Hey Hello Salvador

It was two o’clock in the morning and we were about to take off from the airport heading for Salvador, which once upon a time where the third most important city in all of Brazil. I was a bit excited coming to a city which contains the same number of people as half of Norway. At the same time I could say to my friends that I have (almost) been to Africa. You see, about 90% of the people in Salvador have ancestors from Africa mainly Angola. When we arrived at the airport, still at night, I was really tired. So, along with Synnøve and Filippe I went to sleep on the floor before we were picked up at the airport in the morning. Driving out from the airport the road was covered with beautiful bamboo trees.

Later on that day, after lunch, we went sightseeing. We got to see some castles, churches, arts, and the striking view of the bay of Salvador. I was a bit overwhelmed but of course happy for being in Salvador. After the sightseeing, we went eating at a restaurant. For the first time in my life I ate “Baccalao” surprisingly enough for the Brazilians since the food is made in Norway. The funny part of it was that the “Baccalao” came with the pizza and didn’t know that it was “Baccalao” before it had entered my stomach. It was delicious; at least almost.

Salvador is a city with a huge difference between poor and rich people. Some places there are enormous supermarkets and right beside there are slums. It is really sad to see all the rich people living “on top” of the pour ones. The first night in Salvador I spend in a neighborhood at the poor side of the city. It was really interesting to see all the people in the streets playing and singing and enjoying themselves. Still, while waiting for the bus next morning, with my luggage in my hands, I must admit I became a bit nervous. It felt like everybody was staring at me and it made me feel uncomfortable. After being a short while at the beaches of Salvador, we went to eat lunch with the host family of Synnøve. There, for the first time in my life I saw an entire neighborhood guarded with walls and guards. Imagine the difference. Many people of Salvador live in the streets begging for money, while other have more money than any pour man could ever dream of. The lunch was really good with ice-cream to dessert served by the waitress but still a taste of bitter sweet.

That night we were invited to a party with ABU. It was really nice. People talked about how much ABU meant to their lives and the importance of ABU in Salvador. We worshiped together, ate good food and had a really good time. Before the party, some of us went to the lake downtown where we rented small boats so that we could see more of the beauty of Salvador. It was really funny and I am still tired in my laughing muscles.

The next day I had a really good milkshake at Salvador Shopping. They also had a “Coca Cola” shop there, without anything to drink, that only sold “Coca Cola” clothes. I was thinking of buying a “Coca Cola” shorts but the price was of course a bit stiff. Later on, that night, we went to a Christmas-service. For the first time so far here in Brazil I could feel a slight of Christmas mood. It was really good hearing “O Holy Night” and other Christmas carols as well. The priest asked if we, Synnøve and I, could come up to the stage because they wanted to pray for us. It was really nice experience. After the service there were a lot of people who wanted to get to know us.

The last day in Salvador was definitive the best one. We walked around in the old part of the town. We learned a lot the history and more importantly about the culture. Did you know that Salvador is the number one city of Capoeira in the World? We watched the sunset from one of the castles in Salvador while drinking water from the coconut. The view was excellent. Later that evening we had the last sightseeing before leaving. It was really good to get to know many of the people who we are meeting again at Ipeli for three weeks. But that’s another story.