February 28, 2007
Day 518
Sitting on the big sand dune.
The rain came early this morning. I tried walking around but I soon became drenched and my umbrella was destroyed by the accompanying strong wind. I had to go back to the hotel and wait it out. Unfortunately, it continued to rain almost all day.
While reading a book in my hammock, I met another guy staying at the same place. He said he was from Sao Paulo, the biggest city in South America. He was covered with tattoos, so I didn't go out of my way to talk to him. He started telling me about futebol (soccer) and his favorite team Santos, which was Pele's team. Then I noticed that the Poseidon tattoo on his shoulder matched the character on his shirt, which was a jersey for his team. In fact, all of his tattoos were of Santos, even the one with the team's fight song on his back, which I had previously assumed was some sort of gang-related material. This guy wasn't a gangster at all, but the most dedicated soccer fan I've ever met!
An hour before sunset, the rain finally subsided a bit. I was able to walk to the top of the dune and take in the evening air, along with half the population of Jericoacoara. The view from the top was amazing.
Tonight I met a few people and we hit the town. It turned out that Jeri was a lot bigger than I had previously realized. I walked through street after street, all made of sand of course, and passed dozens of outdoor bars filled with hundreds of people trying their best to look cooler than everybody else. Also scattered in the mix were groups of hippies trying to sell handmade jewelry and emitting strange skunk-like odors.
I was about ready to go home to my tent when I stumbled into a place that was actually playing music from Brazil. I asked around and was told that the music was called "forró" and the accompanying dance was especially popular in this part of Brazil. I started watching and was amazed at how quickly the dancing couples spun each other around and flung themselves through the air. It was quite hypnotic to watch, but I didn't dare try to join in next to the others dancing. They were so good, they could have been professionals!
A ship called hope.
