The Boogie Ride

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The "Boogie" Ride

The guide on our coach in Fortaleza admitted right off that he had never been to an English speaking country, so his grammar and pronunciation were very interesting. We had no trouble understanding what he said, but it took some mental acrobatics to understand what he meant. When he held up four fingers and told us he had two brothers, for example. And every time he mentioned the dune buggies, he said "boogie" which certainly brought up a different visual image!

I suppose I won't get much sympathy telling you how hot it was in Fortaleza. But it was. Hot and humid. The guide said the average temperature varied by only four degrees between summer and winter. It was obvious they were used to the heat and used to walking around in skimpy bathing suits, the kind you've seen in pictures of Rio. Fortaleza turns out to be where the Brazilians go for vacation because it rarely rains and the beaches go on and on. The cityscape looks like Miami...miles of modern highrises with interesting curves and colors. We went about 45 minutes out of town to Cumbuco Beach which is famous for white sand dunes and coconut trees. We were assigned a buggy and driver (our guy's nickname was "Bira") and we climbed on. Or, at least tried to. Hugh and I were to sit not IN the back seat, but behind it with our feet on the seat. Hugh popped right up, but it was a struggle for me. Then, holding onto the roll bar for dear life, we took off. After the first bump, however, we both stood up and the flimsy cushion we were sitting on slid off onto the road. Our poor driver. I'm sure he was wondering what he was in for! After he explained that we must not stand up (yup, got that!) and once we actually got off the bumpy road and onto the dunes it was more comfortable. But then the fun began! We tore all over the dunes, going straight down the sides so that we thought for sure we would tip over. Hugh looked absolutely petrified the entire time. The drivers follow a set course so they don't run into each other, a good thing since there were a lot out there. It was funny to compare the groups of teenage Brazilians in other buggies to our aged group! After the ride which lasted about 45 minutes, we were treated to coconut water right out of the coconut. Not too bad, kind of sweet, but not something I'll hurry to have again.

On the way back to the port, we stopped at the old prison which has been converted into a handicrafts market. If you like lace, this is the place. We also got to sample some cashews, one of their biggest exports, and a local liqueur. Next stop was a pier called the "English Bridge" because it looks like an English pier (huh?) which scared me much more than the buggy ride because the planks of the deck were set too far apart for me. Made me just freeze in place. Then it was back to the ship where we collapsed for the rest of the day. Hugh has complained ever since that his bum is sore, carefully pointing out that my additional padding kept me protected!
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Going back to Cape Verde, off the coast of Africa, was a great experience. When we were there two years ago, we were told they were working to attract more tourism, and boy, have they been busy! There were new buildings everywhere and fresh coats of paint on the old ones. The people were very friendly, but not pushy or trying to sell us anything. We had a nice time walking around the town, finding places we had visited before. When we mentioned how much the place had changed in two years, the shuttle bus guide just said, "Yes, it is different every day." It is still very third-worldy, with much unemployment and terrible roads, but with the sun shining and the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables being sold on street corners and carried in baskets on women's heads, it was a beautiful place to visit.

We crossed the Equator the day before we got to Brasil. Had the usual silly celebration, but it was too hot and crowded to us to stay through the whole thing. We are now settled into life on the Black Watch, getting a kick out of some of the characters on board. There is the 97-year-old who shuffles around, always with a smile on his face; the 80+ woman with a head full of acryllic shoulder-length cornrow braids; and the tall, elegant woman on her own who seems to show up every place we go. Now that it is hot and the sun is shining, we are seeing a lot more skin than we care to...especially among those who really shouldn't be exposing so much. There are quite a few Dutch on board, so quite a few Speedos to try to avoid seeing. I have not yet put on my swimsuit, but will certainly feel less conspicuous when I do. I have managed to get Hugh to wear his sandals without socks, but only on the ship.

All for now.The "Boogie"Rid

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Comments

[peter de koning]

the pleasure of reading
Dear Suzy and Hugh. Clasien and I like the reading of The Black Watch Ship Journal very much. It is so comfortable: I relax in my chair and enjoy the reading for free where you had to pay a couple of dollars to be able to write it. By the way, Hugh must be able to remember that when the four of us were in Great Britain we took the writing of our diary in turns. Is he going to write himself the stories one day? In return I will be only too happy to show you the diary of my next trip to China: by plane to Moscow, by Mantsjoerian Express via Harbin (North of China) to Peking (6 days in a train, I am not too sure wether I will like this) and in Peking walking the Chinese Wall with a guide for two days an dthen flying home again. As a bonus I will write it in Dutch! Enjoy your holiday! Peter.