People massed at a gym and a few shirts went out, people mingled and munched bread. I found those that I knew and talked to a few others. Then we were off in a somewhat formation to the red-brown road lined with sugar cane to take us to the lake. Support cars followed with water and bananas and people set their own pace. I started with a group, but soon got ambitious and had to feed my urge to pass. The sun was in true form, hot as a stove and not much wind, but since it was before noon, it was manageable.
People arrived as their paces allowed and in high spirits. The music went on. The cooks started working on enough pasta for the group of more than 200 hungry folks. I ventured out to the dock, then found some shade. A couple of girls did the classic foreigner in a foreign land experience. I was talking with a fellow teacher and friend Matheos and the girls just hovered in front of us. I said, “Oh, you probably aren’t used to this, but kids think its totally acceptable to just stand around in your space when you are foreign. Their curiosity over-rides all. They won’t say anything, it’s just entertaining.” He said that no, he had not experienced it before, and then laughed pretty hysterically that we could talk about them and they would not understand anything.
The river moved slow, more like a softly-currented lake, and all was calm. A few birds flew across the way by the cows and a couple snags stuck up from the green water. I took off my shoes and lied down under the shade in some soft grass and stared up at the high circling vultures in the blue sky between the leaves of a palm. It was calmly warm, I believe I’ve adjusted some to it. And it was just so damn sweet, with the bit of adrenaline from a good long walk, the leg tingle, and the tunes, the lunch preparations, the chatter, the birds. It all promoted a feeling of richness and well being.
We ate two kinds of pasta, red and white sauce, some salad and some rice. Carb heavy to be sure, but of course hunger is the greatest cook and their were no complaints. After eating I went back out onto the dock since most people were eating it was mostly clear. Just a few kids fishing. I pulled my shoes off and places my feet in the cool water. They reached just barely into the water, but enough. My arms went over the railing and I talked with an older lady who arrived about the spot. We talked about our preferences for quiet and things natural. Slow moving water pretty much enforced its calmness on us, and we just loitered lazily watching nothing but nature going about its business. It was great.
I went back, had some sweetened cold candied pumpkin and then after some chatter investigated the bus situation back to town. It would be about an hour before actually getting on one. In the meantime, I went over to the neighbors and looked at pictures of the giant snake they played with and their camping trip up river. They shared some homemade salami and make conversation. Then we waited in the grass for the driver to eat his lunch. The drive home was smooth and the walk from where the bus dropped was also good. The whole town is quiet for May Day, and the concrete is scorching. There was no wind and hardly any traffic. People were off the streets and it was a borderline kind of eery that fellow horror/zombie movie fans feel a small twinge about. So far nothing apocalyptic happened.
Brazil has been good to me so far and today it was especially good. The people and the scenery, but especially the river. The sugar cane and the sparse trees kept the air fresh when the wind wasn’t pulling it’s weight. A day worth remembering.
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