Salvador Our final day on the Caledonian Star was relaxing as we cruised 10-15 miles off the coast of northeastern Brazil. The light wind and a strong current going with us pushed us along at a rapid rate. Many people took time from the packing process to relax on deck and finish the last chapter of the good book they were reading. Occasionally we spotted from the bridge flocks of small white terns we concluded were wintering Common Terns. In the afternoon we heard about some of the new itineraries coming up in the next couple of years on the Caledonian Star. In the middle of the afternoon Suzana gave us a very informative and interesting summary of Brazilian history. She followed by introducing us to Salvador and the state of Bahia. Soon after her talk we returned to the decks and saw that not too far off the starboard side of the ship was the skyline of Salvador. Everyone lined the railings to watch the pilot come onboard and then watch our approach to the dock. Salvador is a vibrant city of many different cultures. It is a very historic city and some times referred to as the city of churches. This city of 2.5 million people was the very first capital of Brazil. As we neared the dock we could see one of the famous landmarks of the city, the elevator that takes people from the upper part to the waterfront level. Soon after docking we were cleared to go ashore. A couple of coaches transported us a short distance down the waterfront to a lovely restaurant adjoining a modern art museum. The building was one of the old sugar mills that had been refurbished. First event of the evening was a fine buffet of local foods. Our guides and ship's staff explained what some of the dishes were. As we went back for seconds the evening's performance began. Drums, singing, and costumes were all evidence of the strong ties of Bahia to Africa, a result of the large slave trade that influenced the country during the 18 and 19th centuries. However the dancing and much of the music was a mixture of many cultures and unique to Bahia. We watched two main dance types. The first was candomble' which has very religious roots and then capoeira which is almost a martial art. The latter was a form of dance invented by the slaves and for many years forbidden by some of the early slave owners. Following the performance we returned to the bus and the ship for our last night on the Caledonian Star - at least for this trip, which we all agreed had been a very special expedition down the Atlantic from the Old to the New World.