I’ve just returned from my first Brazilian Carnaval in Salvador, Bahia. It was a thrilling week full of newfound friendships, translation, music, dancing, sweat & cachaça. But let’s start from the beginning:

Traveling to Salvador
Mindful of our tight budget, Tariq and I thought we could take the bus from Fortaleza all the way to Bahia, but the journey would have been virtually impossible to do in less than 24 hours, and it wasn’t recommended by any of our Brazilian friends for safety reasons. Instead we boarded the 6am São Benedito bus from Canoa Quebrada to Fortaleza.

It took 3 & 1/2 hours on a flat road that only takes 2 hours by car. But at R$17 per person, it’s much cheaper than taking a taxi or sharing gas money on a carpool. Once we arrived at the bus station in Fortaleza, we took a 15 min taxi ride to…