Boarding Pass: SSA
Photo map of Salvador. Click on image for interactive map.
She was the main character in a film I watched, and it was love at first sight. Not a movie star, but a city. None of the other characters even called her by her first name, just her state: Bahia. That resonated with me. Back then, my friends called me by my last name, too. Intrigued, I learned her proper name. Salvador.
For two decades, Salvador inhabited my dreams. One day, I promised myself. One day finally came, and my thoughts turned away from my lofty, almost magical expectations and toward the logistics of the trip. The travel from the US would be long; three legs each way, with the only reasonable route connecting through São Palo and doubling back north to Salvador. Once there, we would stay in Pelourinho for access to the historic center and many of the movie’s locations. A non-negotiable would be a side trip to the restaurant from the movie, and the iconic corner our heroine turned to meet her true love for the first time. Three nights and two full days to take the mystique of Salvador off its pedestal and translate it to my sensor. Challenge accepted.
Sunrise over Igreja Ordem Terceira São Domingos Gusmão.
I had a couple of new tricks up my sleeve for this one. Thanks to my recent foray into vintage lenses, I was packing an East German Meyer-Optik Görlitz Domiplan 50mm, and a Soviet Helios 44-2 58mm in my lens case. I looked forward to the character they would impart to images of the historic buildings and colorful street scenes of Pelourinho. The focal lengths were a little tighter than that which I usually chose for street photography, and using prime lenses obligates the photographer to “zoom with her feet”. Easier said than done on hilly, uneven cobblestone streets, but we live for adventure, yes? Not to suggest that I left my Canon 24-105mm zoom at home, y’all crazy. I also threw in my Rokinon 14mm wide-angle, anticipating being really close to really tall buildings. One can only back up so far when there are structures across the street.
We left for the airport on a Tuesday afternoon and walked into Pelourinho Boutique Hotel in Salvador on Wednesday afternoon. Even with the absence of jet lag that is a particular treat of traveling north-to-south, we were wiped. We took a stroll around to get our bearings, then went to Restaurante Raízes do Sabor for a beautiful early dinner of moqueca with a view of the sunset over the Bay of All Saints. Then early to bed for us, because we all know I love shooting early in the morning.
Classic ribbons hang in a church window.
I can’t say I had a great night’s sleep, this night or any night during this trip. But when we travel we must power through, tapping into the reactor of sheer excitement and the knowledge that this is our big chance. After a lovely breakfast in our room, we hit the streets. We made our way south through Pelourinho, where I was very happy I had brought that 14mm lens. We continued down through the lower city, up through the Solar neighborhood, and on to our destination: Bar Da Mônica in Gamboa. We spent the rest of the morning enjoying a view of the bay and snacking on fries.
The best view in town is from Bar da Mônica in Gamboa.
I had my drone, and my original plan was to fly it off the beach and get views back toward Gamboa. However, high tide prevented me from finding a decent launch spot. Shifting gears, we hired one of the boats on the shore and were rowed out to a vantage point that gave me my shot with my camera from water level. Back on the beach with shoes full of mud and a card full of the shots I couldn’t leave without, we hopped into a taxi and made our way to Ponta do Humaitá, site of the iconic movie scene that fueled my dreams of Bahia. This is where my engine stalled; the lack of sleep of the past few days came for me, and I was done. After a very full few hours of exploring Salvador, I had hit the wall and couldn’t deny it. I still had tomorrow, so I reined myself in and accepted that the remainder of the day would be best spent resting. It’s not just the camera batteries that need charging.
I woke the next morning determined to make the most of the day. This was our last full day in Salvador, and I was fired up to shoot. The Domiplan was first up, giving gorgeous soap-bubble bokeh in some close shots around the neighborhood. Next in the lineup was Comrade Helios, its vintage character a perfect match for the old city. Following the sound of drums, we happened upon some floats and costumed musicians, marchers, and dancers. It looked like preparation for a parade or performance, so we stopped and I took some photos. We then headed a few streets over to a coffee shop that overlooked the main square for a mid-morning snack and caffeine top-up. The doors were open, and we began to hear drums again, in the distance but moving closer.
Follow the drums, find the party.
The full parade turned the corner, led by Matriarca. We recognized Matriarca because she walked right next to us earlier when she emerged from the staging area at the line-up. The parade was on, and we had a front-row seat in the door of the cafe. I popped in and out as the marching groups passed by, working that manual-focus Helios for all its worth. My shot count increased with my heart rate as I darted in and out to the sidewalk, fueled by a high-octane Brazilian double espresso and the fever dream of color and sound in the street. This was the Salvador I dreamed about for over two decades, served to me on a silver platter as I sat and watched it unfold before my eyes.
She shoots her way, I shoot mine.
That could have been all of it, and I would have headed to the airport happy. But it wasn’t even noon, and we had more stops to make. First, we went south to Rio Vermelho and paid our respects to the goddess of the sea at Casa de Yemanjá. We took a breather back at the hotel and waited for sunset, at which point the Helios lens got to let its freak flag fly for some beautiful west-facing flares. There was still an asterisk for me, as I hadn’t fully experienced the iconic Ponta do Humaitá to my satisfaction. We called an audible and jumped into a taxi, racing the sunset to catch the last rays of daylight. We made it. I walked around the very corner that drew me in to the magic of Bahia all those years ago. Salvador’s spell had come full circle, and my captivation was complete.
Just in time for sunset at Restaurante Humaitá.
They say you should never meet your heroes, that it leads to disappointment beacuse they can never live up to your expectations. Maybe that’s true of people, but I have never found it to be relevant regarding places. There are too many moving parts. Too many surprises. People you never thought you’d meet, experiences you never anticipated you’d have, things you never dreamed you’d see. Expectations don’t really apply, because your imagination doesn’t have the vocabulary yet. Some would call it a gamble. I call it a sure thing.
