Good morning Salvador!!

On the last post I told you how I left Rio. Now it is time to hear a little about Salvador!

But jest before that – when I finally got to the airport in Rio, 45 minutes before departure, after standing in the long line – I got to the counter where they told me my flight was overbooked!
so of course I complained about it – telling I got a confirmation and even a seat number in my reservation! After another 30 minutes (when time was already after departure time) – they removed someone from the flight (or so they said – well, they said he volunteered to get down) and I got my place, 20 minutes after original departure time – only to wait 30 more minutes in the airplane on the ground.
In Salvador – again, no one waited with a sign with my name – so I took a taxi to the apartment hotel where I was supposed to stay for the carnival.

Here, I met with Sunny, Oshrat, Eyal & Itzik who are the nice Israelis I am going to spend the next 10 days with! Half of them are already carnival veterans, coming back again and again to Salvador.

We are staying in a neighborhood called Barra (pronounced Baha) – which is on the edge of the city (which is V shaped) – one side on the Atlantic ocean and the other on the 'Bay of all saints' (a huge bay, which the state is called after - Bahia). On the edge on the V – there's a light house.

The apartment is situated on the street just on the Atlantic Ocean shore and we have ocean view from the window and not only that – one of the parade routes (the better one) is on the avenue just below our window!! You just couldn't expect more!!
Well, actually you could – on the roof top, we got a swimming pool… :)

Another day has passed, and in the evening it was time to go and say hello to Beyonce!!!
but before that – Ivete Sangalo – a Brazilian singer, full of energy, made everyone jump for an hour and a half. She sang some brazilin songs that even I know J and at some point she even got Xuxa on stage (and made her sing 'Ilarie')!!
after this excellent show, everyone waited another hour for Beyonce to come up, and what a show this was!!!

After the concert, we and 40,000 more people went out to the highway in order to catch a ride back into Salvador. The traffic on the highway stopped because of all the people jumping on every car willing to take them part of the way (even for money)!

Finally we took a taxi on the opposite direction, which has taken us back to our place. At about 3am…

Next day, first Carnival night! But before that…. In and out the pool on the roof top, catching lots of sun! Later on, we went to the market – full of antics, African statues & masks and lots of clothes!! 'Experience' !

Around 5 in the evening – carnival starts!!!!!!!!!! So what is it like here in Salvador?
60 years ago, a guy went out with his truck out to the streets playing loud music – and it just worked. Today, every evening you have 2 dozen trucks from 17:00 till 03:00 passing in the streets playing music – like singers & bands – and everyone is singing and dancing around the trucks! Everyone is colorful, jumpy & happy!

So has our building is just on the main street where the trucks pass – we just have to stand at the window or on the roof top and see all this amazing happening! But it is much more fun to go down and join the crowd!!!

This last evening (first evening of the carnival) was great! I am sure the next to come will be even better!!!

Good morning Salvador, good night Israel!