Day Two

Morning Noon from our window.

Today we slept later than we’d planned. Still, getting up at 11 after 2 weeks in California was like getting up at 7, so that’s not too bad! 

We woke up feeling like we’d slept both too much and not enough, so went out again in search of a delicious Brazilian espresso cure-all (tastes like liquid dark chocolate; so addictive!). We found both the coffee and an early lunch at a sweet little natural foods restaurant just a few blocks from here.

Surveying Salvador on the morning noon walk.

            A worker, seeing us closely inspecting the food, came up to us and asked “Vegetarian?” We told her “sim,” and she proceeded to point out all of the available vegetarian dishes (including ‘fishtables,’ bless her soul). We had a nice meal of tabouli, corn, potatoes, veggies, etc. and enjoyed the sun and breeze from the second story window. Seriously, the weather here is the kind of not-hot,-not cold that just makes you want to nap outdoors all day long. The breeze on your skin is ridiculous. Like Mother Earth is kissing you all over.

            Afterwards, we meandered back to one of the main square areas near our hotel and realized that the cardboard cutout Michael Jackson we’d been chuckling at yesterday was actually significant—we were standing on the very site where Jacko had filmed his 1996 video for 'They Don't Really Care About Us'. (Watch it; the entire video was filmed one block away from our hotel, and nothing at all has changed.)

So cool! And for $1, you can wander up to the balcony where he is standing for a few shots and take your own photos. See our photo?

We met quite the local character who gave us wish bracelets—they are the local tradition here in Salvador, for 200+ years. The legend goes that you have a friend tie it on your wrist in three knots while you make a wish, and when the bracelet falls off of its own accord, your wish comes true! “No charge, no charge, they are a gift!,” he insisted to us in Spanish. “Okay, thank you,” we said, and chose our colors. “Now!” he said. “I will give you special promotion!” He gestured to the beaded necklaces hanging from his arm. Caught! Of course now that we had accepted his “gift,” we felt obligated to buy his wares. But that was fine, as I easily found a necklace I loved (see photo at the end of me with Black Kitty). He even talked me into buying another for my mom by giving it to me half price.

He also sold us on paying the $2 to go up together into the Michael Jackson balcony and take the photos…silly, but fun.

When we gave him a $50 reais note for our total $34 purchase, he eyed the cash and said, “Look! I will give you another special promotion!” and at this point we were finally firm with our “Nao,” and reiterated that we would like our change. He obliged, finally. :) It can be frustrating being in a place like Salvador where you can’t so much as glance in a souvenir shop without being followed around by someone hocking their wares at "special prices," but I also understand that this is how people survive. So we do our best.

Orixás

After this sidetrack, we continued as planned onto the Afro-Brazilian museum, where we learned a little about the myriad orixás (deities of the Afro-Brazilian religions)—including 27 spectacular wood carvings.

The museum had a great collection, but information-wise, could use some improvement. There is little in the way of a foundation for understanding the religious faith, but we’re definitely glad we went.

After that, I wanted to head to the modern art museum in another part of town, so we ventured out of our pretty, touristy little neighborhood (Pelourinho) into a more gritty, urban side of town. Lots of crowds, shopping, and a little veg restaurant and snack bar called ‘Healthy Valley,’ that we specifically sought out. Also, this place where I took this photo.

We had just missed restaurant hours at Healthy Valley, but grabbed some juices and a mysterious something from the snack bar, which was a fail for me but Matt enjoyed it just fine.

After a quick stop in a baby shop for something cute for my sweet niece Kemper and another for some cheap Havaianas, we made our way solely by feel (we had lost our map) in the general direction of the art museum. Things here got a little dicey for me when we had to cross some busy streets (the driving here is incredibly awful), but passing through a quiet residential area was a cool experience and we grabbed some photos of that, of course.

The MAM itself was pretty much a disappointment—apparently in the same way that restaurants and bars are randomly open and closed in Salvador, the modern art museum apparently sometimes has art, sometimes it doesn’t. Today it didn’t. Bummer.

But, the building itself is the old customs house and is right on the water, so we got some great pictures. And marmosets!!! The first ones we've seen in Brazil! They were so adorable, swinging around and munching snacks and being tiny!

Also, there is a gorgeous café where we sat for a snack and glass of wine while the sun set. 

Then we grabbed a taxi back to our home square where we grabbed a couple more gifty items and some Brazilian music from a local record store. It is refreshing and exasperating at the same time to be traveling somewhere where very few people know any English. It’s nice to have to try, and push ourselves out of our comfort zones, and translate menus for ourselves, but it is not so fun to feel like you can’t make significant connections with people who seem really interesting and who are telling you cool things about the music you are looking at—things you really, really want to know! So we did our best, again. The woman in the shop happily blasted whatever disc we were looking at on the store speakers for our previewing pleasure, and I think we walked away with a few great records.

Then it was time for the Bale Folclorico performance—really a sight to behold.  I was very grateful that we had gotten something of a primer, however elementary, on the Afro-Brazilian religious traditions, as the dancers were clearly portraying the Brazilian people juxtaposed with the orixás, and it certainly would not have been clear at all had we not visited the museum that morning. It would have been more like, “Hey, cool, there’s some people in plain white suits and other people in wacky, colorful suits and hoop skirts.”

Some of those dancers were just beyond belief—the way some of the men performed aerial cartwheels and flips had me wondering if they really weighed anything at all. It got me going on all kinds of deep thoughts about wasted human potential, et al.

Then we headed back down to Bar Zulu—the veg friendly place that had been closed last night, but was open tonight. We shared salad, hummus and Massaman curry. I must say, that being vegetarian in Brazil, while not quite as difficult as anticipated, is very…white. I feel like I am living on white pasta, rice and potatoes, mostly. With a side of white bread. Pretty bland for the most part, too. It’s a little sad, feeling like we are missing out on a huge piece of (meat-centric) Brazilian culture. I was reflecting this morning on choosing your morals over a complete cultural experience…it is bittersweet. And white. (I will be on a green smoothie kick for at least a week upon returning home…)

CATS!

I am happy to report that Black Kitten joined us for a return engagement tonight, though she was spreading herself out a little more since the restaurant patio was fairly crowded. She wanted to give the love to all who asked (or didn’t) for it. She also wanted to chase a cockroach around. In closing, since I know you all love the cat stuff, here is Black Kitten and various other Salvadorian kitties we have come across. And with that, I wish you a tired goodnight. Forgive me for these blogs being very stream-of-consciousness; it’s more for my own remembrance than anything else, and I’m only giving myself an hour immediately before bed to write them, so they lack my usual flair. I’ll revise them extensively and write a book for you all to read. Later. Someday. Also, I wanted to put even MORE photos in here, but it's taking forever, so you'll just have to wait. But for now, CATS!

CATS!

A more different cat!

Another more different cat!! (More cats later.)