Bahia is the most African region of Brazil, the land of the drum, of capoeira and candomblé. Bahia's capital of Salvador (the name of the city was "Bahia" until it was changed by officious meddlers at the beginning of the twentieth century) sits on a spit of land sticking south south-west into the Atlantic Ocean. The city is localised on a huge bay, a Baia de Todos os Santos (the Bay of All Saints), and the topography is predominantly hill and valley.

Salvador, the capital city of the state Bahia, is a unique place where African traditions are mixed with a modern lifestyle, creating a bright and ever happy harmony. The religious roots and customs, the setting of narrow streets and steep hills, forming the upper and lower city, which are connected by the famous Lacerda Elevator that carries passengers in four cabins, give Salvador its unique atmosphere. Founded in 1549 on a hill overlooking the bay of All Saints, Salvador was the first capital of Brazil. Salvador was Brazil's most important city for 300 years, and the Portuguese Empire's second city, after Lisbon. As the centre of the sugar trade, it was famous for gold-filled churches, beautiful mansions and the slave trade.

It still retains its splendour from those golden years with structures such as the Sao Francisco Church, also known as the Gold Church, and the Basilica Cathedral. Now Salvador is also known for its many wild festivals and general sensuality and decadence. Then there is Pelourinho, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO with its pavements, steep streets and public squares that serve as permanent stages for musical presentations. The region has a perfect warm climate, rich African folklore, and a fertile environment. One of the principal characteristics of the city is the outgoingness of the people. The people of Salvador create a place so special with their love of spontaneity, joy, and beauty. The beaches and islands facing the city, together with its festive atmosphere, form an ideal travel destination.

But there's another characteristic which often takes first-time visitors to Salvador by surprise: I'm referring to the city's urbanscape, its architecture, building and home styles. Colonial Pelourinho was built while Bahia was the economic powerhouse of South America, and many of the buildings are splendid. Streets zigzag and change names, and a lot of them are one-way but this can add even more of an element of mystery to the place. Most of the rest of Salvador was built on a shoestring, and the results range from the unpainted clay brick shacks of the poor to the reinforced concrete buildings one sees everywhere (usually in need of a painting) to the more expensive modern and generally undistinguished apartment towers found in the middle and upper-middle class neighbourhoods.