Baby Bahia in Five Senses

From the Baby Perspective

In all the excitement of the games we have not forgotten to take some time to explore some of the sights and sounds of Salvador. From the Pelourinho to Embassai there have been some really great moments of taking in the omnipresent, rich culture of Salvador. Some articles evaluate the host cities by how they appear at the moment of the World Cup, but it might be better to see how hosting a few games of the Copa fits into the city's busy schedule. More important for locals like Eloise (above) is a Festa de São João, which culminates on June 23. All across Bahia, even more in small towns than big cities, there are forro concerts, square dancing (quadrilhas), fireworks, bonfires, and special food. Banners of the festival colors--green and yellow-flutter rhythmically in the breeze. We caught some forro and sweaty samba on Wednesday night.

Earlier this week, Humans of New York shared a photo of a Brazilian man on the subways of New York. When asked '"What do you miss most about Brazil?" the man responded "In Brazil. My people. Money or no money. Still happy." We are staying in the city center of Salvador, in the working class neighborhood of Dois de Julho.The streets vibrant, energetic, congested, and alive certainly align with this statement. People in Salvador give Washington Heights a run for its money. Street corner parties, and music abound pretty much every night of the week: Segunda, Terca, Quarto, Quinta, Sexta, Sabado e Domingo.

Praca de Castro Alves

The sights lure you around each corner, with the cidade alta (Upper City) peering down on the sparkling bay below. From the cidade baixa (Lower City) below, the water laps and lulls you into a living lullaby.  

The world's first public elevator, Elevador Lacerda,
that goes from the cidade baixa to the cidade alta.

Our first comida baiana was at the house of the mother of my friend Yuri. They cooked up moqueca de peixe, a coconut fish stew, marascada, a warm seafood salad, and feijao, black eyed peas with farofa flour. 

The river on one side of the beach

Yuri and Stephen drove out past the well-known Praia do Forte to Embassai, a former fishing village that now survives more from low-key tourism. The delight of Embassai is the river that you can swim in, or take a raft down, to the vast white beach on the Atlantic. It would be Eloise's first time at the beach!

Elo and Papa rafted down to the beach and fell asleep under an umbrella. When she squinted her eyes awake and set her feet into the unsteady sand, she was in seventh heaven. Yuri showed her how to run her fingers through the sand, and she gave everyone around her gift after gift of moist sand. She ran up and down, up and down, up and down, into the roaring ocean, watching her feet disappear as the sand receded with the wave.

Where am I? Onde estou?

Beige stuff everywhere

I can do this!

As people still love babies it provides a great opportunity to chat with locals and foreigners alike. I have not formally learned portuguese, but folks seem to go along with my attempt to mask spanish in some sort of beginner portuguese accent. This of course gives me the delusion that I am quite skilled at this, unlike my french. One four year old girl, a transplant from Curitiba, took a liking to Eloise, and they passed sand back and forth for an hour or two. Her mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother came over to chat about babies, Brazilian friendliness, and how different Bahia is from their home state of Parana.

First time in the sea foam of the ocean!

Grandma in her Panama hat

Grandma and Abuelita

 The grandmas showed off their skill in relaxation, enjoying a cold coconut and some cold cerveja. Yuri ordered us acaraje, a specialty of Bahia (also in Nigeria). It's made from black eyed peas, made into balls fried in dende oil (a palm oil). When you eat it, you cut it open, put in some little shrimps, some peppers and onion, and vatapa (a thick fish sauce). It is absolutely gostoso when fresh! We all gobbled them up!

Selling acaraje in Salvador

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Eloise and a palm tree = smiles

getting our feet wet in the river across the ocean

Not wanting to leave