Salvador

Salvador – 17^th January

Today we berthed at Salvador, Brazil’s third largest city.   It is steeped in its African roots with cobbled streets and colourful mansions.  Our excursion was entitled Historical Salvador, where we were taken to the Upper City by coach.  We had a very informative guide, who explained the history of Salvador as we walked around the upper town.  

Co-incidentally we had arrived in town on a religious festival, where women dress up in white dresses and walk nine kilometres to pay homage to African gods. 

Salvador was the centre of the Portuguese slave market brought over to man the vast sugarcane plantations.

There are many churches in Salvador and one we visited (see picture) was absolutely magnificent, decorated in many tons of gold.

After a brief interlude in town where we wandered around the shops, including many jewelers, we strolled down the steep cobbled streets to our coach and back to the ship.

After lunch we decided to venture out and experience the carnival atmosphere, first hand.  We had, however, been warned by P & O, and our local courier to leave all cameras, watches, wallets, jewellery, on board ship (so no photographs).  This was because of the risk of muggings, pickpockets, etc.  We picked the wrong street to walk to the carnival – it was where there was a band playing and so  many locals were drinking and dancing to the music.  It was so crowded we really had difficulty getting through.  A couple of times we got separated.  However, we got to the party in the end, but it was just so noisy with music, but it didn’t sound like music to us, just a thump, thump, thump, we decided we had had enough and returned to the ship.

All in all a very good experience, but we don’t think we would visit the Notting Hill Carnival when we get back home.

Tomorrow, one of the highlights, it’s RIO DE JANEIRO.

Recife

Recife - Tuesday, 15^th January.

Today was a very sad day for me as a very good friend of mine, Doreen, who died Christmas/New Year 2012, had her funeral today, and because of this cruise I was unable to attend.  She was a lovely lady, who used to live in Fairoak Drive and she (and Jack) used to join us every Thursday morning for a cup of coffee and a chat.  A couple of years ago she moved to York to be near her daughter, Christine, and regrettably we had not been up to see her.  However, we commemorated the day by saying our goodbyes on the aft of the ship and I threw a white rose into the sea.  Goodbye Doreen.

Today we arrived in Recife, our first stop in Brazil, South America.  We had decided to book an excursion on a catamaran doing the sights of the city from the river. 

This turned out to be not a particularly good excursion with the views of the city limited from a very smelly, highly polluted river edged by mangroves.  However, we did see what the city had to offer.  

After the cruise the coach dropped us off at an interesting market place in the old jailhouse with the stallholders occupying individual prison cells (see pictures). 

We had intended to return to the town in the afternoon but decided we had seen seen enough. with the temperature reaching over 30 degrees and being very humid.  Needless to say Recife is not on our list of places to return to in the future.