Bip bip!

As a result of visiting a place with that moniker last night, I am exhausted now. This place requires much less sleep than I'm used to, since there are always things to do at night but I have to get up as early as six most days too.

Bip bip (Think it kind of means beep beep) is a bar with music, but it's so small that only the musicians can fit inside. The rest of us sat outside, while the choro musicians played that intricate style of music which sounds to me like medieval church music. It's been there for at least 40 years, but in that time, apartments have sprung up around it, so the "audience" (about 16 people) were instructed to clap by clicking our fingers. After a virtuoso performance I found it pretty hard not to smack my hands together with gusto, although not drinking any beer helped.

After a noisy start, I'm enjoying living in Santa Teresa. The rest of the city seems much calmer when viewed from above (it certainly doesn't when you're in it) and I get to sit outside while I'm typing. I'm almost developed a phobia of sorting out my USB port due to the vast expense of electronic goods here, thanks in part to a punitive export tax on everything. Not sure what I'll do about pictures, but whatever it is is certain to be convoluted and frustrating.

It was very weird to read some Brit magazines today which were full of pictures of winter coats and boots. Twice I've almost passed out from the heat, and it's going to get another 10 degrees hotter. I've got no air conditioning in my room (I hate the stuff, but even so...). I feel a bit afraid. Like I'm a bit afraid of carnaval, which might be me showing my age. The same goes for lack of sleep generally so I'm off to rectify that.