Dave Ford Does Earth

Posted by Dave Ford

Salvador de Bahia feels so much like New Orleans its scary. I have spent a few weeks in the Big Easy and John went to school at Tulane. We are in complete agreement that Salvador is the poor mans New Orleans. Salvador comes with a distinct Afro Brazilian flair, music in the cobblestone streets, and petty theft. Florianapolis is to Miami as Salvador is to New Orleans (This should be an SAT question). The drum beats never stop, there is dancing everywhere, and you never stop getting approached by the locals trying to sell you anything and everything.  I bought my parents a huge hammock and have no idea where they are going to hang it up. We stayed for two days in the historic district called Pelourinho.

Salvador was the gateway port for all of the African Slaves that arrived in Brazil. The city is 90% African, the large majority of which still practice the traditional religions they brought from Africa hundreds of years ago. 40% of the total amount of slaves that were taken from Africa ended up in Brazil, and all of them entered through the port in Salvador. Pelourinho–where we stayed– translates into ¨Whipping Post¨. Right where we were, they whipped 135,000 slaves to death over the course of a few hundred years. Shocking. Nonetheless, the locals are very proud of their city and all that their people have overcome.

John and I spent two nights in Salvador and did as much as we could in a short period of time. This is the first time I have come into contact with extreme poverty on this trip. The constant harassment of street kids gets really old, really fast. John must have told me 50 times, ¨Just wait until you get to Africa and India.¨

We ran into one particular kid everyday. He was probably 13, missing a front tooth. He would show up around every corner smiling and high fiving us. This kid hustled all day and all night. He would be great at advertising sales. He worked every gringo in a two square mile radius. In the end, he got me to buy him a fish sandwich, then got the restaurant people to give him the money instead. Yes, I fell for the old fish sandwich scam. Who knew there was such a thing as a fish sandwich scam?

Note to self: Do not buy fish sandwiches for kids in Africa and India.

We met a big group of grad students from Yale at dinner, then went out dancing at one of the most popular Samba clubs in town. The live band blew the roof off of the place, and the locals were shaking it all night long in 90 degree heat. All of the Americans in the place were drenched in sweat (except for me of course), while the locals were dry as a bone.

John finds true love

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Notes:

> John does not seem to respect the fact that people of my size have a tough time sitting economy in airplanes. He has been piggy backing on my emergency exit seat requests and then forcing me into the middle seats. On one of our flights he stole the good seat and forced me to sit between the equivalent of two Offensive Lineman.

> John and I continue to smoke cigars like old men.

> We are on our way to explore some unchartered beaches a few hours south of here. I do not have any idea what they are called but here that they are some of the best beaches in all of Brazil.

> I currently want to put my fist through the screen of this computer as it just ate my entire post and I have basically had to start over. I am blaming the Brazilian government. This is such complete bullshit.

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