Sailing

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Yesterday was another solid rainy/cloudy day.
In the early evening it started raining particularly hard. I did go for a swim in the port earlier, where I followed a couple of turtles around for a while, but it was getting late by the time I went in and, with the waves coming in strong and not much sun, it only took thirty minutes before starting to feel cold.
The sky held banks of those flat bottomed clouds sailing across the horizon like black Spanish galleons: it was these clouds that were to curl around and paste the island during the evening.
Today, so far is looking good.
George owns a sailboat and was talking about just going for a sail today, if the weather was ok.
I hope that´s what happens, but if it doesn´t, I´m going onto the beach for the day today, rain, or shine.
I will also have much of the day tomorrow - the plane doesn´t leave till late afternoon.
When I get back to the mainland, I will have one more day, (2 nights) in Olinda before flying on to Manaus and the Amazon!
I´m a bit nervous about it: after nesting here for two weeks, I´ve got to get ready for a huge city that one needs to be rather cautious in. I´ll also be back needing to chuck money around hand over fist.
Reading about what´s happening in the States with the Economy, it makes me question even more than usual the wisdom of this trip: I have to choose the year when the Economy is moving into recession, the dollar weaker than a four day old kitten, to visit the most expensive, the most crime afflicted country in South America! Smart move Batman.
My whole travel personality is based on meeting people, trusting them, finding opportunities to learn, to experience. That has worked out so far in Brazil, as it has on every other trip.
However, there is no doubt that I need to be much more suspicious than I am comfortable being in the next part of the trip, both walking in the streets, and with people that I meet. It´s a drag, but after three weeks in Brazil now, I´ve had enough contact with the people to know that the petty crime problem here is a reality.
Life is cheap and undervalued.
So, I have two more days left of innocent, trusting, relaxation, but then I need to be significantly more steely once I hit the road for the Amazon and beyond.
It is a pity, but it is the reality.
It´s fascinating to wonder why things are this way here. Is Brazil the exception that proves the rule, or the harbinger of the future?
Will the World´s poor continue to accept their poverty with resignation, maintaining their moral relationship with their Gods and their communities, allowing safe passage through their lands for pleasure seeking rich people (like me), or will they take a page from the books being written in the favellas of Brazil today, turn to the rich, and with gun in hand and menace in eyes, growl, ´ít´s time to share, Gringo´?
Well, enough idle speculation for one day: it´s time to get up from this digital world and go splash in the real one!
See you on the flypaper,
mike

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Photos

Bruno, George and Carol
This is the noble crew of Dolphin Watchers

Tangled up booby
This poor booby got tangled up in Paulo´s line. It was fine in the end! A metaphor

False flying fish
This has the ´wings ´of a flying fish, but uses them to scare away predators. Paulo caught 5 or six fish and 1 bird on our sail!

Comments

[Clare, Hannah and Dana]

ahoy!
What a beautiful vessel! It IS like another world out there - makes you wonder why we don't all live on board! Enjoy!

[mike allen]

Clare
Got a plan? mike