São Joaquim market is bustling with locals and so much colour. The produce will blow your mind and it’s a great place to find souvenirs. Bring small change and make sure you try all the different fruits and vegetables. The vendors are very approachable and love it if you ask questions and show interest in the local culture.

The best place to go out is Rio Vermelho. There’s something fun happening guaranteed every night of the week. The main hub is on the beach and there is bar after bar of cool drinking holes. There’s some great spots to test out your samba moves or simply enjoy a caipirinha.

I can highly recommend Casa de Tereza. Tereza is a wonderful host and taught everything we needed to know about Brazilian cuisine. It’s a great restaurant with a fun atmosphere and only 100 metres from the best nightlife we found in South America.

Morro de São Paulo is an absolute must – it’s a two hour boat ride away and absolutely blew my mind. The island is absolutely picturesque and the locals are so welcoming. We ate, kick back and relaxed. You won’t regret taking the time out of your schedule to visit this little gem.

No, it’s not me. We hired Gilvan from Bahia Driver and without his assistance we wouldn’t have seen the majority of the places we visited. He’s a really interesting guys with lots of stories – he drove Michael Jackson when he moonwalked into town! You can look him up on Facebook.

Charlie Carrington changes his menu at Atlas Dining in Melbourne every four months. He travelled with LATAM Airlines to South America for his Brazilian menu, which will be served until December.