It’s good to be back in Salvador. I can’t describe the feeling I had after I was stepping off the plane. If I was being poetic, I would say that it was like the putting on a new pair of sneakers to start the first day of the school year. Just an overall, unexplainable good feeling. There are a lot of things that I want to do that I didn’t get to do last time (like photograph), but for the most part, I just want to sit, work and stare at the beach.
L’rai is with me for a few days. I’m trying to give her time to explore the city by herself because I think that’s the best way to see Salvador. This is really a city that you can just sit in and that’s why I love it. People just linger for hours over conversation and beer…
Brief interruption…before we get to all the great things that there are about Salvador, it’s only fair that I mention some of the shitty things that can happen.
Last night, L’rai and I head to Pelhourinho so that she can have a chance to see the place. We check out the Bale Folclorio (more on this later), stopped by Praca do Reggae and then had a late dinner at Mama Bahia. After all this, we were pretty pooped and decided to call it a night. We went to catch a cab. Got in said cab and started chatting away. About 2 minutes into the ride, I realized that the meter wasn’t on. Problem! This isn’t like in the US where when the meter isn’t on, that means you’re winning because you’ll get charged less. So I ask the taxi mofo what was the cost to get to where we were going. He replies $20. (Please keep in mind that this convo is in the limited Portuguese that I know.)
I get pissed. This cab ride should be about $15, $17 at the very most. We start arguing. I’m saying the numbers in Portuguese, but everything else in English, because I’m pissed and I can’t even begin to figure out how to translate the stuff. When people don’t turn on the meters here, it’s an instant sign that they’re going to try and charge you more. And if there is anything that I hate, it’s when someone tries to swindle me.
Finally, we get to where we are going. And we give him $16. Only because I didn’t have an exact $15. He takes it and we leave. L’rai thinks that I’m completely psychotic for going through so much for what is the equivalent of $2 US dollars. But we’re safe and hopefully one day, we’ll have saved 2 young American girls form going through the same trouble.
The moral of the story: Always make sure that the meter is started when entering the taxi.
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July 9th, 2009 → 10:48 am @
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