The streets are packed....traffic has grinded to a halt as the big trucks have taken to the streets of this, the 3rd largest city in Brazil located in the northeastern state of Bahia sitting in front of the Atlantic Ocean.

Nearly 3 million people are gathered here beginning tonight (February 19th,2009) for 6 days and nights of non-stop maddness on the streets of the epicentre of Afro-Brazil.

100s of arrests from many the many brawls will inevitably happen (hopefully not me,lol). The hospital wards will be filled with exhausted revellers and combatants.

I am off to jump up with Timbalada....let the maddness begin.

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"I will forewarn you......fear ye him when thou hast died hath power to cast into hell" - Charles Lawson

For all those that don't like unruly crowds.....

YouTube - Pipocas do Chiclete com Banana

.....pelt yuh tail outta de way when the Trio Electrico (big truck) comes down the road as there's no room for the faint of heart as this is the Haitian band at Labor Day x 1000.

Pics up tomorrow.

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"I will forewarn you......fear ye him when thou hast died hath power to cast into hell" - Charles Lawson

Wey de 'oman dem?
Lookin forward to your coverage
Stay safe!

yuh put wood on any of dem gyal yet

I love the brazilian culture. One day i hope to be @ the Sambadrome with either Tijuca, Bejia Flor or Mangueira -, i think i spelt that one wrong. I gotta get my portuguese in order.

::singing bahia girl::

Stay safe and enjoy to the fullest...

Seen Exaltamaniacos yesterday?

Interesting! Keep it coming.

Well Timbalada last night was great. Great to see Denny again. But they need to come with some new tunes. They`ve been singing many of the same tunes from 3-4 years ago. I could only imagine the uproar if this took place in the W.Indies were it`s pretty much mandatory everyone whether the song is goor or bad seems to come out with new material every year during their carnaval.

There I was in the bloco at 8pm in front of my apartment and finished at 1:00am. The band had 4-5000 people easily. It`s been pouring cats and dogs since I arrived, so I could only snap a few pics. So there I was thinking to myself: "Wow I am very surprised at how well-behaved the crowd was.......(continued)

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"I will forewarn you......fear ye him when thou hast died hath power to cast into hell" - Charles Lawson

....however at 4am things changed differently after I came home and walked back on the parade route to join the crowd outside the ropes (pipoca = popcorn in portugese). It was like the damned Devil took over.

THERE WAS ALL-OUT BRAWLS EVERYWHERE!

I said it before I don`t know why people randomly will run 10-20 yards to attck someone for no reason at all. These guys don`t fight over women like in T.O.......they just fight for the heck of it!!! I think it`s a drug or some sort of high they get out of it. I tried to warn a youth not to join the fracas and he just brushed me aside and charged into the crowd.

I saw 20-30 rope security guards drop their rope and charge through the crowd and began brawling with some guys that were taunting them from a distance. There had to be at least 60 people fighting one another at once, vendors were getting their goods knocked to the ground. Then the cops who show no mercy at carnaval, (last night they yanked me aside and opened my camera case to see if I had a knife) charged in with their batons and grabbed everyone in side.

Last night they randomly yanked me aside and opened my camera case to see if I had a knife inside. Buoy I was in some deep shit if I had a weapon there,lol.

I walked further along the route and I saw the police line-up about 20-30 guys against the wall and were arresting them.

I guess this + side of this is no one brings guns to carnaval, it's still old school....everybody here that gets in trouble seems to fight with their hands.....because those police will kill them on the spot.

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"I will forewarn you......fear ye him when thou hast died hath power to cast into hell" - Charles Lawson

Last night in Timbalada......Looks like father time is catching up with me, I remember de days (circa 2008) I could heist a woman on my shoulders in a heartbeat.....took me 3 tries to put this one on my back.

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"I will forewarn you......fear ye him when thou hast died hath power to cast into hell" - Charles Lawson

Timabalada last nigh, managed to get a pic of the street from above the truck, you cannot breath for about 2 kilometers. Although I can`t understand 95% of what`s said I absolutely love the drumming. Drives me wild. But they should make some new music.

Btw my highlight of the night in the band: Two guys inside the band with at least 4000 people tell everyone to form a circle while they do a capoeira exhibit. As I go to take a pic.....one guy ends up accidentally flooring some gal with a roundhouse kick to the jaw. OUCH!!!

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"I will forewarn you......fear ye him when thou hast died hath power to cast into hell" - Charles Lawson

Thanks....have a safe carnival too.


Who are they? I am glad I didn`t join Alo Inter with Rapazolla.....he doesn`t really sing anything I am interested in. At 6pm Psirico is hitting the streets for the 1st time at carnaval. The bloco is a madhouse when they sing Toda Boda, really looking forward to seeing them for the 2nd time.......I wish they performed last night. Band costed only 50 reais. A bargain for such maddness. It`s raining like crazy now, but thankfully this isn`t Caribana where a lot of people fold up shop and head home,lol.

Last year I was in their band and repeatedly getting knocked to the ground. That was the wildest band I`ve ever been in anywhere. The way they sing makes the youths go wild, unfortunately I guarantee there will be fighting outside the ropes....and possibly in the band too.

Tomorrow I will probably be in a camarote (VIP box) because the crowd is too hectic, I need to relax a bit, not 21 years old anymore,lol.

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"I will forewarn you......fear ye him when thou hast died hath power to cast into hell" - Charles Lawson

.....is that all you want to know about carnaval here?

Well that one isn`t as live as Bahia. It`s the most famous one, but you don`t get to partake in the festivities like in Bahia. Rio is a show you watch from the stands. In Bahia you are part of the mayhem.

Have fun next week at carnival.

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"I will forewarn you......fear ye him when thou hast died hath power to cast into hell" - Charles Lawson

Last post before I join Psirico. I was tired and ready to go home and call it a night....and then I was touched by this woman.

She was a amputee with only one leg jumping up in the pipoca!!! I couldn`t believe my eyes. No way I could feel tired and weak after seeing that.

And then look at this girl..... why it`s Mother Teresa,lol.

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"I will forewarn you......fear ye him when thou hast died hath power to cast into hell" - Charles Lawson

Glad to see you made it down safe...I assume that you had no housing drama this time !

I know you are a pro now, holding it down in the " Pro Bowl" but try to stay safe....keep the " on location" talk going.


Peace