Travel: Salvador, Brazil

I travelled to Salvador, the state of Bahia in Brazil last week for work. It was my second trip to Brazil but first time in Bahia.

I was super excited for this trip because I haven’t traveled for work since July last year. So it was nice to travel and have sometime alone. I think all moms feel the same way no matter how much we love our kids.

One mini incident was that my checked luggage didn’t arrive with me. I was supposed to take the luggage out at Sao Paolo, but the united agent told me that it was checked all the way to Bahia. So I didn’t have my luggage for a day. Fortunately I was prepared for it and had all the pumping equipment with me. Lesson learned, have all the necessities in carry-on.

We stayed at Mercure Rio Vermello hotel, with a small beach. This is the view from the gym when I logged my runs.

the hotel was just okay. The room was small and basic. The food was average but the view was amazing.

I always have egg omelets, fruits and toasts with butter for breakfast.

but tried local food as well: this is a coconut tapioca porridge

a tapioca flour pancake. I had ham and cheese as filling.

then cheese bread.

It was a privilege to work by the infinity pool. Such a relaxing view.

Local food is mainly seafood. So I had plenty of them. this one is a seafood stew cooked with bread.

on the last day of work, I went to explore the city with colleagues and we had some snacks by the beach

we had coquettes, one with meat and one with salted bacalao.

then we had street food for dinner

this is acaraje, a dish made from peeled beans formed into a ball and then deep-fried in palm oil. Super rich dish.

and a tapioca pancake

I had one with cheese, sun dried tomato  and basil. Super super tasty! I loved it, will definitely try to make it soon.

My flight was scheduled for 4:30pm, so I went to explore the old town called pelourinho. It was the city’s center during the Portuguese colonial period and was named for the whipping post in its central plaza where African slaves received punishment for various infractions, as well as for disciplinary purposes.

then it was time to go back home. I missed the girls so much.

Lizzy had fever for 3 days. Tony was super worried because I was not there to tell him what to do. And seeing Lizzy down was heart breaking to him. But fortunately she didn’t seem too bothered as she continued to eat and sleep well, and the fever went away by itself.

Tony was in charge of giving Lizzy bottle in the early morning (6am) and take Sofia to school.

but he did so well. I’m so proud of him.

Once I was back Saturday morning, I spent the day unpacking, catching up with the family and in the evening, we took Sofia to a Halloween party at a community center.

Sofia had fun and came back with a lot of candies.

on Sunday it was Pumpkin caving time! As usual Tony was in charge.

Sofia helped to take out the seeds

and Lizzy was in charge of being CUTE 😀

we had the idea of putting her in a pumpkin for a long time! We couldn’t find a big enough one to fit her in, so we did some carving and voila!

and the final product

after nap, we played together

final product, thanks to Tony

it was a busy week. Traveling is always tiring but it was a good getaway for me. It made me realize even more how lucky I am to have the family I have, to have a supportive husband, a helping mom and two lovely girls.

I love my life!