Salvador and the Recôncavo in Brazil

Salvador is the capital not just of Bahia but of African Brazil. The country's African heritage is at its strongest here - in the ubiquitous Orixá spirit gods and goddesses, the carnival rhythms of the drum troupe orchestras of Ilê Aiyê and Olodum, the rich spicy cooking, the rituals of candomblé (Brazil's equivalent of santeria) and in the martial art ballet of capoeira. You will see the latter being played on Salvador's beaches and in the squares and cobbled streets of the city's historical centre, the Pelourinho. The Pelourinho is also home to one of the most impressive collections of colonial architecture in South America. There are myriad baroque churches here. Some, like the Convento do São Francisco, have interiors covered with tons of gold plate. Others, like Nossa Senhora do Rosário, are decorated with statues of black saints and art that celebrates African Brazilian culture. The city is famous for its frenetic carnival which, unlike Rio's, takes place in the streets to the pounding rhythms of axé music. The crowds are overwhelming.