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| In Olinda, close to the Skol house |
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| Participants in the street in Recife |
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| The whole gang |
The last leg of our trip… we have big expectations for this final week. First of all it is carnival in Recife, then we were to meet up with Stéphanie and Jean-Yves our friends from Belgium. We will share a flat that we rented in Boa Viagem, a quiet neighbourhood of Recife some 8km away from the centre. Will and Archanna, our other friends whom we’ve been seeing in every country since we met in Cusco, Peru are also part of the gang renting the flat. Archanna’s sister Amruta is also here for the first 4 days.
The flat is old and badly maintained and for the price we’re paying we were hoping for better, although in hindsight, the rent we’re paying is not as high as most of the other options we’ve seen online. The problem with where we are is that from our flat we need to take 2 buses to the centre or a taxi. Taxi actually works out cheaper if we all 7 get in it.
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| Notice the cigarette! |
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| It's important to be well stocked in beer |
That first evening started very well with a nice dinner and champagne to kick-off this week in style.
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| The costumes in Olinda were fantastic - here the Spartans |
The following day we went to check out the party in Olinda, a smaller town about 10 km away from Recife centre opposite from the direction we live. Olinda is a cute little town with a lot of colonial town houses and a few beautiful churches and cathedrals. The day we went there was still pre-carnival and preparations were still going. They were painting the houses and setting up the vending stalls. TV crews were checking out the best spots to film from.
The bands in the street were fun and the rhythm was great, percussion and trumpets make for a great combination. People were already dressed up in very colourful outfits and their faces were all painted and glittered. After a great few hours there, we decided to return to Recife and went into town for some more party. There were many more street vendors and food stalls in Recife and we tried our first Caipirinhas there. We also got some much welcomed food.
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| Child in Superman's costume ... |
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| ... and the real Spiderman |
There was this other night when we went out and it was simply pouring down with rain. We were soaked to the bones but the rain was warm and even at 2 a.m. we were feeling in the party mood.
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| The girls also taking part in the fun |
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| Night party in Olinda |
Over the course of the week that followed we went to Recife and Olinda quite a few times using 2 taxi drivers that we had come to know and who had 7-seaters. They would come pick us up at the apartment. The parties in Recife or Olinda were different each day. And we managed to do some shopping too!
The carnival in Recife and Olinda is different to the one we see on TV at Rio. In Rio (in the Sambadrome) it is much more grandiose and lush. I would like to see that one too some day, which probably gives us the perfect excuse to come back in a not so distant future...
For more pictures of
Recife and Olinda
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| The priest with the beer can |
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| The security police squad |
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| The Recife main stage beautifully lit at night |
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