Pelourinho

I´m staying at a cultural center in Pelourinho, the cultural center of Salvador de Bahía. Bahía is known as the cultural center of Afro-Brazilero culture and the streets of its capital are pumping with the rhythms of that culture. No matter where you are, at nearly any time, you can hear drum beats and singing coming from somewhere nearby. Pelourinho is the oldest part of Salvador and was an early post for the region´s previously thriving slave-trade. From any street corner you can see - in equal parts - beautiful colonial architecture in various forms of decay, tourists wandering from store to store buying art and crafts, and homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk.

The place I´m staying is called Centro Cultural do Bispo, and it is a work in progress. The main two floors are in various levels of completion. The main floor is here.

The big open space is where most of the activities take place. The activities are almost intirely dance related and mostly versions of African dance. I regularly come home to drums you can hear 2 blocks away and a room full of dancers, sweaty and laughing, running through drills and rehearsing routines.

I sleep in the hammock for 50 Reais per week. On a good day I can make this in 2-3 hours at a stoplight.

The rooms cost a bit more and as you can see, they really stack the bunks. Both floors of the house have ceilings high enough to throw triples and low quads.

The second floor is crudely constructed private residences for the more permanent guests, and a workshop for making instruments. Namely... you guessed it... drums.

Bispo has a party every Saturday and my first one was a special occassion. They were filming to make a DVD and had twice the number of bands as usual that played well past 3 a.m. I was asked to juggle fire for one of the groups and, while I was nervous about my first solo, fire show, I only dropped my torches into the band pit twice. They were professionals though, and didn´t miss a beat.

The music was incredible, dance rhythms all night long, lots of drums and horns and strings, flamenco, forró, and samba. And a flamenco dance. She was incredible. So much power, I wept. I swear to god. I actually wept. And if all that wasn´t enough, the night ended with a jam-session of Peruvian Huayno´s back in the sleeping quarters before lights out. Life is pretty good right now.

Here´s a view down the street, and a view of the courtyard where the party is. I may have some pictures of that soon. People have told me they have them (and videos too!) I just need to actually get them.