Arrived in Brazil early around 530am (130am PST). What I saw coming in, the city is gorgeous- large skyscrapers next to poor structures that are houses. The ship is waiting for clearance and then we are allowed to disembark. Today, a large group of us are going to check out the upper city and the Mercado market. There is actually an elevator that takes you to the upper part of the city. Tonight I’m doing a SAS sponsored Carnival trip to be safe. A bunch of us are dressing up in bright colors with face makeup. Carnival is the biggest party in the world- over 4 million people flood the streets. Wednesday I’m going to Impatrica Island (looks like Catalina but at a closer distance) to go hiking and enjoy the nice beaches. Thursday 200 SAS students are going to a Brazilian Futbol game!! No one knows who they are playing but we all want to experience it.

My goal is to find a cheap internet café to post pictures and take care of some school stuff while in Salvador for the next 5 days. Miss you all.