The old part of Salvador, called Pelourinho.

I spent last summer cycling through Brazil. The last part of the journey was through the state of Bahia, in Northeast Brazil. It’s a very colourful state with a tropical climate and some amazing scenery.

Bahia is also the part of Brazil where most of the slaves from Africa originally landed. So the afro culture is very visible there, alongside many of the other faces that Brazil has.

Morro de Sao Paulo, in Bahia.

Bahia has a lot of surfer culture too.

Bahia is a state that has a lot of amazing beaches and I personally think that this is a much better beach holiday than any destination in Southeast Asia.

Sailing around Mangroves near Valenca.

Fishermen in Ilheus.

Bahia has a long coastline and you do not just have a lot of beaches there, but also a lot of fishing culture. This is often in the smaller towns that have no tourists and I really like to visit these places and hang out at the harbours with all the life you have there.

Colorful cafe in rural Bahia.

Small town called Camamu.

And Bahia is generally just a place with a lot of color. Not just on peoples skin. The buildings, the nature and the varied music culture that you find in this very interesting state.

Bahia is in many ways the image that many foreigners have of Brazil, with exotic looking people, lot’s of beaches and music everywhere. From a tourism perspective, it also has the greatest potential in all Brazil if you ask me. Bahia needs to have better air connections to the outside world, before the world starts flocking to the place. But I think this will happen in the future, as this is really a part of the world that has a lot to offer.

So you better get there before the masses arrive.

Two old Bahianos chilling out at a cafe.

Salvador da Bahia.

Claus.

Lunch break on a tropical beach.

Salvador da Bahia, seen from the sea.