In 2001 I met Inbal Tubi, who quickly became one of my best friends. We met in New York and started planning the opening of his future hostel “The Nega Maluca” in Pelourinho the historical quarter of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil. In 2003 Inbal has finally opened and  a few months later I visited him there for the first time. I stayed with him for a few weeks and lived like a local for a while. I re-visited a decade later for the FIFA World Cup in 2014. As a child, I always had a dream to one day be able to visit this colorful and marvelous country. During the last two decades, I was influenced deeply by the Brazilian culture, listening to music, watching movies and learning the Portuguese language. I was also working for Bentzi Brazil a leading Travel agency for many years…