Even the friendly bickering at the markets had a happy tone. In the past, low income residents of Salvador, as elsewhere in Brazil, often lived in hillside hovels, without such facilities as electricity, garbage collection or running water. The lot of 'favela' dwellers, as they were called, has improved considerably in recent years with the availability of modern services. Most now watch television, many own refrigerators, even autos. All, it seems, rich or poor, enjoy the music of the land.
African culture is evident again in the beating of Bahian drums.
Drums played with the hands. Drums played with sticks. Drums with names like quika, surdo, pendeiro, tambarim, snare and congo. Our ship invited a group to entertain passengers while in port in Salvador. Eight young men demonstrated 'capoeira', a mix of ballet and martial arts.