Going up the Paragaçu to Marigogipe, Brazil

Do you find the Brazilian names complicated? You are not alone. Gaston has the same problem. In fact, during our trip, names like Itaparica became tapioca and Marigogipe: miracle whip. I had to guess which place he was thinking of! The Paragaçu is not a river in which you can take a swim but the fisherman villages are quite charming. Marigogipe is the biggest we visited with 40 000 people. The fruit and vegetable market every Saturday morning is well worth a visit. The produce picked fresh is brought in by the farmers on horse back. In this town, we met Jean; a European who decided to take an early retirement and move to South America. He settled here after falling in love and marrying a local woman. He was nice enough to show us around his town and take us to Feiro do Santana. The later is their shopping paradise. We bought a small Sony camera really cheap. Since I don’t always feel comfortable walking around with my bigger Canon camera, now I have something I can conceal in a pocket. Jean also explained some of the Brazilian culture to us. For example, many children hang around the main square all morning so we found out that they take a bus that brings them there early in the day because they are suppose to have three hours of school but they choose not to go. Since most Brazilians survive by doing odd jobs they don’t see education as very useful. We also asked him why all the houses are surrounded by high fences like Forts. He told us that is was in the resident’s best interest to keep the thieves out because if one comes in, the only way to get rid of him is to kill him and dispose of the body. Otherwise, even if the law would be on the side of the owner, the family might want revenge. This would mean a life of looking over his shoulder. It’s kind of like being in a far west but with much more grass. We visited Caochoera by bus even if it is possible to get there with a sailboat because it was easier. Apparently this is where they make the best cigars in the world. At least that is what they say when you visit de Dannemann factory. If you feel like saving a Brazilian three, you can do so by going to www.dannemann.com and adopting one. It’s free.