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Ok so this next part is a little hazy to say the least. I´m racking my brain to try and remember anything significant during this period...
We had returned to Salvador safe and sound from Chapada. Our plan was to head straight to Itacare where we would be "chilling" and learning how to surf but since we were here and the weather was better we thought we would spend a couple days to see if Salvador was, to put it bluntly, as s*** as our first impression.
Monday morning came around and we decided to move hostels to somewhere closer to centre of the older part of town Pelourhino. As mentioned in the previous blog this was where the Michael Jackson video for They Don´t really Care About us was filmed....hence the picture. We got settled in and set about the town. Not really anything new to report it was the same old really. Cafes, little markets with arts and crafts nothing that really interested us, at least not enough to merit a second time around them. So we managed to entertain ourselves somehow for the day and that night to our surprise we met some Scottish lads. I think this was the first Scots we had met of our trip. There hasn´t been too many at all. Come on Scotland get your arse in gear and get out n fly the flag.....ya c*** :-). So anyways turns out they had got there the previous night and it hadn't went too well for them :-S....oh dear. Salvador for those of you who don't know is well renound for being one of the most dangerous places in Brasil, well when i say dangerous its mainly muggings that result in no injury but you get what i mean and these lads were unfortunate enough to have seen that side of it. They had got to the hostel and went a wander around the streets seeing what was what, the same thing me and Paul had done a hundred times this trip already, even in Salvador. They walks down a street and are approached by a few lads only about 12-13 years old but about 10 of them. They motion them across to the wall and concealed under a jumper, claim they have a knife. Chances are this was a load of pish just like our bandit previously who claimed he had a gun, remember him haha, he didn't even know what a gun was. So only being in a group of 3 they complied and handed over their dosh. Two of the lads had been smart enough to keep their dosh in their socks so they got nothing off them, the other lad got about 20 quid in our money took, not the end of the world but not exactly a best first night. All this had took place only one street away from where a load of cop cars sit too, just shows you, you just don't know, perhaps we had been lucky. So that was them spooked.
" What yous doing tonight then lads? Fancy coming out for a pint or 2?"
"F*ck that we're staying in we've got a carry out and just staying in the hostel!"
F*ck sake what were they Scotsmen or mice. We're the knife crime capital of Europe for f*ck sake toughen up your giving us a bad name :-P. Me and Paul carried on out regardless and managed to stay unmugged and all was well.
The following night was time for the Tuesday night street party, and this time the rain was no where to be seen. Our new hostel was right in the heart of where the street party kicked off with a mini concert being held in the courtyard next door to us. A local celebrity called Geronimo performs all the Brazilian classics like errrm....oh theres that one u know it....errrm :-S, well anyways the locals seemed to like it and after a few shandys it wasn't too bad. There was me, Paul, a German couple and a couple of Norwegian girls we had first met in Rio and again in Itacare and now here. Brazil sure didn't seem like the 5th biggest country in the world, we run into the same people all over. Anyways Hamill had decided to call it a night after the concert and the boyfriend of the couple had retired also leaving me and a bunch of WAGS to explore the rest of the street party. We hopped from bar to bar me trailing along like a little fag hag listening to girly conversations which were a terrible disappointment. I had hoped for some inside, juicy, dirty, sex and the city style chat instead it was just mindless drivel about nothing. f*** you Hollywood! The night continued to a club and then home all in all a decent night with the girls but it was no Lapa street party like in Rio.....that was a proper street party.
The following day we decided it was time to get the hell outta Dodge and head for Itacare but not before getting ridiculous hair cut number 2.
The previous day we had spotted a proper ghetto barber with posters outside of designs he had previously shaven into people's heads. Now this was a craze I never got into as a youngster, Hamill on the other hand has had more sketches on his napper than Banksys Maths jotter. Hamill for that reason really should have went first and given me some advice but nope here I was, abandoned on a barbers chair with a guy who spoke zero English and my Portuguese clearly not on a level to start discussing ideas with the guy. Lost for inspiration and eating up the guys time I blurted...
"Errrrmmm I'll have a couple of stars mate.....NO WAIT! I've got it make that 3 stars, 2 at the sides and one at the back!" GENIUS!
Thirty minutes later the guy was done and my mission to get a "ridiculous" haircut had been far surpassed. I must have being seeing stars to have thought of this.
Next up Hamill, the pro, the guy whos had loads of designs, the guy who is featured all throughout The City Barbers portfolio, the guy who at one point was featured on the billboard ad in Ibrox Stadium advertising The City Barber. What would he get???? ...... The answer???? An on par with mine, pish scribble on his head which the guy had went a bit "freestyle" on totally disregarding Pauls initial request and going a little bit OTT. Oh yes we were the mutts nuts, ridiculous indeed!
Itacare get ready for Starsky and Botch here we come!
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