Blu-Tac update. Big thanks to Danny and Caz Byrne for sending me Blu-Tac (the shortage of which in Brazil was covered on this blog) and also for sending me curry from Rafi`s www.spicebox.co.uk

The Mystery of the Noise at Night... Solved. One night last week, at around 4.30am, Rachel and I and Mark (but not Nelson, thankfully) were awoken by some beast growling in the street outside our house. It approached slowly and the noise it made got louder and louder until it felt like an airplane was about to land in our bedroom. We rushed out to the balcony to see what on earth it could be only to catch sight of a small pick up truck rounding the corner at the bottom of our street.

Rach (not one to be woken at 4.30am) muttered Portuguese expletives and went back to bed. I stayed awake and watched the mysterious pick up make a return a few minutes later. To my surprise it was a council van with two guys serenely sitting in the front and a contraption not unlike a machine gun pumping gas onto peoples' houses. This was what was making noise. Why the council should be pumping gas at private homes at that time of night at that volume was beyond us. (It sounds like the hobby of a crazed James Bond villain). And furthermore, why did none of the other residents wake up or complain? So, before Rach had the chance to call the council to have a rant we asked some of the folks round here what was going on...

Basically, the council are spraying some anti-dengue chemicals. Dengue fever is a nasty illness transmitted through water and this gas can help deter it (somehow!). The council can`t spray during the day in case the gas is sprayed into peoples faces on the street - so they do it at night. Now we know, but it`s still a bitter pill to swallow when you`re already sleep deprived. Just ask Rach.

Flashback to February. I meant to post this a while ago - reviews of two gigs we went to in Recife. More news of Natal next time including the story of the noisy council workers who spray chemicals outside our window at 4.30am...

FATBOY SLIM v MARISA MONTE

We’ve been fortunate to see two decent acts performing in Recife recently. In the Green corner representing Brazil, the very talented and highly popular singer/songwriter Marisa Monte who played Recife’s largest indoor arena, the Chevrolet Hall. And in the Red corner representing England, Quentin Nial Cook aka. DJ Norman Cook aka. Fatboy Slim playing a free open air gig as part of his Brazilian tour at Marco Zero in Recife Antigo. So, who came out on top – the best of Brazil or the best of England?

Marisa Monte
Four of us went to this – Mark, Rachel, Amy and I. We drove in as the arena comes with ample parking. Sadly, about half a km away, we got stuck in horrendous traffic and remained stationary for an hour. We eventually parked up on a side street and walked. It turned out that one section of the arena had been rented out to a Christian Convention so parking was at a premium for everyone!

Still, we were pretty confident we would see all of Marisa Monte’s set seeing as Brazilian performers don’t take to the stage until very late (see Caetano blog just before Christmas). Unfortunately, Marisa had come on relatively early and we only caught the last 45 minutes. It was great stuff though – she had a full string section, the stage lighting was amazing and she finished with a lot of her famous songs, including some numbers from her time as a member of the trio ‘Tribalistas’.

Fatboy Slim
On Feb 1st, Mark, Amy and I and a few CELTA graduates piled down to Marco Zero in the old part of Recife to see Fatboy Slim play for free. It is very unusual for Recife to host such a big star – especially for free – so the old area of the city was swarming with some estimated 70,000 people despite it being a Thursday night. There was no way we were going to miss the start of this set as Fatboy Slim didn’t take to the stage until 12.30am. He energetically rattled through some of his songs and a few of his own mixes of the likes of Daft Punk, Gorillaz and Groove Armada.

At around 2am, in full flow, the power cut and the emergency lighting went up. Norman Cook was not impressed and eventually left the stage. We took this as our cue to go home (along with several thousand others), so it was a disappointing end to the night. When we eventually found a free taxi (at around 3am) we could hear the distant noise of the concert cranking into life once more. So the power must have come on and Fatboy will have fired up his decks but by then we were too exhausted to care. Shame really, as it would have been good to hear his big finale.

In conclusion... don’t expect things to be straightforward when going to concerts in Brazil. Expect the unexpected. In terms of MM and FS we missed the start of one and left before the end of the other. Both performers were in fine form when we did see them though so we’ll call it a draw – a fair score for both of 3 out of 5.

The inside of Brazilian hospitals. Well, see last email about "normal life" but it ain`t happened yet. Down in Joao Passoa on Sunday to visit Rachel`s family and Rachel`s Mum fell ill and we spent the rest of the day in a hospital. (She`s doing fine now, by the way). We stayed the night down there and came back up to Natal on Monday cutting it fine for teaching English in the afternoon and evening. And then this week Nelsinho has picked up a fever possibly related to his having new teeth coming through. So, we`ve been off to the Docs again and he isn`t going to play group. Maybe next week things will be normal (!). On the plus side, we have lots to thank God for - family about, good hospitals and health plan (more than can be said for the majority of Brazil`s citizens)...

International Students - you can`t get away from `em. As Alanis Morisette incorrectly sang, "isn`t it ironic?". Having worked with International Students arriving in the UK, I now am working with International Students about to leave to the UK and the USA. In order to study abroad (esp graduate degrees) many universities in the USA, Europe and Australia require Students to have a TOEFL qualification. Basically, it`s a blimmin hard standardised test which shows they have good enough English to survive at uni. What`s more is that the test costs US$150 each time you take it and even if you pass, your qualification is only valid for 2 years. The test itself is 4 hours long and entirely internet based (including speaking where candidates talk into a computer). Anyway, I`m teaching/coaching about a dozen prospective students here, young people all itching to be international students in places just like York... So while you contemplate the benefits of being born into a society immersed in the most widely used language in the world, spare a prayer for Dory (who speaks 3 languages) who takes her test (at the 3rd attempt) this Saturday.

The threat of normality approaches. After what has been an exhausting few weeks we are approaching a state of normality. One suspects that in Brazil and in the Barlow family there is no such thing as "normal" but at least the week has a recognisable routine. My driving license has been translated which means I can take Nelsinho to play group in the morning... we have a wardrobe for our clothes and our suitcases are finally empty... we have a church to go to... I roughly know how to do my job... all our books are in a new bookcase... my arm is better...

But then, Rachel forgot to wear her proper shoes today and came to work in flip-flops... Nelsinho is about to walk which will result in unimaginable chaos... the nearby Catholics are singing vigils all night... there are plans this weekend to maybe do a road trip to visit the family in Joao Passoa... Amy`s friend is over from the UK... what was that about approaching normality?

ENGLAND v BRAZIL
Things I miss about England #14: Pedestrian crossings. Brazilians, and especially the Natalese, cross roads with no regard to oncoming traffic. We live close to a bus depot and every time we drive past various Lemming-like Brazilians will leap out from behind buses into the path of our speeding car. It`s not always easy to spot them when you`re concentrating so hard on not hitting the cyclist with no lights riding towards you on your side of the road. Anyway, these pedestrians won`t stop, speed up, shout or even acknowledge us. They simply saunter across the road like they own it... Ironically, Brazil does have zebra crossings. It`s just we`ve never seen anyone use them.

Things I love about Brazil #41: Hybrid cars. Our car runs on Petrol and Gas. Gas is far cheaper and better for the environment. We have a cannister in our boot which we have to fill up twice a week. By the steering wheel there is a switch to alternate between the two types of fuel. The downside is that with gas the car has the acceleration of a recently fed tortoise. Still, Brazilians are pointing the way for the future on this issue. Brits are much slower to catch onto new technology, I think.

Ups and Downs... I just sent this email out to a few people.

Anyway, the good news is that I have passed my MA in Conflict, Governance and Development with Distinction! (PhD here I come - only joking! Seriously, only joking!). This summer was CRAZY with the birth of Nelsinho but God has really helped us through it...

The sad news: We have shed a few tears this week as we heard the sad news that Krish Rockley died on Monday. Krish was the wife of Paul, my Supervisor with Friends International and she had been battling brain tumours for several years. She was only in her 40s and leaves two kids under 10 years old. So please pray for this wonderful family. Rachel and I are really gutted by this, as they were very good friends and very inspiritational people. We know she is in a better place free of pain for which we praise God.

ENGLAND v BRAZIL
Things I miss about England #12: Blu-Tac. Blu-Tac is to teachers what fingers are to pianists... essential pieces of equipment to do the job. In Brazil you can't get Blu-Tac so many English Teachers ask their friends to bring it from the UK in their suitcases when they visit. It is then sparingly used and re-used and saved and salvaged as if it were in actual fact Gold-Tac. You can get White Tac here but it just don't cut the mustard...

Things I love about Brazil #47: Tapioca. We have discovered a local store that specialises in authentic, home made Brazilian foods. It's sort of like a Deli with cheeses, nuts, cakes, meats, local alcohol (which would probably make you blind if you drunk it straight!) and above all Tapioca. Rachel has introduced me to the delights of cooked Tapioca with melted cheese, condensed milk and coconut shavings. It may not sound like it, but this is in actual fact irresistably delicious.

Shoulder update. Shoulder is getting better, is out of a sling and is performing small tasks - thank God. Strangely, a dislocated shoulder has affected my ability to speak Portuguese. I've found that physical ailments that have knocked my confidence (including being ill before) cause me to retreat into myself a bit and reduce my propensity to take risks. Hence, not speaking Portuguese. Rach says that psychologically this has something to do with my Mum being a nurse... don't quite understand but you can email her for more details.

Nelsinho nearly graduating from Baby Uni. N is practicing at great length the three major baby skills he has not mastered - walking, crawling and talking. He's turned into quite a beafcake and is already in hulk-like fashion out-stripping his 9-12 month outfits when he is only 8 months old. He loves his playgroup Primeiro Passos (First Steps) and I reckon he is being challenged by his peers to learn to crawl - thus, all the practicing on our floor in the house when he gets home.

Church in Natal. Natal, being a slightly sleepier and smaller city than Recife, shuts down from about 2pm on Saturday to 5pm on Sunday. Most shops close, and importantly no churches have Sunday morning services! Mark and I tried to go last Sunday to visit Fernando's church. F is a teacher at Cultura who lives a little way out the city. Mark and I set off at 6pm and tried to follow the signs to his town but ended up "Macluring" it out of Natal, through some villages in the middle of nowhere in the pitch black until 1 hour later we made it back to Natal from the opposite side. We had done a huge Uey and wasted a lot of gas. As Mark pointedly asked: "When we were playing football in the playground aged 11, did you expect us, 15 years later, to be driving together at night, lost, through the Brazilian outback?" No, Mev, can't say that I did. So still no church yet but we're working on it.

I'd give my left arm... Another quick post. After a great few days off for Carnaval we are back in to the swing of work. We stayed in Natal, found some nice beaches, ate some nice food and entertained the extended family on Monday. Thursday evening I managed to slip over on some wet steps and dislocate my shoulder. Thank God for a health plan and nearby hospital. A kindly Brazilian Doctor popped my arm back in place and now I have to wear a sling for five days. Rach has a cough and lost her voice... so Nelsinho is wondering why his Pops won't pick him up or his Ma talk to him. Poor lad.

Anyway, more news once we settle into our routine again and get internet at the house.

Carnaval approaches. Stupid blogger have made me sign up to google to continue posting. Anyway, here we are all sorted again. Not much has happened since the last blog except we are all better, settling into Natal and this week I have been mostly cooking pancakes... one for every Cultura Student at our centre - that´s nearly 400! Mev and Amy have gone to Pipa then to Olinda for Carnaval. All Brazil is on holiday until the middle of next week. More blogs soon, I promise.

What are we like? Just a quick blog today as internet access is at a premium. In short, we have moved to Natal and have all started our respective jobs at Cultura Inglesa. The whole family has been hit by a dreaded 24 hour virus - it was me first, then Nelsinho, then Rach today and Amy, Celia and Mark have all had it. So it's been a funny old week. That´s what we get for trying to move house, start a new job, begin teaching, unpack, all with a baby in the space of 2 days. More news soon!

Transitions. We packed up our house today - so it's goodbye to the Ocean view on Piedade beach. Rach and I will head off to Porto de Galinhas and leave the Grandparents to babysit for the weekend (I'm not sure who I'm more worried for: Nelson or Steve and Celia). Monday we move, Tuesday I plan lessons, Wednesday start teaching...

CELTA finished and I passed with a "B" grade which I was pleased with. One of the best things about the course was meeting some real characters. Fabricio (pictured), is a thirty-something Brazilian who teaches English. He has published Poetry in Portuguese. His knowledge of English grammar, etymology, history, Shakespeare, poetry and popular culture surpassed us gringos considerably. He was a walking encycolpedia of lesson plans...

On the course were other memorable types - Bruna who lives on an island and is married to a man who surfs for a living, the unusually named Hugo Alberqurque with the perfect English accent, Emily from Leeds who has flawless Portuguese and many others...

ENGLAND v BRAZIL
Things I miss about England #7: Safe Electrics. Plug sockets in Brazil come in all shapes and sizes and states of repair or disrepair. The pins on the end of cables don't often fit because they may be too tight or too loose. Open wires are not uncommon and sparks fly whenever you switch some appliances on. Our apartment - despite being brand new - had dodgy electrics; the lights flickering or not working from time to time. Rachel's family's apartment has showers that give you electric shocks whenever you try to change the temperature or pressure. But today I learned a a bit about why this might be the case...

As part of taking our house down to move to Natal, our local Mr Fixit attempted to dissassemble our shower head for us to take with us. At one point when I was out the room, I heard a loud pop and saw a flash from the bathroom. I popped my head round the corner to see if our man was still breathing only to find him trying to undo live wires with a metal pair of pliers. He seemed pretty pleased with himself as he whistled away. Health and Safety, it has to be said, has not really made it to Brazil. I guess I'm generally OK with this until it involves the electronics of lifts, ovens or taxis. To mis-quote Prince Philip: "That box looks like it's been wired by a Brazilian". All I can say is, at least we're not in Chad where they barely get electricity at all. Every cloud and all that.

Things I love about Brazil #16: Guarana. Like a cross between Apple Tango and something nicer, Guarana is the best way to quench your thirst round here. Only available in Brazil or from shady corner shops on Euston Road, London.

ENGLAND v BRAZIL
Things I miss about England #78: Can Openers and Cork Screws. I've yet to find a standard can opener with a twisty knob or a Cork Screw with those helpful handles. Brazilian varieties of these household tools are minimalistic to say the least and involve a lot of huffing and puffing from whoever wants to get the good stuff out.

Things I love about Brazil #45: Amusing uses of English. Brazilians seem to have a flexible grasp of languages; the main aim for them is communication not accuracy. When translating signs or notices into English there's about a 90 to 95% accuracy rate where a native Ingles could easily understand the gist and meaning of what has been written even if the sentences are not grammatically perfect.

However, sometimes, it all goes a bit pear-shaped. While in Rio over Christmas we found several examples of these translation "near misses". One restaurant had on the menu an option for: 'Tupical Disk'. Rather than risk ordering something that sounded like the name of a heavy metal Rock outfit or a Landrover part we stayed away. Later we deciphered this must have stood for Tropical Dish. Our hotel invited men to use the 'Dismissable Razors'. I've never used razors that have agreed to be dismissed before, but I assumed these were much the same as the disposable variety.

Anyway, for Christmas my Mother-in-law gave me some clothes made by the Brazilian brand 'Sandpiper'. Their slogan loses something in translation (see above). In Portuguese this would make perfect sense - 'uma pessoa simples' is seen to be somebody down to earth, straightforward, open and honest. In English the meaning is somewhat different... I can only hope my Mother-in-law was referring to the Portuguese understanding when she purchased my gift! For more examples of amusing uses of English abroad visit http://www.engrish.com/

And back in the real world... Sorry to all you avid readers that the blog has not been updated as regularly as the twice a week I´ve been aiming for in the past. Definitley back on now as CELTA has finished for all intents and purposes. Final assignment in and marked and no more teaching practice. Now the real thing: teaching English... classes start in about 10 days time!

(For any English Teachers out there - never try to teach Brazilians the Present Perfect Simple. It has no equivelent in Portuguese and they will haul you over the coals for it. I discovered this first hand yesterday in a class I was teaching!)

Nelson well. Ol´"Golden Boy" (as he has recently been christened by some Brazilian relatives) is doing just fine after his fever and stomach bug last week. More teeth are coming through but apart from that he is in tip top form and continues to be a very energetic and happy little boy. Thanks for praying.

ENGLAND v BRAZIL
Things I miss about England #16: Fresh Milk. Just UHT out of packets for us here and Nido (or Nongo if you´re Mev) powdered variety...
Things I love about Brazil #81: Warm evenings. Walking in the sea breeze in just shorts, a t-shirt and sandals. Doesn't sound like Scarborough in January does it?

Nelson not well. Just a quick note to let you all know Nelsinho had a pretty bad fever this week. He seems to be on the mend... please pray for a full recovery for the little dude.

As from today I'm starting a New Years list of things I miss about England versus things I love about Brazil called ENGLAND v BRAZIL and here is the first one.

Things I miss about England #44: Pint Glasses. Brazil being hot you'd think they'd like BIG cups to put lots of water in. Not so. Juice or water and even beer comes served in petite recipticles only barely bigger than shot glasses. Where is the good old fashioned pint-a-lager I ask you? "We don't like our beer left out too long - it gets warm so fast" was the reply from Rachel's Uncle on this topic. Small glasses mean you can keep your liquids in the fridge rather than in your glass, it seems... but all the same when you fancy a swift one there's nothing quite like a full pint I say.

Things I love about Brazil #73: Hammocks. Brazilians know how to relax and fix hammocks to everything to provide optimum opportunities for lounging. We have one in our house pinned up between two walls. Nelsinho loves it! Ideally, hammocks should be placed near the fridge, under shade, overlooking a quiet beach.

Helta sCELTA. Into week 2 of CELTA. Everyone is exhausted trying to keep up with the work load and compete for least hours slept last night awards... but it seems to be going well. A few interesting cultural differences in how people learn. Brazilians have been taught their language in very structured ways involving grammar tables and charts, unlike us Brits. They seem to rattle off English grammar like there is no tomorrow... It is true, however, that Brazilians display a greater range of emotions when they learn. When things are going well they are over the moon. When not (and most of them seem to be in blind panic on CELTA most of the time) they are extremely melancholic, and refuse to see the "bigger" picture. For some of them the stakes are high - their careers, even their present jobs, depend on them getting this certificate.

How to drive your wife to distraction. I'm sure the Bible talks about not driving your wife nuts, but if you fancy a larf have a go at practicing teaching English when at home. For example, Rach asks: "Please put the plates on the table". Mev and I repeat ad nauseam our check questions: "PLEASE put the plates on the TABLE. Please put the PLATES on the table. Put the knives on the table? Noooooo. Eat the plates? Nooooo. Put the plates on the floor? Nooooo. Please put the plates on the table" etc. etc.

Arsenal. Just thought I'd mention it, but Arsenal have beaten Liverpool 3 times this season scoring a total of 12 goals. I got to watch the FA Cup game on ESPN here... what a goal by Henry! Just couldn't resist mentioning it really.

CELTA. 3 days into English Teacher Training. Exhausted. 15 others on the course including Mev (freshly arrived from UK midnight before the course started), a Swedish backpacker, a Canadian Lawyer and several Brazilians.

Nelsinho. N has grown in stature has a young man in the last week. He is sleeping through the night at last. His Mum is suddenly much brighter, happier and awake. His first tooth has come through. And Nelson is sitting up without assistance to play with his toes... and, at night, when I check on him, I swear he is pretending to sleep while he works on his PhD.

Christ the Redeemer statue in pictures. From the top clockwise - Bob's Burgers, a Brazilian chain of fast food restaurants has an imaginative wall design in their Rio Airport branch; the Jesus statue reflected in my sister-in-law's sunglasses; the real deal; the real deal being constructed in the late 1920s; "holding" the Jesus statue.

Feliz Ano Novo 2007. Brazilians really know how to celebrate the coming in of the New Year. We had a small gathering at our house and at midnight went out onto the balcony to watch fireworks on the beaches. Despite all the noise, music and general banter in the house Nelsinho slept through it all. When I went out for a walk with him at 5.30am the beach was teeming with people of all ages playing football, volleyball and still enjoying the party having not gone to bed. There will be some sore heads this evening.

Brazil's Two Gods. In Rio we had the opportunity to visit two famous landmarks and symbols of Brazil. The statue of Jesus Christ the Redeemer built in 1931 which overlooks the city, and the Maracana stadium, the home of Brazilian football.

Brazil is one of the most fervently religious countries on earth with a pervasive Catholicism as well as the fruits of Protestant Revival over the last 15 years. So it seems apt that overlooking Rio is a statue of Jesus. For the record, it is a risen Jesus - up close you can see the nail marks on his hands. Certainly, up and down the country, Jesus is worshipped in various forms. On this trip I have noticed one particular church denomination has sprung up on every town and village high street we drove through. "Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus" (Universal Church of the Kingdom of God) is a Pentecostal stream with congregations everywhere. Apparently its leader is a media tycoon who owns one of Brazil's TV channels.

The other God Brazil worships is football. The Maracana (real name "Mauro Filho") stadium, built for the 1950 World Cup has a seating capacity of 120,000 and has hosted some of the best football players in the world. It is still used regularly for all major Rio based football games between the clubs Botofogo, Fluminese, Flamengo and others. Pele scored his 1000th goal inside the stadium, Zico once scored 6 goals in one match here and John Barnes dribbled past most of the Brazilian team to score the most famous goal by an Englishman in the famous stadium in 1984. The Maracana is a tourist attraction in its own right - you can place your feet in a moulding of Pele's feet, and there are displays of football history just like any museum. But, just to reinforce the point, that to Brazilians, football is itself a religion the programme for the day has these words from somebody called Mr Claudio Vieira:

"In 1999, we plunged into the task of researching the book entitled Maracana: Temple of the Brazilian gods ... there was a great deal of concern over selecting the 'gods' whose names would be enshrined on the walls of the World's Largest Stadium... Every Brazilian worships his own private gallery of idols, and most of them made their names at the Maracana Stadium".

So, there you have it folks. On Saturdays Brazilians worship football players. On Sundays they worship Jesus.

Christmas in Brazil. Trust you all had a nice Christmas, whoever you are and wherever you are reading this. We relaxed around our Pousada for the day, keeping cool in the pool. Temperature outside was up to 40C so we were baking! Christmas Eve is when Brazilians open their presents so we each exchanged gifts in the evening of the 24th. Rachel's Mum shared a few thoughts from the Bible about the Christmas story which was ace... So, it's been different but oh so much fun!

Da Vinci Code. I read the Da Vinci Code in 3 days this holiday. Thought I'd better have an opinion about such a controversial book. Have to say, found it to be a load of tripe and not even that well written! Please email me if you disagree.

27 Dec 2006. Three years married today, and it's been a great three years. Almost exactly this precise time in 2003 I was shuffling about at the top of the aisle waiting for my bride to arrive. This year, as I mentioned in a previous blog, we went to Caetano Veloso in Rio. For those of you who don't know who he is I'm talking about possibly Brazil's biggest and best singer/songwriter of the last 50 years. CV is in his 60s now but still struts his stuff. He seems to be ageless. Imagine somebody with the longetivity of Cliff Richard, the popularity of Robbie Williams and the coolness of Lenny Kravitz and you have something like Senhor Veloso.

So, the show was held in a small venue called the Flying Circus - a kind of outdoor tent, with art installations and palm trees dotted around. Doors opened at 8.30pm and the show was due to start at 10.30pm. Caetano Veloso took his time to get to the stage, not arriving until after 11pm so we were already exhausted before he'd even started. (I remember gigs in London in the 90s would FINISH at 11pm because of licensing laws). CV was launching his new CD, and brought with him a pared down band with only drummer, bass player and guitarist. CV is always reinventing himself and his music in order to stay fresh. This time he dispensed with the backing singers, brass section and mini-orchestra he has for his larger concerts. The result was a raw and sparse sound which worked really well. Most of the crowd were half his age which shows his enduring popularity. Other Brazilian celebrities attended including an emerging artist from the North East called Lenini.

The radio station promoting the event had the slogan: "Ninguem resiste a musica brasileira". Nobody resists Brazilian music! Well, even though it was a masterful performance from a masterful performer we resisted staying to the end and left for our hotel at 1am. Being parents of a small baby does not afford us the luxury of being out too late! Anyway, I recommend checking out Caetano if you don't know anything about him or his music.

Ilhe Grande. Last post before Christmas, so Feliz Natal for Monday everyone! We had a great few days in Rio - full updates will be posted to the blog soon. In short, we visited the Jesus Christ the Redeemer statue, the Maracana stadium and we also managed to make it to a Caetano Veloso concert. For that last one I need to thank very generous in-laws who encouraged and payed for Rach and I to go see Brazil's finest singer/songwriter of the last 50 years as an anniversary present.

Yesterday we took a bus south of Rio and stopped off at a port to get an Escuna boat over to Ilhe Grande, ("big island") off the coast of Brazil. The boat ride took about an hour and a half - Nelson's first trip across water. Our mode of transport seemed a bit rickety, and with no mention of health and safety procedures I imagined it was us versus the elements if anything should happen. The four guys charged with getting us across a blustery bay to our destination were tattoo-sporting weather-worn, wiry seamen. They sort of looked like they wouldn't throw their own mother a lifejacket if she was drowning in a puddle. But after a few ciggies and beers they cheered up and found little Nelson highly amusing.

Anyway, we made it and are staying in a beautiful Pousada (like a guest house or b+b) and the island is idyllic, uncrowded but with enough going on to make it very entertaining. It really feels like we're spending Christmas on the island from King Kong.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Pele's real name. See previous blog.