Salvador is a crazy place full of even crazier characters. The only way to experience all of it is by trying to see it through their eyes. And that usually means having to play the game they call life, entertaining a few lies and even more stories. Please don’t take this wrong way. These are not bad people. Things are just complicated here, but simple all at the same time.
Hopefully, the story will make more sense as I go along, but before I start the story, it’s only fair that I give you the current cast. I assure you that this cast will continue to change. More players will come. When they do, I’ll add them here. These are not real names, because that wouldn’t be fair. But these are the ones I will continue to use. (Sidenote: It’s damn hard coming up with good Portuguese names. Damn hard.)
Salvador da Bahia: Salvador is a city in the south of Brazil. The population is 84 percent black and brown people. It was where the first slaves were brought. A fact that can be witnessed in the rich African traditions you can still find here ranging from, drumming, capoeira, Candomble, and acaraje. It used to fact be the capital of Brazil and is now the second largest destination for tourists in the country.
It’s a beautiful city with endless beaches. The sunsets seem as if God comes by every day and conducts them to make sure they set perfectly. The city is complicated because while there are no races in Brazil, there is definitely racism. This is further complicated by the large amounts of women that come to Salvador for sex. They are often white women and they are often after black men. Big generalization, but it’s not that far off.
Chan: He’s the quintessential hustler. It seems he was born in the wrong city. His dark skin is Bahian, but his heart beats like a New Yorker. Or maybe New Yorkers are really Baino. Regardless, he’s the go to guy. If there’s anything that I need, I know I can ask Bobby to go and get it. He should really just start a concierge business, but that will probably never happen. In my observations of Bobby, his hustle seems to be the best. He doesn’t just go after the female tourists, but he also befriends the men getting them whatever they need: i.e, women.
Victor: He’s angry. The first time I met Jonathon he was rambling on about how tourists come here and they don’t understand the city, how hard it is for the black people that live here. He’s lived in New Zealand and rumor has it that he was thrown out of the country after almost hitting the woman he went to live with. Jonathon is angry, but after having a few conversations with him, I am glad he is. He doesn’t handle his anger well, but understanding that this system is fucked and trying to get out of it is better than thinking nothing is wrong with it.
James: He is a white gay male from the US that spends half of the year in Bahia and the other half in the United States. He’s been doing this for the past 6 years. He’s proof to me that this is possible. He’s known most of the cast since his first trip. He also knows all of the areas crack users. (Crack—killing communities since 1962.)
Adriana: We met one day in Pelourinho the day after L’rai left. She’s from Central America, but now calls Washington, DC home. She’s also a Howard alum. She’s on her first trip to Salvador—already hooked, already ready to leave, already ready to come back.
Jago: He’s the guy that I was seeing on my first trip. It was good while it lasted. We spoke just about every day once I got home. He’s a good person, with a good heart, but he’s Baino. I’m still not sure what his hustle is and I doubt I ever will.
Gringas: This is what female tourists are called. The term is hardly derogatory and can almost be seen as endearing. Here, I’ll use it to specifically to talk about the women that come here for fun. They’re usually European. (Sweden seems particularly big. Almost every guy that I’ve spoken to has some Swedish woman that’s coming back to marry him.) They’re also American, although American tourists seem to be lagging behind. Maybe it’s the Visa issue?
More coming soon…
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July 28th, 2009 → 11:30 am @
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