REFLECTION: WEDNESDAY JUNE 10, 2015

This day, we took a day tour of historic Salvador and Pelourinho. Not too long of a drive from the hotel, we soon found ourselves submerged into a very loss modernized Salvador; and it was magnificent.

Something that I truly enjoyed was simply walking around and look at the different buildings, architecture, and merely the way that people live their everyday lives.

I thought it was really amazing to see that several woman were still wearing the traditional wardrobe that the women house to wear back in the day. I was able to capture this beautifully dressed older woman below.

A truly mind blowing experience was our visit to the Historic church practically made out of gold. On the outside, it is simply magnificent because of its grand open courtyard.

However, as soon as I walked inside, my mind was completely blown away.

I had never in my life seen something so majestically grand. When we asked our tour guide Simone about the history of the church and how it was made, I was stunned, yet not all all surprised at the same time, that it was made mainly by the African Slaves brought over by the Portuguese. It was so fascinating for me to see how much of an influence that the slaves had in building of the foundation of the city of Salvador, the state of Bahia, and the entire country of Brazil as a whole. This is what truly blew my mind about the entire day observing historic Salvador. The African impression that the slaves left is extremely apparent, and it makes the city, to me, all the more intriguing!