After the boat to Manaus I took a plane to Salvador. While it has nice beaches and ocean views, I have to say that the city and nearby towns did not live up to my expectations for this region of northeast Brazil. From what I had heard and read, I expected to see more traditional Afro-Brazilian culture and to find people more happy, relaxed and friendly. Although I met some nice people and heard some good bossa nova, my impression from observing and talking to people here is that they are more distrustful and stressed out about crime and violence than in other parts of Brazil I have visited.
I read that Salvador has the highest level of economic and social inequality in the country. It was also the center of the slave trade in Brazil until slavery was officially abolished in 1888, 25 years later than in the US and 55 years later than in the UK. I’m sure that extreme inequality and violent history have a lot to do with the ongoing crime problem.