Recife/PE

---

So our next stop was Recife, capital of the state of Pernambuco and an important city for frevo, maracatu and of course, capoeira:-)

We stayed in the home of Mestre Mago (São Salamão) and his wife Bel and their two kids Gabi and Belinha. They took great care of us and put up with us appearing only to sleep and eat. So many thanks to all of them.

We had a hectic 4 day programme getting to know both the day and night life of Recife, courtesy of Soraias friend Bruno. On the first day we went to Praia de Boa Viagem, Recifes main beach and managed to avoid getting eaten by the sharks:-) Then it was a brief visit to Mercado de São José and we soon decided that a return visit was required to make the most of the shopping delights on offer. Then we went to do a capoeira class with Mestre Corisco (Chapeu de Couro). Everyone there was really friendly and we had a lot of fun - so thanks to those guys.

Next day we headed off to Mestre Magos academy to see the great work that he is doing there to help needy kids. Then we went to do a Frevo class at the Escola Municipal de Frevo. See the video for an amazing demonstration by the teacher of the class. Then we headed back to the Mercado de São José to shop until we dropped. After a quick power nap we headed out for the night, first to the Pagode (see video) and then to dance some Forró.

I spent the next day sleeping, while Soraia went off to give a class at Mestre Magos Academy:-) Then it was back out again for the evening for some more pagode and then some samba.

Our final day was spent visiting the beautiful beaches south of Recife, most notably Porto de Galinhas. Porto de Galinhas means Port of Chickens; during the 18th century, when the traffic of slaves was forbidden, "chicken" was the code used to refer to the slaves. "There are new chickens in town" was the way to say that a ship loaded with slaves had arrived. Today however its just a pretty beachside resort.
After getting stuck in lots of traffic we made it back just in time for the São Salamão Roda with Mestre Mago. The axé was great and the games were amazing. Then it was back once again to pack our backs and head off to the airport. We both fell in love with Recife, a city full of energy and vibrance, so much so that Im heading back there in a few weeks to catch the tail end of carnival!:-)

---