Recife was one of the least memorable ports of our cruise. In fact, I had to review the pictures from this city just to remember what kind of trouble we encountered. As I research it a bit further it’s now dawning on me that we missed seeing the majority of Recife according to wikitravel. Since internet cost us around $.50 a minute while on board the ship we relied on the travel guide, Daniel, to give us tips for sightseeing in most ports. However, there were many times when we arrived in the gangway (exit ramp on the ship) too late to find him or he was swarmed by older ‘clams’ who were very upset that they couldn’t understand what he was pointing at on his simple cruise maps.
 |
| Jackfruit vendor |
We were shuttled into the Old Recife part of the city and decided to take in a couple of tourist attractions by hoofing it the old fashioned way. On our way to the sites we encountered a mix of urban living and the ‘anything is for sale’ attitude of the Brasilian people. There was a friendly local who was cutting up jackfruits from the back of his cart. It was such a large unique looking fruit that we were immediately drawn to him. He was missing a few teeth, had extremely dirty hands and was using a small machete to elegantly dismantle the jackfruits. We tried our best to ask him what kind of fruit he was selling and he eagerly handed us pieces of the fruit to taste. He asked where we were from and proceeded to make hilarious ‘shooting a gun in the air’ hand gestures once he understood we lived in Texas, Estados Unidos. We laughed out loud from nervous embarrassment and tried to tip him for his fruit tasting which he discouraged ever so politely.
 |
| Convento Franciscano |
Shortly thereafter we arrived at the Convento Franciscano de Santo Antônio which also houses a museum of sacred art. We agreed the $2 admission fee per person was well worth it especially since we would have access to a bathroom. (Of course we hadn’t learned our Brasilian lesson that this only meant access to a toilet. No toilet paper or soap.) The convent was built in 1588 and boasts beautiful gold engravings and portuguese-tiles throughout. While trying to capture the beauty with pictures we were nicely scolded to quit using flash as it will create a break in the chemical bonds, which produces deterioration. Oops! Our next stop was Casa de Cultura which was once the city prison and has been turned into an assortment of regional arts and crafts housed in each cell.
 |
| Sala de Internet |
Lastly, how could any port destination be complete without the access of free or cheap internet? Our typical task turned into an hour excursion and allowed us to see the immense amount of goods for sale on any given street in Recife. Jesus must have asked 10 people where we could find the closest Sala de Internet (internet cafe) and we were given a variety of answers. Turns out that Brasilians love to stop and try to help you but they notoriously point you in the wrong direction. Finally, we stumbled into a sala de internet and were told to go up a tiny spiral staircase. The ceiling on the second floor was no higher than 7 feet and the equipment was equally unimpressive. There was no wifi available so we proceeded to plug away on these old machines during our 30 minutes of paid internet access. At one point the entire room was full and as I turned around to assess the scene I saw that every single computer was logged into FaceBook.
Moral of the story: It is truly amazing that you can travel to a multitude of destinations to connect with the local people while telling yourself that staying off the internet grid is in your best interest. Yet, the connections you make in person will follow you for potentially years to come once you solidify these new connections online.
No comments:
Post a Comment