Final days in Salvador

Fabi took us to a beautiful sunset over the waters of the lower city

All to the accompaniment of a live jazz band at the museum of modern art. 

I've enjoyed my time here with Fabi and the people of Salvador so much.

There is a very earthy vibe here in Bahia. It is full of culture and African roots,

and closest to my heart, it is the birthplace of Samba and Capoeira!

The jazz band :) playing for us during the sunset.

This is a beautiful building I saw, but I have no idea what it is...

The next day Fabi took us to her favorite beach spot!

When we were on the bus and she casually asked who wanted a beer,

I had to take one because when do you ever get to drink in the bus... 

This is just one of the many things different between Brazil and the US!

Drinking in public?... no problem!

My ladies and I enjoying Fabi's favorite spot... Vilas Do Atlântico

When the tide lowers here there are beautiful tidepools

and everyone lounges around in the shallow surf-protected water like a bathtub

My favorite thing at the beach... Queijo

Ladies and Gentlemen,

introducing: fried cheese on a stick.

Enjoying queijo and agua de coco.

(cheese and coconut water... fresh!)

I miss you Fabi! You brought so much fun and light to our trip.

Thank you, wild woman.

Fabi's friends travel in style.

Standard beach items include a full stereo system with amp, and mixed drinks for all.

Good times!

Our last night in Salvador was the first night of Carnaval! We got to reuse our band shirts and head out for a bloco in Barra. Fabi brought her adorable friend Rita. This girl can SAMBA!!! We danced in the streets all night to the pulsing rhythms of a large bateria and a very enthusiastic crowd.

Fabi and Rita

Ya... so apparently 3 white girls being able to dance samba attracts a lot of attention here.

This picture sums up a lot of my experience here...

run awaaay!!!

This segways into another topic of discussion: American women vs. Brazillian women and the interactions with men I have witnessed so far (in my experience). By the way, this by no means is speaking of all women in either culture, just a general comparision.

Section 1: Unwanted male advances.

So we 3 ladies in the US have been taught to be polite. To smile, be nice girls, etc. What I'm realizing is that if you don't want the attention, you really can't do that here. Quite often you have to be firm, frank, and disinterested to the point of being rude. And still, they might not give up. This made me quite uncomfortable at first. I'm a nice person right, I don't want to ignore this guy hes just trying to talk to me and he is a human being after all. Of course sometimes this is the case. But I've learned to tell the difference quickly and be firm in my wants and unwants. I've dropped all pretenses of girlish shyness or discomfort that could be misinterpreted as a weak resolve or an invitation for continued attempts at interaction. Here's what I learned from Fabi... ignore..walk strongly past, elbow off if needed, say no and keep walking. Sound rude? Maybe, but extreme circumstances call for extreme measures. The women here are strong, self-assured, and that's sexy. And I like it!

Section 2: Wanted male advances.

So this is something interesting I have seen here. Kissing is a very common first interaction between men and women who are attracted to one another. A local's advice was: "Kissing is a great way to start any conversation". I think this is especially true during carnaval, where rules are gray areas at best. Even though kissing is very common, expectations beyond that are not, which I find to be a refreshing difference between Brasil and the US. So if you like a guy who is coming on to you... kissing him and then saying "Ok, have a good night, bye" is perfectly acceptable and normal. Even in groups of friends often women can kiss many different men in the same group and it is normal... interesting, no?

Tchao Fabi, come visit me in Cali :)