Esta chuvendo

It is São João, the middle of winter here and the rain is coming down. After last night's parties the city lulls in a morning-after calm. All the shops are closed and even the kids seem to lack the energy to run around. I spent last night at the house of one of my capoeira mestres, Mestre Cobra Mansa, in Fazenda de Coutos in the suburbs of Salvador. It was beautiful; people having a good time with friends, dancing to forro music and enjoying all the wonderful and oh, so fattening São João delicacies. By the time it was time to leave my stomach was so full of manioc cake, canjica, corn, peanuts and different kinds of licors that I could hardly walk. And then, of course, we were invited to the neighbors' house to eat some more.