Bahia's capital of Salvador (the name of the city was "Bahia" until it was changed by officious meddlers at the beginning of the twentieth century) sits on a spit of land sticking south south-west into the Atlantic Ocean. And although it sits well within the tropics at a southern latitude of thirteen degrees, it receives a refreshing sea-breeze which seldom falters until the wee hours of the morning when things have generally cooled off anyway. The city sits on a huge bay, a Baia de Todos os Santos (the Bay of All Saints), and the topography is predominently hill and valley.

It's for this reason that people speak of a cidade alta (upper city) and cidade baixa (lower city). Both are connected on the bay side by the famous Elevador Lacerda, a "marvel" hailed mightily in most guide books. Forget the marvel , but the elevator does beat walking up down the steeply inclining streets which serve the same function of connection. There is a five centavo charge for the ride, so who's complaining.

It's night in Salvador and you hear drumming. It may be coming from one of the numerous terreiros de candomblé scattered throughout the city. Most terreiros will permit visitors to attend their ceremonies. Candomblé posits a monotheistic supreme being -- usually referred to as Olodumaré -- with the orixás being called upon as intermediaries between earthbound humans and the all-powerful, much as a Christian will pray for a saint's intercession on his or her behalf.

Pelourinho is also quite self-consciously touristy. The area was rebuilt starting in 1994 and boutiques sprouted like dandelions (this being the flip side of what in my opinion was a mistake in planning for the area's redevelopment). Nowadays elderly tourists can be seen being led en masse from historical site to historical site, hounded by vendors with cheap trinkets. The area was more "authentic" before, but the tradeoff was that one was also far more likely to be robbed. (The possibility of that happening now is extremely remote due to the vigilance of the police, but it's still not a good idea to wear snatchable jewelry

Elevador Lacerda from the Praça Municipal

The view of bay and Centro Nautico were Jolly Roger spend her days at ease.

Well after a few days exploring the city it was time to head out of the city and visit the islands of Baia dos Santos (the bay of saints). First on the list was Ilha Itaparica which is the largest and closest island to Salvador.