barrio alto reloaded

perhaps i should not have been surprised. after all, Salvador da Bahia (Salvador for short, though many Brasilians refer to the place as Bahia) was the first capital of the then Portuguese colony. to explain: Salvador resembles Lisbon

I suppose maybe that impression will wane. I havent really seen any neighbourhoods apart from the old town - Pelourinho. But Pelourinho resembles Bairro Alto pretty closely; drawing a parallel was inevitable. Both have the narrow winding cobbled streets, and are situated on very hilly terrain. both are the focus of nightlife despite being residential neighbourhoods. Both feel incredibly bohemian and cool.

from my point of view the disadvantage of this intimate busy neighbourhood is just that. I am still a little jumpy around those guys on the street who you have to keep half an eye on. Not surprising given my experience the other day. Mind you, it was the same in Rio when I was pickpocketed so I think its just overly raised defences. I'll be fine in a few days

Anyway Pelourinho can wait; I am here for another 5 days. Today we are going to the beach and to watch the football (on TV, from england). which happen to be brasil's top 2 national pastimes. Us gringos aren't so different....