The thirteenth season of the Amazing Race adventure reality show begins in world famous Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics and jets off to its first stop of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
When host Phil Keoghan shouts Go! the teams begin the race. Different flights will leave Los Angeles International Airport for Salvador. For an almost minute to minute recap of the action and the teams handling various, read the account at of Episode 1.
Arriving in Salvador, the teams can take no time to learn the state and city's fabulous history. Bahia is where Brazil began. It was here that Portuguese explorers in 1549 founded a settlement on the peninsula in Todos os Santos Bay, discovered by Amerigo Vespucci in 1501. It was here that slaves from Africa disembarked and brought their culture to the new world. It was here the Portuguese, African and indigenous cultures met, melded and produced the vibrant music, food, customs and religion typical of Bahia.
Once called São Salvador, Salvador became the shipping point for the sugar grown on plantations in the Recôncavo, the fertile lands surrounding the bay. Tobacco and hardwoods added to the growing city's wealth and position. It became the capital of Portuguese America until 1763, in spite of a year of Dutch occupation in 1624-1625. The fortifications along the water stem from the colonial period.
Some of this history will add to the teams' activity, as they are directed to take a taxi to a not so well known sandwich shop called O Rei Do Pernil.. There, they are to take a very full vending cart, perched on what looks like a miniature delivery truck, and wheel it to the Praça da Sé, an old square on the bay where a cathedral once stood. From the praça, or plaza, the teams board the famous funiculars, or elevators, that link the two levels of the city.
Alta cidade is the upper and older portion of the city, where colonial buildings and quaint streets take you back to a previous time. The Pelourinho neighborhood, with its many churches, pastel colored buildings, is considered the most charming. It's also the center of Salvador's nighlife, with restaurants, bars and folkoric shows. A walking tour from Largo do Pelourinho also known as Praça José de Alencar is well worth the time. Unfortunately, the teams can only dash through, racing for the next clue after completing the detour.
Once having successfully claimed their next clue, they take the elevator connecting the high city to the Cidade Baixa, the newer portion of Salvador, to find a taxi to tke them to the waterfront, and a boat to ferry them out to the Forte São Marcelo, the fort in the bay that once protected the old city from pirates and the Dutch.
The fort is their first pit stop, where they spend the night outdoors under mosquito nets. The first to arrive win a five-night trip to Belize; the last to arrive is eliminated.
The finish order:
- Nick& Starr
- Ken & Tina
- Terence & Sarah
- Mark & Bill
- Kelly & Christy
- Toni & Dallas
- Andrew & Dan
- Aja & Ty
- Anthony & Stephanie
- Marisa & Brooke
- Anita & Arthur
Enjoy these images of Salvador, Bahia while we wait for the next episode.
