Salvador to Maceio 16th July 2011
ratCATcher
Andre and Alison Stroebel
Mon 18 Jul 2011 20:32
On our last day in Salvador we decided to take a bus ride to the more
up-market areas to see what we had missed as all reprovisioning had been
done.
We were told the safest area to get the bus was up in Pelourino (THE tourist
area that is extra policed etc)
So we walked the gauntlet of homeless people, beggars and druggies that is
Salvador and took the Elevatore up to Pelourino. There we went into the bank
to draw a little cash as we didn't even have the R$5 for bus fare. We had
one small electrical item that we had to get in a shop virtually next door
to the bank. As we slowed outside to see if it was the right one, I noticed
someone pushing far too close to Andre. As I was about to say "watch it" he
shoved Andre and at the same time grabbed his gold chain from his neck and
ran. Andre in hot pursuit.Me ater them shouting at the top of my lungs in
Portuguese, English with a good few internationally understood words thrown
in for "Help" "Police" "Stop him".
What was the most disappointing and infuriated Andre and I is the peop0le he
was running past who could quite easily have put out a foot or shoved him
off balance simply stood and watched.
Eventually Andre gave up seeing we were going to get no help and both of us
took out frustration and anger out on the spectators, telling them exactly
what I thought of their manhood, their mothers and them. We can't believe
with virtually two policemen on every corner not one came to see what the
fuss was about.
I can only say it was a befitting end to my opinion of Salvador.
First thing the next morning we set sail for, supposedly Trinidad, in convoy
with our friends on Iza. It seems none of us were int he right mind for the
sail. It was lumpy and bumpy seas we bounced lurched and rolled through for
3 days and two nights. Both Andre and I were feeling sea sick and it got
worse by the day. On day 3 we deiced a stop in Maceio was required. What
re-inforced the decision was we shredded our Jib in a squall on the way in.
On reaching Marcio a little man in a row boat welcomed us and showed us
which buoy to use insuring us it was secure. He said his name was Leleio (as
in Galeleio without the Ga) and he would help us with anything we needed. We
told him our friends would be in later and could he find a mooring for them.
True to his word as soon as we saw them he climbed into his little boat and
sculled over to the designated buoy. He appears to be the kingpin of the
nearby Favela (squatter camp) which was on the shore near to our mooring.
Later when he shook my hand for giving him some beers, I noticed he is
physically disabled with one small leg and a deformed hand. He lives on a
boat next to our mooring. The next mornign he took Andre and Leon to fill up
our deisel spares.He took them to shore and they walked through the squatter camp to the deisel station. There with their 4 drums full of deisel, a man Leleio had organised with a cart he pulled like a rickshaw (running pulling it) he loaded the drums and ran back through the slums with Andre and Leon trotting behind. They both needed detol wash downs on return to the boat.
I spent the day reairing the sail and baking cookies and crunchies for the
trip.
The next morning we left in a much better frame of mind and are sailing
happily.
About 5 days to Trinidad!
__________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 6289 (20110713) __________
The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
http://www.eset.com
__________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 6289 (20110713) __________
The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
http://www.eset.com