Just after midnight...

...Fortaleza's only human statue retreats to the shadows of the rubbish bins to count his takings. He clearly didn't think he would be chanced upon by a blipper coming back from the loo, and so engrossed was he in the process that I could have sat on his shoulder for this shot.

I had seen him performing earlier; atop his plastic stool he would hold his position and then in response to the jingle of a coin in his tupperware box, he'd move his long silver-painted arms in wide languorous circles bringing them back always to rest across his heart.

I was amazed to glance what seemed like over a hundred one-real coins as I walked past (40-odd euros) which, believe me, is very good money indeed in these parts for a few hours work; the advantage of the first mover, and he knew it!