Day 13: Salvador de Bahia, Brazil

World Cup football stadium

After four days at sea, stepping off the ship seemed odd. I guess we’ve developed sea legs and solid ground didn’t take long to get used to.

We befriended a German couple who books a taxi tour guide for hours instead of a ship excursion. We asked to tag along with them, and Rainer was a masterful negotiator. The cab was a little tight, but the 4 of us squeezed in and it was more fun than me toads wild ride! Our driver tried to be a good guide but his English was a little challenged, and he did drive us around the city, dropped us off at a nice restaurant and showed us the highlights of the city. They have fravellas (sp?) which cover the hillside for 17 kilometers, and we were told multiple times that you don’t want to wander into these areas. We were also told not to wear any jewelry nor show any valuables. We didn’t witness anything, but did hear of a passenger getting her necklace ripped off her neck.

After lunch which was very good and pretty reasonable, considering the restaurant location, we resumed our city tour by a driver is well versed in the art of Brazil driving, which means there really aren’t any rules of the road, you go the wrong way on roundabouts, never use a blinker, drive out into oncoming traffic, or when there isn’t any other space, use the sidewalk!

Lunch is served

We ended up at a square with five churches, and as it was Sunday most shops were closed. This spot was teeming with people and we were able to shop at a pharmacy, grab a coffee and walk around

Frauke took out her phone and shot a photo of the fancy woman without knowing that she would be charged. The lady posed with both of us and charged double, LOL. She wouldn’t take euros so we had to go exchange money to pay her and she knew exactly where to go

The sail away was great, with all of our cabin neighbors at their balcony railings, toasting and waving to each other!