Salvador Brazil

We arrived here in Salvador Brazil early on 5 February and have spent the last two days getting used to the heat here - it was 36 degrees C yesterday when we went on an organised tour of the city. The tour took us into the historic part of the town which is reached from the Marina by means of a huge public elevator and you pay 15c per trip (around 5p). We were split into two groups and each group had a guide and there was a big air conditioned bus to take us around to the old city. There is a strong African influence here in Salvador because of the slave trade. The city is very old and many of the 18th and 19th century buildings are decaying and it is obvious no money has been spent on the renovation or restoration. There are many churches which seem to be mostly Roman Catholic. We saw a very rich church St Francis of Assisi church which had ornate gold decorations and was very elaborate. There was a Jesuit church and one of the 3rd Order. The streets of the city are fairly narrow and all cobbled or paved with small tiles. After the city tour we had dinner at a local restaurant with crews from Dreamcatcher, Zoe and Ruby so 8 of us in total. The food was excellant and vey reasonable at approx 50 pounds each for dinner including cocktails and wine. The World ARC office will close up today as it is the start of Carnival which runs from 8th to 13th February. The streets are all decorated with banners and bunting. The shops and houses on the sides of the streets have boarded up their fences/gates to protect them from any potential damage!! The programme today includes the welcome and prizegiving event which starts at 13.30 hours and goes on for a couple of hours with food and drink included. This has been changed to free up this evening for those that wish to watch the opening Carnival events. Tomorrow Friday 8 February we are part of a group of World ARC crews who have booked places on a Balcony to view the Carnival. It is expensive at around 700 pounds for the two of us but at least it does inclde all food and drink. The Balcony opens at 6pm and the party goes on until 5am! Not sure if we will be able to stay awake for that long but maybe a siesta tomorrow might help!! This morning I am shopping with the girls and hoping to find some good Brazillian bargains! We expect to stay around Salvador until after Carnival ends and then cruise up the coast to Forteleza for the rendezvous on 6 March before the next leg to Grenada. Have planned to sail in company with Zoe again as it worked well for the South African cruising.