Does my bum look big in this?

And then a bunch of embarrassed looking Indians take to the stage to enact a dance which we suspect was as old as my socks and a student protest breaks out. Paint is thrown and some anti-Portuguese slogans are shouted, but of course we all know who discovered Brazil anyway. And the dancers are trying not to set themselves alight on the roman candles and incredibly enough my friend has them posing on stage for him - holding up the show for art. There are some Portuguese singers and dancers, even more embarrassed, and my friend is swapping emails with the Indians and before we know it we are walking into the arena in the town centre, buying beers and waiting for something to happen.

And all hell breaks loose, there are dancers and singers and crowning of the carnaval king and queen and costumes you wouldn't believe - click click click - my friend's camera whirls, it's a riot of colour and sounds, and his eyes are rolling manically. Between clicks my friend has that glazed look and I know what he is thinking:

'This is some place and some country.'

And then they are playing the National anthem and we are all on our feet, hands on our hearts, my friends have tears in their eyes and I feel, proud, privileged, honoured to be here on this day, this special time for Brazil.

I shouldn't feel this way, I am only an adopted son, I have only been here for a fraction of the history of Brazil, but I like to think that I will be here for a lot more. And then we are off, on another adventure through the streets, in search of the improbable, the bizarre or another cold beer.

About the Author
The author has been in Brazil for nearly 6 months now and is often to be found scribbling his thoughts for this website. His incessant desire to sleep in a different bed each night has taken him through Africa, Asia and Europe.

He now lives relatively calmly in Fortaleza, with a nice view of the sea and a colourful window box. He still finds a border a temptation and sneaks out the office as often as possible. When not travelling he spends his spare time writing to the numerous readers of BootsnAll who email him at philip@ufc.br.

All the photos for this article were taken by Nick Kay who was in Fortaleza for the 500th birthday celebrations. The author is indebted for the use of the pictures and will be collaborating on further projects with Nick in the future.

Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our South America Insiders page.