Salvador and Morro de São Paulo, Brazil

Salvador is considered Brazil’s cultural capital. It’s up in the north so it has a much more tropical feel. The population is mostly black, and even Brazilians from São Paulo can look like gringos here. The music here is more African and the Carnival here is knows as the craziest and wildest of Brazil.

I check out some of the Carnival bands in the pre-Carnival shows and take a Samba class.

From Salvador, Brazil

Afterwards I head to Morro de São Paulo – a beach town two hours away by catamaran.

The most striking thing about Morro de São Paulo for me was that over 50% of the people there are Israeli. The locals reflexively answer in Hebrew even if you don’t say you’re Israeli. Israeli snacks are available everyone and the Internet café keyboards are in Hebrew. It’s my first brush with the Israeli South American backpacking phenomenon.

From Morro Sao Paulo, Brazil

I meet two Israelis that plant seeds about Patagonia in my head. But I’ll have to head there soon before the Patagonian winter sets in…