obelix

An Angolan lesson I'm in a scorpion fight...eyes bolted to the opponent, tails swinging and a piece of rope around my waist. The tanned, sculpted body reels into action: palm.. soul.. float in liquid motion to the hypnotic twang of berimbau. Maybe a prison chant or a puberty ritual, this angolan dance is an exhibition of human contortion in the face of an opponent. Blessed with grace, perfect balance, it is a beautiful violence. Calma..calma says the mestre as I pick my heavy weight off the floor for one more attempt.. ginga! as left blends into right...the souls of my feet are split, wrists bruised, and muscles under construction, ..I limp back to my hostal suckling on a coconut and comforting myself on the thought of breakfast..acai, banana, guarana, granola ready for afro-brasillian culture. Underwater ... read more

It all begins outside a church... a man has a pack strapped onto his torso like a man posessed , then the music starts. There is a white man playing guitar and perhaps his father on violin. Everyone is seated around this pack of sambistas conversing in typical brasilian style . . loud and expressive like the drummers, then the peole get off their perfectly round bundas and take to the streets in their hundreds flipping their feet to the irresistible rhythm of samba. The street is intoxicated with noise. . it keeps moving, up the hill, across town .. children are weaving through , beer sellers are carting their barrows, and every song is anthemed by the mass that enshroud the musicians and the human speaker.. Every now and again you bump into a ... read more

OOOOhhhh BRASIL ...beleza rhythm,colour, curves ..life here is sumptuous like the corpo dorado. I would mention the women but the guilotine might fall upon me and there is far more fruitier things here than fake boobs and thongs...yes thats right nature is more powerful than silicone..(brazil is ahead of the usa in that dept) Yes I have fallen in love with the fruit here, lets start with A! acai- if you havent heard of it then you should know its tasty ike chocolate -rasberry and more healthy than ginseng and evangelical christianity put together .. its my daily drink coupled with honey granola and banana! right , im not gonna do the whole alphabet as am on a bus leaving Sao Paulo and the favelas are distracting me but just to say , the fruits are ... read more

1.20 am awake listening to astor piazzola remixes, the reinventor of tango. For once I am inside at this hour and not discovering the deeper meaning of malbec. My days comprise mainly of lounging around the city as if I was an architect enthusiast lamenting over which european influence was most present, but no, head firmly on the street activity ,and yes, debating which girl has the most beautiful face/figure is the cultural activity of everyday. I won't indulge any further on this matter but a footnote should include that it is a relentless and compelling task. The most interesting encounter has to be Daniel Limi , a musician, my guitar maestro an average guitar player, exceptional pianist who improvises (defying belief) ...would describe him as a wizard as he is 6ft 4 long silvering ... read more

few photos of last few days. just moved into an apartment in the stylish barrio Palermo. penthouse of course with great views of the city. made friends with the doorman! concierge. hasta pronto... read more