a unique opportunity for me. I wouldn’t go there alone, mostly because I’d feel out of place and yes, maybe I’d be scared.

Scared of what, exactly?

Our guide joked about being robbed in New York—“never in Brazil!”

I wasn’t scared with someone who obviously knew the place and the culture. People were friendly, doors opened, and life is pretty normal in “the ghetto”—streets are clean, people work, have fun, share a meal, whatever.

We all live different lives but we’re all the same.

I spend my 40^th birthday doing what I love—wandering around places I don’t know much about, learning about the world, taking pictures, and connecting with other human beings.

And tonight, I’m thinking that real life is a lot better and much more straightforward than what you may read in the news or online.

Go out and explore.

You’ll find new perspectives.

Gosh, I feel wiser already at 40…!