Hello all, thanks for checking in. I know it’s getting less rewarding since the pace of my updates fell off. At least you should know that if I’m not posting, that probably means I’m having a good time.
I’ve been very happy with my decision to spend more time in one place, rather than constantly moving from town to town. I’ve been thinking of an exchange I had with the cab driver who brought me in from the airport. I was explaining to him that I planned to stay here for a month. He very seriously said, “Be careful, this is a dangerous city.”
I was a little disappointed he would say that to me, since all kinds of people from other parts of Brazil had said the same thing, but I was withholding judgement on that. I said something like “Oh really?” and he broke into a big smile and said, “It’s very dangerous…you come here once and you can never leave.”
I liked that at the time, and looking back I get exactly what he was talking about. As I’ve become more immersed in the rhythm of everyday life here, I’ve found more and more to love about the place. But mostly it’s the people that make it so special. All my prior plans to go on trips to the surrounding area, etc, have pretty much fallen away because the city itself has so much to offer.
Last night was another Tuesday of wild partying here in the Pelourinho. I got swept up in this informal samba parade that went all around the area. This moving dance party rambled along through the narrow streets, overwhelming the sidewalk restaurants, and occasionally mixing in with other street performances. That was a good evening’s worth of entertainment in itself, but it was just the beginning.
There are so many great musicians out in the streets here, and here’s the smallest of them.
This tiny drum set sounded amazingly good. Later today I was at a beach called Farol de Barra.
Nice day. Tonight I’m resting up for a big festival tomorrow called Lavagem do Bonfim. I promise to make a nice post for this one.
