There have been a few places in the world that I have described to my friends as adult Disneyland.  Old Town Salvador is one of those places with a bit of magic about it.  Maybe its because as Americans the concept of history is fairly short.  At least in so far as Montanas only have roughly two hundred years perspective on the world they regularly visit every day.  In Old Town Salvador your perspective is stretched out many hundreds of years more than that.  If you ever make it there take your time.  Be sure to get a look at the church of San Francisco De Assisi.  Pay the fee to see the ornate gold alter pieces and carved façade.  It is beautiful and inspiring.  It left me marveling at what people accomplish in the name of God.  In this case leaving us a beautiful church over three hundred years old.  The cobble stone streets were fun to see.  They were very rough.  I have a hard time imagining a horse and cart getting down them without falling to pieces.  The buildings were touching side by side painted in bright colors with the trim painted white.  The walls were probably stucco covered brick and most were pretty cool inside.  It was much cooler in the old town all together.  The combination of the old buildings shading the streets and the cool cobbles seems to keep things about ten to fifteen degrees cooler.  This was welcome respite from the heat.  The shops were all local with the shop owners pitching their wares.  There was a pleasant hum about the place and you could've stolen the shorts right off my body while I was gawking around.  A fun place with lots of nooks and crannies to seek out. 

     Candomble' was our next date.  After rushing through dinner we dressed in our travelers best and loaded onto the bus to head for a ritualistic dance called Candomble'.  Candomble' originated in Salvador and means "dance in honor of the gods".  Originally brought to Brazil by slaves who wanted to practice their religion, candomble' represents a number of African religions with some Catholicism woven in.  The ritual revolves around rhythmic drumming, singing and dancing that eventually sends some of the participants into a trance.  Our guide did his best to explain the different gods and goddesses to us, what they represented and how we could tell their representations in the dance apart from one and other.  Evidently millions of people practice this worship ritual in South America.  At first it was difficult to understand what was going on, and personally I felt like an interloper into the private worship of these people.  I felt awkward at first.  It took about twenty minutes to adjust to the idea that we were welcome and to begin to understand what was going on.  The drumming and singing were loud.  The singing had an edge to it.  The drumming was very African.  There were two priest guides and probably fourteen dancers before the night ended.  The movement was repetitive and rhythmic.  Almost meditative.  Between the singing, drumming, dancing and meditation the idea was that the dancer could slip into a trance.  We did see a number of people go into trance.  To witness this was very strange.  The value of going into trance I'm not sure of.  Some of them went quietly others went violently.  As spectators there was no guarantee of safety as Rich, Dave Oberbillig, and his son Ian can attest.  Nothing like being crashed into by a two hundred pound man spinning like a dervish to keep your attention.  The ritual lasted about an hour and a half in a room that I would guess was a hundred degrees.  No exaggeration.  The whole experience was eye opening, sweat inducing and, for me probably misunderstood a bit.  On the other hand it was a thinker.  For a dance fan it was fascinating to see people worship through their movement.  The combination of their dance and movement as meditative worship is a new idea to me.  I do find watching dance can be very spiritual but I have never thought of it as my path to spirituality.  As a westerner with my feet on the ground and much of my education founded in science it was a reach for me to believe what I was seeing, but I'm sure the worshippers would have a very different interpretation.

     When we were done with our bus trip back to La Magna Rosa, we hit the restaurant and closed the place down.  Learning more about people is a privilege I look forward to.  I can learn more from one person's life than I could from any book.  The shared wisdom and friendships more valuable than most real knowledge is, to me.  I'm not much of a worshipper, but I will put my faith in a good friend any day.  This faith was affirmed over for me tonight.  Signing off from Salvador, Brazil wishing you peace with yourself and goodwill to your fellow man.  Know that you will always have more than you need and never have less than you want.

     The arrival in Salvador was mercifully swift.  Though the airlines managed to lose the customs forms they normally hand out before you land at your foreign destination, all else went without a hitch.  Baggage made it, no one was stopped for any additional questions or searches in customs, smooth sailing. As a matter of fact the non-declare line was essentially a hallway to the sidewalk where Peter was waiting for us to catch the bus without hassle and head into town for some much needed sleep. 

     The first morning in Salvador was spent catching up with friends who had already arrived, and making plans for the day and roughing out how thing generally work here.  This is where having Peter and Amy and the Buleys here has been so invaluable.  It would've taken me two or three days to get as far as we got in a thirty minute meeting as a group.  Getting your arms around how the most basic things work in such a short period of time was a gift. 

     After the Holland Mexico match we wandered a bit and the boys went to the beach to play some soccer and swim. This is where I caught up with them.  After watching them work on a sand castle the size of a small house we headed for the apartment to get ready for dinner and our fateful meeting with Joseph Santini.  Joseph has been, and continues to be, our most valuable resource on the ground in Salvador.  From plane tickets to lodging and food and help with game tickets he has been unbelievable.  He is a short man with a round and tanned physique, a great smile who has the eyes of a story teller.  The reincarnation of an Irishman in a Brazilian.  Comfortable in the company of strangers immediately putting you at ease.  He is an enigma with a varied background.  A Phd. in biochemistry, I'm told, who lives in Berkley some of the time and Salvador the rest, running a travel agency, the Magna Rosa Pousada, and the two restaurants on the premises.  Since Joseph is Brazilian soccer is his the backdrop he uses to measure the events in his life.  Each World Cup providing landmarks used as reference for other significant happenings is his life.  The variety of topics he can address in one evening can make your head spin a bit.  Whether you want to talk about vinho, or discuss the goings on in the soccer world, or the history of Salvador and Brazil he is your man.  Needless to say he has gravitas.  There is a bit of sadness in my heart realizing that Joseph is a character that, in all likelihood, I will lose contact with after we leave Salvador.  The short friendship with a firm handshake and bear hug who will be a landmark for me to use as a reference for the goings on in my life. 

     Dinner was great.  Connor and the boys demolished three pizzas and helped the adults clean up what was left of their dishes.  I think Carson ate his body weight.  Then we hit the streets for some barefoot soccer.  Being the lone adult in the group with the boys had me concerned at first.  I didn't want to get in the way of any fun they were having.  It soon became clear that after a short spell of organization into three groups of three with games to two winners stay, I was just one of the boys.  From Jayden Chong, who is ten years old, and myself at forty-four we had the beginnings of five generations covered.  We were all equals on the street in Salvador.  Some with quicker feet better skills and more acrobatic than others.  All having a great time.  Man of the match has to go to Jayden who held his own for the evening and scored four goals.  The smiles and chatter made the extra night's stay in San Juan fade just a bit.  Its' stain on my life washing away in the therapy of the game.  We were eventually joined by Donato.  I don't know where he came from and can't tell you anything that he was saying but we welcomed him into the fold, a perfect stranger, with a contribution in the recipe of play. 

     We wrapped up around 10:15 and turned in exhausted.  At least speaking for myself.  A good day with friends and strangers alike.  Happy days.  Signing off from Salvador wishing you fortune in friends and wisdom in life.  Know that you will always have more than you need and never have less than you want.