You know when you hear that a movie is so good, like one of the best films of the year, and then when you go see it you think yeah, this is pretty good, but there´s no way it could meet your high expectations? Well Salvador was kind of like that for us. We had heard so many great things about the city and the fact is that we had a great time there, but it´s tough to live up to that kind of hype.

Salvador is known for rich Afro-Brazilian culture with samba music, capoeria (a martial arts disguised as dance once performed by slaves), and all kinds of art. And the entire region is heavily influenced by the Candomble religion. We got to attend a traditional Candomble ceremony where the participants gather in prayer to channel the Orixas (African gods). We stood for over two hours and clapped along as they chanted, sang, and became possessed by the gods - grunting, eye rolling and shaking included. Afterwards the gods drink beer and smoke cigars from the lit end in celebration. And give godly hugs all around. My kinda religion :)

Some of us were more skeptical than others. One Dutch guy pretty much rolled his eyes the entire time. But even he didn´t turn down the deified hugs. I felt that the possession was symbolic rather than literal but that it's great the participants believe in it and it works as a spiritual practice for them. Josh loved the theology of it - cornering our guide Dixon and breaking down pagan ritual meanings while I chatted with the other travelers. When my shoes went missing later and I was feeling sick he warned me that the Candomble spirits were punishing me for my non-believing ways.

The next night we went to see an amazing show - Bale Folklorico - which literally translates as folkloric ballet. Only after many assurances that it was neither ballet nor folkloric but actually just CRAZY DANCING, we splurged on tickets. And it was so worth it. It brought in the rituals of Candomble but added elements of fire dancing, powerful capoeria kicks, and some of the most impressive break dancing/gymnastics/yoga moves I've ever seen.

So in spite of the overly high expectations the fact is that we really did see amazing culture in Salvador. And we lucked out finding Posada Acacia. The host Vavá and the wonderful Señora treated us like family and kept us laughing the entire time. The first morning after a mild chastising for sleeping in and missing breakfast hours, Vavá proceeded to give us a cooking lesson on homemade yogurt, while the Señora brought out plate after plate of beautiful fresh fruit, cakes, and of course, ham and cheese.

We were also super happy with our decision to stay in Barra, a mellow beach town area outside the swing of the tourist Pelourinho district. The Pelo, as it´s called, is intense. We were warned by Vavá before we went that people would come up to us and say ¨amigos, amigos, I have a present for you, let me give you something.¨ But, he warned us, you just keep walking and say ¨I have no friends here.¨ And it was exactly how he described. They are so convincing I almost accepted one of their ribbon bracelets as a ¨present¨ before Vavá´s voice filled my head and I started repeating what was to become our mantra all day long, ¨no obrigado, no, no, no."

The Pelo is a charming historic area full of beautiful plazas, colorful buildings and people, live samba music, baroque churches and wonderful museums (we even visited 3 in one day - that´s right baby), but the constant assault really puts a damper on things. So our little beach town of Barra was a welcome relief.

Overall our time in Brazil was fantastic but I have to say, I am one happy camper to be in Colombia now! Speaking Spanish never felt so good and even though Cartagena is nothing like Bogotá, everything is still a bit déjà vu: the money, the fruit juices, the Juan Valdez coffee houses, the fried street food, the crisp Spanish and the ¨hasta luego¨ in lieu of the more European ¨ciao¨of Argentina and Brazil. It´s a bit like coming home even if it´s only our temporary casa.