An Adventure in Salvador - Part II

Well the `cold` turned out to be the flu. The kind that leaves you in bed for three days as you lack the energy to do much else, but and here is the bit that really gets me, laying in bed just makes your body ache...even more....nice.

When I say I have been in bed for the last three days this is not strictly true. I did go on a historical tour of Salvador and learnt so much more about the place. An editors note that I must make is that Candomble was a religion still practised in this region which was brought over by the African slaves in the 16th century. They have saints much the same as the Catholic religion does and each saint in Candomble directly relates to a saint in catholicism. The Slaves masters wouldnt let them worship their God so they invented their own god and saints to worship. Very interesting. Also a fact that I learnt yesterday whilst having dinner in my hotel sat on the terrace in my fleece (in 30 degrre heat and I was still cold) watching a Micahel Jackson DVD of his music videos was that in 1996 his song `they dont really care about us` is filmed in Pelourinho (the historic old part of Salvador) and where i had been satnding the day before!! How cool! The video features a famous NGO `Olodum`from Salvador. Fantastic drumming in the video - check it our if you can!

I have also rather unhealthily, have been frequenting the shopping centre, which is handily only a twenty minute walk away from my hotel. As i can´t go to the beach (too hot) or the twon cenmtre (too far away the way I was feeling) the shopping centre was the only form of exercise i have had for the last couple of days. Anyway the walk to the shopping centre and back is what fascinates me.... there are some really really hard working people who will do anything for some money. This includes three men sitting on the street corner shelling peas to sell to passers by, catching an octpus and selling it on the beach, selling crappy phonecards, vegetables, herbs, chilled or natural coconut juice and many many other forms of things. There are also those that stretch out a single hand and ask for some money, or those more sadly sleeping on a filthy looking matress on a walkway which crosses two busy roads on the way in/out of the shopping centre.

Then there is the shopping centre and the overblown prices of most of the shops in there and it makes me wander how on earth those who are getting by (badly) on $350 reais a month can afford the dress for $289 reais or the shoes for $90 reais, where do they go for there clothes? What i find curious is that the shopping centre has excatly the same layout as ALL shopping centres in Lisbon ie. there is a food hall crammed full of shit, commerical and overpriced food for sale and all the homecooked places are nowhere to be seen. The cheapest option for meals over here is the food by kilo, this means there is a set price for a kilo of food and you choose what you want to eat from a buffet, simple really. This way you get to try a little of everything!

Before i finish this very long post I just wanted to say that you can smell the hormones in the air in this place - I think everybody is horny all the time here!! Over breakfast yesterday I got given a full account by another guest of her night out and how she kissed an italian whilst he was with another woman at an open air club. I can understand though why everybody is so horny, the hot weather means people wear less and if they are all as beautiful as all the men and women are here then i guess you would feel silly if you didn´t join in! Dont worry though Rich I have definatly not been joing in!

Off to Brazilia tomorrow - the futuristic Brazilian capital which i am very very excited about!

T xxxx