Page 54 - Off the Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 1 of 2)

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AND PARTIES

FESTIVALS Salvador Carnival

vs Rio Carnival

Officially the biggest street party on the planet, Salvador’s awesome carnival offers greater
participation and much more fun than its more famous counterpart in Rio

massive sound systems and stages where live bands
NEED TO KNOW
perform. Three more routes accommodate scores
LOCATION The coastal city of of vibrant blocos (parades). Campo Grande, the
Salvador is the capital of Brazil’s
#FMÏN
Bahia province and the gateway oldest of these, runs through the narrow streets of
to the beaches of the north
#3";*- downtown Salvador, while the Ondina route keeps
WHEN Salvador Carnival
1&36 4"-7"%03 mainly to the beach areas. Pelourinho, Salvador
takes place in the week
#0-*7*" #SBTÓMJB Carnival’s newest circuit, attracts highly rhythmic
before Ash Wednesday
ORIGINS First held in 3JP EF bands and performers dressed in lavish costumes.
+BOFJSP
the 16th century when the 4ÍP 1BVMP Countless parades and processions weave tirelessly
Portuguese came to Brazil "3(&/5*/" "UMBOUJD
0DFBO along these routes during carnival, turning the city
POPULATION Salvador: 6 million 636(6":
into a spectacular mosaic of color and motion.
There are three ways to experience carnival ABOVE Revelers partying around a trio eléctrico, Ondina circuit, Salvador
Rio Carnival may have the edge when it comes to as the locals do. You can pay to join a bloco or for
glitzy befeathered costumes, but Salvador is where access to a camarote (balcony) overlooking the variety. A staggering 10,000 street parties blast their
the real party is. According to the Guinness Book of processions, where there is usually entertainment, individual sounds across the city at all hours of the
World Records, Salvador hosts the biggest street party food, and a busy bar. If you choose either of these day and night, from beside amply stocked bars.
on the planet, with more than two million revelers options, you’ll be givena free abadá (branded T-shirt), And while most carnival celebrations around the
turning out each year for the festivities. During this which gives you access to other exclusive areas. world finish late on Shrove Tuesday, Salvador’s
anarchic week, almost 19 miles (30 km) of the city’s Alternatively, you can simply be out there on the knees-up continues well into Ash Wednesday, with
streets are claimed by wild party-goers, costumed streets with the partying masses, dancing, eating, the legendary arrastão (round-up), a parade that
dancers, and live bands playing every kind of music. drinking, and generally soaking up the atmosphere. winds its way from Farol da Barra to Ondina for one
There are two procession circuits in the city for Though Rio Carnival focuses on the admittedly final fling – a no-holds-barred party on the beach.
floats and trio eléctricos – trucks stacked high with splendid samba parade, Salvador offers much more
PRACTICAL INFORMATION

FORGET RIO CARNIVAL? Getting There and Around Brazilian and international
It’s a 40-minute drive from cuisine is served, often to the
Salvador International Airport soothing sounds of jazz bands.
THE BUILD-UP Rio Carnival, which was so riotous it
to the city center. Moving
had to be banned in the 19th century, is today the most Where to Stay
around within Salvador can be
famous party on the planet. Performers charge the A good hotel, close to the
problematic once carnival is carnival action in Salvador, is
atmosphere with their outrageous costumes – mainly underway, because buses and
erotic variations on fancy dress – and the samba bands taxis no longer run on most the Pousada Azul (www.
pousadaazul.com.br), which
energize the crowded streets throughout the night. roads. The city center, old port, boasts spacious rooms and
and Pelhourinho neighborhood friendly service.
THE LETDOWN Not only are prices in Rio are all within walking distance of Daytime Temperature
each other. Barra neighborhood,
extortionate during carnival, but worse still, if you’re 86°F (30°C) during carnival.
another popular place to stay, is
a visitor to the city it can be quite hard to participate
slightly further away, but offers Budget per Day for Two
in the action. It’s one thing to be on the sidelines
the added attractions of a lovely From US$200 for food and
watching everyone parading, but quite another to be beach and trendy bars and cafés. accommodations. Entering a
(as in Salvador) part of a full-on street party. bloco for the whole of carnival
ABOVE Rows of spectators watching a magnificent samba school Where to Eat
parade during Rio Carnival, Brazil In Pelhourinho, the Jardim das costs US$175–220 per person,
GOING ANYWAY? You’ll have a great time if you Delicias (tel. +55 71 322 1449) and a day’s access to a camarote
choose to go to Rio Carnival, but do remember to leave your valuables in the hotel safe. Apart from that, offers respite from the hectic is US$90 per person.
talk to as many merrymakers as you can and enjoy the brilliant samba. carnival streets on its pleasant Website
garden patio, where fine www.bahiacarnival.com

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