In addition to football, Brazil is famous for having a big beach culture and now I know why!

On our third day in Salvador, we spent time at Porto da Barra Beach in Barra, the more cosmopolitan area of Salvador which sits right on the Atlantic Ocean. Barra has few historical attractions, including a couple forts and a lighthouse.

We didn’t visit any attractions – only went to the beach, which was lovely. There were alot of people (mainly locals) out, so it was lively but also clean and felt safe. The water was the perfect temperature and, yes, thong bikinis were plentiful.

Fun fact: Brazilians don’t use beach towels. They use patterned blankets to lay on and air dry (a few are visible in the pic below). If you carry a towel, you’re immediately flagged as a tourist. Haha.

Straight from the beach, we went on an Afro-Brazilian history tour around Salvador. It started in Barra, then went to Rio Vermelho (the bohemian, laid back neighborhood with restaurants, clubs and nightlife), and ended in Pelourinho (where we’d visited on our first and second days of the trip).

Interesting info learned from our awesome guide (and pics of Salvador snapped along the way):

• Pelourinho (the historic center of Salvador) means “pillory” in Portuguese which translates to “whipping post” and was the first slave market in the South America. For this reason, the black people do not like this area and generally do not visit. This is ironic because Pelourinho is the most touristy area of Salvador
• The black people also dislike Barra, which is the ritzy, cosmopolitan part of town since it’s unaffordable for them and is inhabited mainly by Europeans
• The black people do not like the term “favela” as it has a negative connotation
• Slaves mainly worked on sugar plantations; sugar was the main export
• After slavery was abolished, newly freed black people started their own settlements
• Colorism is a major issue in today’s society, where lighter skinned people are generally more accepted and treated better (similar to the US)
• Black women are just starting to embrace their natural hair and moving away from straightening it
• It is extremely expensive and difficult for Brazilians to get approvals for tourist visas to visit the States
• There’s a black movement with the goal of improving racial and societal equity for black people that is picking up momentum
• Like in the states, there’s a high level of corruption among the police. Police are also discriminatory against black people
• Catholicism is the primary religion practiced by the both the Europeans and Blacks, but a minority of Blacks also practice Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion with roots from Africa

Rio Vermelho, a bohemian neighborhood with restaurants/eateries and nightlife:

Women dressed in traditional Bahian dress selling acarajé, deep fried beans rolled into a scone-like shape, stuffed with palm oil, shrimp, peppers, and onions:

An Orisha statue in Dique de Tororo (a lake/park with massive statues of each of the Orishas):

Shrine with gifts dedicated to one of the Orisha gods, Iemanjá. Within the Candomblé religion, she is the Queen of the Ocean:

Back in Pelourinho for another evening of Festa Junina:

DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS:

• Impromptu beach photoshoot with our new friends
• Afro-Brazilian tour of Salvador, which has the highest number of people with African ancestry outside of Africa

READY FOR MORE SALVADOR ADVENTURES?

• Day 1 — Celebrating Festa Junina in Pelourinho
• Day 2 — Checking out the historic sites and attending a Candomblé ceremony
• Day 4 — Venturing to Morro de São Paulo, a beautiful carless island, to chillax away from the hustle and bustle of Salvador