Tourist
Hell in
Salvador, Bahia
The coffee is certainly dark and strong. I’ve been thinking about whether
it was harder to travel here 10 years ago than 150. I’m comparing a person
of average standing and means with royalty then. I took some huge
gulps of ice cold sugo de goiaba (guava) then asked if it had water in
it. Yes, she said, filtered water – luckily for me. Take a memo to ask first.
It’s so cool how when making phone reservations anywhere in Brazil so
far they’ve just taken my first name. I guess that’s the off season for
you. They are furiously remodeling the decrepit colonial buildings on the
road I take to Pelourinho. I think it’s good I waited till now to come
here. Only this year are they upgrading the sewage system. It probably
would have been scary before.
The
girls in Bahia wear skin tight everything and have the figures for it.
Peg leg stretch jeans. Usually long curly hair. Now that there are so many
international brands it’s hard to tell when someone’s American. I just
saw my first group of totally Germanic Portuguese speakers [from the south].
It’s freaky! Blond and interspersing German among themselves and Portuguese
with their guide.
Ribbon Mania
I was finally was accosted by a boy selling bonfim wrist bands. I keep
thinking “a marca da turista.” I’m used to prices of the Mexican friendship
bracelets. This guy wanted $5 for about 4 of these, which are merely cut
from a roll of printed ribbon. So I gave him $1, since I didn’t’ want them
in the first place. If I take it off will I have bad luck? I suppose it’s
all in my mind. (Later: In case I reach an untimely fate, it may be my
cutting my bonfim ribbon off with my hotel key as if I were freeing myself
of handcuffs. It was like a hospital tag, only the ID said “tourist.” After
all, why don’t the locals wear them if they’re so lucky?)
I’m happy, on the executivo bus (aka the "frescão" because of
the a/c) to
Bonfim from the bottom of the 5-centavo Elevador Lacerda. I am now surreptitiously
putting my Bonfim wrist ribbon back on. If this doesn’t send me to hell,
nothing will. A nice rain sprinkling has cooled me off. It’s quite charming
how the streets are lined with people leaning from their windows checking
out the street action.
It’s just no fun coming to a tourist attraction where the aggressive
undyingly persistent hawkers glom onto you. First the ribbons. One free.
A package of 10 for $4. Then the amulets – R$2 for a little plastic thing.
“I don’t have money.” They don’t believe you. R$5 for 2 packets finally
gets rid of him. That’s a lot of money to scam. I wonder if they’re all
pimped out. Nevermind he lied and said the church would open at 12:30.
The almost total scaffolding made this suspect, and I confirmed he was
lying. Yet another closed attraction. I guess the best strategy is to come
right before tourist season. I got really irritated at the whole thing.
It seems no one in Bahia has bothered to warn of all the closed attractions.
After all, can’t let the hawkers starve! Man, there’s a little old man
I could have bought ribbons from. I have a feeling the hawkers have a joke
among themselves about their being the lucky ones. If there’s one great
thing, being on a peninsula, there’s a beautiful wind and palm tree sounds.
[Adventures in eating....]
[previous]
