Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/299622
36 G O I N G P L A C E S | S U M M E R 2 0 1 4 on the wall announces the restaurant has hosted musicians, artists and bohemians since 1945. From the looks of it, they're all still there. e litre-sized bottled Brahma beer comes icy cold and goes down fast. The meal – a spicy, Afro-Por tuguese coconut-milk/palm-oil paella with smoked sausage, seafood and chicken – could not have been better. Time passes. A breeze ri es the plaza's palms. e band's guitarist launches into a languid version of "Bésame Mucho": "Kiss me a lot; I'm afraid of losing you afterwards . . ." Strolling couples begin waltzing on the cobblestone street, their bod- ies silhouetted against the oodlit façade of a 400-year-old baroque cathedral. Love, loss and redemption are old themes in the Afro-Brazilian world. Nothing's certain, so seize the day. Dance. Make love. Don't be sad. is attitude was made clear to me a few evenings l a t e r o v e r a n a l f r e s c o oceanside dinner on the Bay of All Saints waterfront. After far too many caipir inha s – a wicked Bahian rum/fruit concoction – I'm well beyond redemption. My host is James Rior- dan, a gregarious American expatriate, long- time Bahia resident and Candomblé follower. To understand Bahia, he explains, you have to understand the African religion here. "It lies at the heart of Bahia," he says. "It's in the music, the food, the dancing – all ow- ing, rhythmic, spontaneous. In Candomblé, you don't have just one god. You've got hun- dreds: African, Christian, zombies, saints, voo- doo spirits . . . whatever works. e more, the merrier! Life's meant to be fun." And so, early on a hot tropical evening, I set out through the crowded streets of Salva- dor, hoping to witness first-hand what hap- pens when the gods descend and enter the bodies of worshippers who are then trans- formed into trance-dancing deities. How does a Bahian woman become Yemanjá? Or a man become a zombie? My destination is Terreiro Embrace the rhythm of life with G Adventures' The Best of Brazil tour. Go with CAA Travel today! Celebrants gather at one of the city's 1,200 Candomblé temples; (opposite) with billions of eyes focused on Brazil's FIFA World Cup this summer, visitors should consider some of Rio's less familiar attractions. DANIEL WOOD p32_39Brazil.indd 36 14-04-17 11:41 AM