Pelhourinho
The architecture is a photographer’s dream with blue, pink, red and green buildings piled up upon each other as Salvador is very hilly and has many laderias (ladders) which are steep climbs on the way up and slippery cobbled streets on the way down. There is a higher and a lower Salvador. Higher Salvador is the historic area with café’s, bars, restaurants, hostels and the ancient Colonial Portuguese buildings and Churches. Lower Salvador has the sky rise tenements and the beaches. In the historic centre dreadlocks abound and every resident seems to either have dreadlocks or wear the costume of a Baiana (Bahian lady). In the lower city, life is normal and haircuts and styles are as in any other major city except perhaps at the beach where again the hippy look is in vogue.
Street drumming was one of the perks of living in Pelhourinho. I now recognise the differences between the samba, samba reggae and the Candomble drum beat. The bands go up and down the side streets and we, the crowd, would follow them dancing and prancing in their wake. This could go on for hours and was an excellent work out, better than any step class I have ever been to. Some of the hip hop guys lead the dancing and the moves. I must be in many a tourists’ photograph as I could not resist pushing my way to the front and joining in the dance. I even took up drumming and found that I absolutely love it.
I did find the most awful orphanage which was a run down building (basically a hole in a wall) where an 87 year old woman houses street kids and unwanted children of prostitutes. The building was worse than any slum I have seen in Rio. The flooring was like black paper mache where newspapers had been put down and never picked up for years. Bags of donated clothing lined the stairs which were lit by a light bulb attached to a bare wire. Most of the stairs were broken. The bathroom stank but luckily the door was closed. The rooms had open brick work as windows. There was a landing where people or children could play but it was tiny. I had to hang on to this sprightly old woman in order to get down the stairs they were so steep and dangerous.
