Salvador Brazil World Cup 2014 Trip Report/Photos #worldcup2014 #brazil2014 #salvador

[Xavier]

Day 1 - Arrival to Salvador, Brazil
We finally landed in Brazil after what seemed like a day of flying. After 2 ½ years of planning we arrived in Salvador, Brazil for the World Cup. Our group had a total of 18 people. First we had to eat. Our group travel coordinator, an American (fluent in Portuguese), took us to a small Brazilian restaurant to watch the first game Brazil vs Croatia. The locals were passionate and you could feel the excitement as we watched the game. We chanted Brazil through the first half of the game. At half time we got up to leave the restaurant. When the Brazilian patrons realized many of us were Jamaican and started high fiving us. They chanted “Jamaica” as we walked out.

We were going to watch the rest of the game at the Pelourinho Historic Centre of Salvador da Bahia. There were big screen TV’s set up there for World Cup fans. The traffic getting there was bad. We listened to the game on the radio on the way there. When we got to the Pelourinho the place was packed with people. On every side street there were televisions tuned to the game. While we walked to the square at the Pelourinho we witnesses the jubilation of the Brazilian locals as they scored the 3rd and final goal of the match. The game ended just as we entered the square at the Pelourinho just in time to see the Oludum drummers leaving the concert. We were able to take a photo with 1 of the drummers. Brazil won the game 3-1. There was dancing and drumming by a women's group. It started to rain but no one cared. Some members of our group joined in the celebration dancing in the streets. The celebration was one I will never forget.



Leaving the Airport reminds me of Fern Gully in Jamaica


The hustling of Brazilian shirts was on every corner


Just a random photo of a man riding his bike.





Brazil flag were on almost every car



Young men doing Capoeira which is a a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music.


Celebrations in the street after Brazil wins their opening game












An Audio VW..









The celebrations in the streets after Brazil wins.

[Xavier]

Day 2 - The World Cup Game - Spain vs Netherlands
The traffic getting to the stadium for the game was gridlocked. It took us 2 hours to get to the area around the stadium. There were barriers and roadblocks everywhere. We decided that it was best to get out the van and walk to the stadium. I am glad we walked as we got to see the neighborhood and the people.

Everyone in our group had different seating assignments in the stadium so we decided on a meeting spot. My wife and I entered the stadium. It was beautiful. We took a few photos with fans from other countries. Some had wild costumes. Next we started to search for food. There were signs everywhere for hot dogs, hamburgers and popcorn. The options for drinks were water, beer and Coca Cola. There was popcorn everywhere. I went from one concession stand to another searching for hotdogs. No hot dogs or hamburgers were being sold at any of the concession stands. We eventually got tired of running around and found a concession stand with Coca Cola. I needed some sugar. We stood in line for 45minutes to be told that there was no Coca Cola left. My only option was now water as I did not drink beer (love it on Barbeque chicken though).

We got into our seats just in time to see the singing of anthems and the kick-off. The fans from the Netherlands outnumbered the Spain from fans by approximately 10 to 1. There were barely any Spanish fans there. That may have been a good thing as the Netherlands team dominated Spain even though they had scored first. At half time I went back out thinking maybe they would serve food but there was nothing. If there is one thing they "messed up" it was this. They lost a great opportunity to make some money. A lot of fans were unhappy.

The fans sang songs and did the wave during the match. Many of the Brazilian fans taunted "Diego" who turned down the Brazilian team to play for Spain. They sang "Diego Die-ago". I was not sure what it meant but they seemed to be happy his team lost. Netherlands won 5-1.

The atmosphere after the game was wild as the fan from Netherlands were in high spirits singing and dancing their way out the stadium.

We were able to regroup fairly quickly and walked to the minivan. We spent approximately 1 ½ hours in traffic. We went to a seafood restaurant for a late dinner. We watched the game between Chile vs Australia there.

When we got back to the villa we had a "mini party" with the group.

[Xavier]

More Photos from Day 2 - The World Cup Game - Spain vs Netherlands








Salvador, state flag

[RichD]

Leaving the Airport reminds me of Fern Gully in Jamaica

please hand in your passport

but apart from that nice pictures

[Xavier]

please hand in your passport

but apart from that nice pictures

cannot do that...lol..more of the trip to come with more photos

[MsExced]

Enjoying your pictures so much

[RichD]

Enjoying your pictures so much

yes, even though him mix up bamboo avenue wid fern gully

[Peasie]

yes, even though him mix up bamboo avenue wid fern gully

low di man. im come from kingston

[Peasie]

heeeeemmm

[Xavier]

Day 3 - Tour of the the Pelourinho Historic Centre of Salvador da Bahia, Brazillian Ballet and more matches
Everyone was up late. We had a long night. That morning at breakfast we had a acerola cherries. Not the American type but the ones we had in Jamaica. We were getting ready to go back to the Pelourinho for a guided tour . Our historic tour guide met us in the town lookout and explained the different levels of the city being built to defend against invaders. She took us on a guided tour of the nearby museum where we learned more about the city, but we were not allowed to take photos. There was a church in the museum with amazing decorations and sculptures. As we walked through the Pelourinho Historic Centre of Salvador da Bahia you could see kids playing football (soccer) everywhere. Brazil felt like the center of everything football.

Once we finished the tour we had lunch at a little "hole" in the wall restaurant in the area. The food was great. We stayed there and watched the Uruguay vs Costa Rica game. Once the game was over we went to explore and shop. Next up was the Balé Folclorico da Bahia Ballet/Performance. It was not a formal event and I was not sure what to expect. The curtains rose and there were 4 drummers with 2 ladies singing songs that sounded like they were from Africa. Then the dancers entered. The energy was amazing.

The performance seemed to take you through a history of black culture in Brazil with acrobatic moves and the famous capoeira (Brazilian martial arts). It was a breathtaking performance not your traditional ballet. There is no photo or video allowed so I was unable to capture any of the performances. The dancers met with us at the end of the show.

After the performance we did more walking around. A gentleman walked up to me shouting Jamaica and started to talk in Portuguese. He was excited. He grabbed me and hugged me. We took a picture and he gave his card pointing at his email. He wanted me to send it back. When I travel internationally I wear Jamaican shirts as I find people will instantly strike up a conversation. In all my travels I have never been greeted this warmly before.

[Xavier]

More Photos from Day 3 - Tour of the the Pelourinho Historic Centre of Salvador da Bahia, Brazillian Ballet and more matches





Had this fruit salad which was sweetened with condensed milk and syrup










Some of the dancers pose with the Jamaican flag







This Brazilian man was extremely happy to meet a Jamaican

[Xavier]

Day 4 - Praia de Forte Beach and World Cup matches
We headed to the beach called Praia de Forte Beach. It was about 45 minutes away. On the way there we got stopped at a police checkpoint. The driver got out the minivan with his documents and showed the police officer. After inspecting the documents he handed them back to the driver and we were back on our way. The beach was in a tourist type area. There were little shops and restaurants everywhere. We decided on a restaurant we would meet at to watch the match. The beach was filled with a mixture of locals and tourists. The beach shoreline was calm with smooth rocks and pockets where you could swim, however in the distance you could see strong waves. There were surfers riding the strong wave. We walked along the beach until it was game time. I ate, watched the games and walked around. Every shop and restaurant had a TV so it was easy to keep up with the scores. Before we left I went back to the beach as I heard drumming. There were some kids getting lessons from an adult on drumming. They were using pans and drums to make great music. I went back down to the beach and to my amazement it was barely there, high tide had come in. There were no longer people on the beach but now fishermen pushing out their boats to sea. Overall it was a relaxing day.























This roasted cheese on a stick was great.

[Xavier]

Day 5 - Walking the neighborhood and departure home

Half the group was going to the Portugal vs Spain match while the other half was staying at the villa. I was in the half staying at the villa.

We were going to explore the neighborhood. We started walking and I found a billboard with Bob Marley's image on it. Our first stop was the supermarket. I love to see what is on the shelves and the fruits. Most of the vegetables and fruits we recognized, however there were a few we did not. We bought a few ice cream fudges then headed to the farmers market which was close by.

There were about 8 vendors there. We were drawn to 1 specific vendor because of his friendly demeanor. He joke around with me and taught me a "handshake". We bought fruits from him including sweetsop.

Next it was off to the nearby beach where we spent a few hours before going back to watch the World Cup games. We were able to watch the Germany vs Portugal game and also the Iran vs Nigeria game. We then left for the airport where we watched the Ghana vs USA game. There were areas set up in the airport with big screen TV’s for fans to watch the game. Most of the people watching in the airport were cheering for Ghana. Our flight was delayed so we were able to watch the US win the game 2-1. The atmosphere watching the game in the airport was great as the fans were cheering and screaming at the TV as they cheered for their team. It was a nice way to end to our trip to Brazil.

[Peasie]

Enjoying this report. I will be in Salvador in September. I'll just use your photos

[Xavier]

Enjoying this report. I will be in Salvador in September. I'll just use your photos

Thanks Peasie. We have a great time there. We would have stayed longer but the accommodation rates were just so high because of the World Cup. Everyone I talk to who knows Brazil says it is one of the best places to visit. In face one of the members of our group went back this week to watch the USA vs Belgium match. She had airline miles. You will certainly enjoy it. Can't wait to see your photos.