Shopping Trip

We have been a little blog happy in Brazil, especially since we have not gone on any overnight trips and have easy access to the Internet. There is an individual posting for each day in Bahia so if you have not read anything about our adventures don’t forget to start reading at “A Very Special Day,” and then “Itaparica Island,” and “An Unexpected Excursion,” before reading about today. If you don’t have time to read it all, “A Very Special Day” should be the selected reading of choice as it is perhaps the most significant experience to date. Happy reading! And drop us a comment.

September 16, 2005
Mercado Modelo

Excerpt from Heather’s Journal:

We slept in again this morning and woke up around seven thirty. I still cannot believe how late the trip finished last night and was so glad to climb into the soft sheets of my bed. I had an omelet for breakfast for the first time during the voyage. It was very good with ham and cheese and a nice accompaniment to my raisin bran cereal, though I did not have my usual cinnamon raisin bread with butter and strawberry jelly. I am definitely enjoying my breakfasts on the ship, so much so that it is very difficult to wait out the early morning routine before breakfast. We have a lot of fun talking to the staff in the Garden Lounge, especially Dimitar from Bulgaria, and Ormond, from where else, St. Vincent, so of course we are good friends.

They know that we enjoy a small glass of orange juice for breakfast and often bring it without asking, and that we love to sit by the tall windows to look out at sea. On one occasion they reserved the last table by the window for us when we appeared in the line and we were so surprised that the reserved table was ours. We could not believe it. They also like to joke with us about our dessert tastes, of which they know chocolate chips are our favorite and the occasional chocolate brownie, and are very diligent about bringing us dessert when they are sure it is something we can’t live without. But I will let you know when the cookies ever appear. We have a running joke about raiding the bakery, and sometimes Ormond tells some jokes that if answered correctly would result in a chocolate chip cookie reward. But where am I going with this? Obviously it has something to do with chocolate, though I am skipping forward to the evening hours. It has been some time since I have actually had chocolate and I have to say that I don’t think I could wait anymore. We went up to the pool bistro this evening to purchase water and a chocolate treat – Megan choose peanut M&M’s, and I a 3 Musketeers. I have never tasted anything so good in my life. I know, Bomboy’s Candy is delicious and homemade brownies, but that is when you are at home and have those things available to you.

I started my day by downloading some pictures from last night while Megan worked on her project, which consumed much of the morning hours. For lunch we met Jess and her roommate Amanda at the Garden Lounge and ate outside on the deck before departing for the market around one o’clock, purchasing stamps at the terminal before heading on our way.

Excerpt from Megan’s Journal:

This morning I worked on my project for Travelers’ Journals. Having finished the five hundred-page novel about four days ago I have been observing Brazil’s landscape, people and atmosphere. I believe I will start my presentation with a general overview of the book, as I was the only individual to read the paperback volume. Themes and motifs will be dynamic elements to the relationship the novel has with Salvador da Bahia and I will most likely discuss civilization versus Europeanization as a major premise to understanding Brazil’s social system. In addition I will also address how the novel prepared me for Brazil and the Candomble elements with the book. The professor has conveyed to me that even though my presentation is originally stated in the syllabus as September 22, 2005, I may have an extension as the book is large and not many days follow our departure from Brazil to prepare for the lecture. I believe I will still be ready on the original date and have only to decide if my presentation will include PowerPoint material, which I believe that it will. Some of my photos from my stay could serve as wonderful depictions of elements within the novel.

Meeting Jess and Amanda from 2030 for lunch we soon found ourselves on our way to the Bahian handicraft market. Each of us with our on little shopping lists we remained in a group even during the chaotic bartering. It is wonderful to have people you can trust and have confidence in during such a frenzied atmosphere. With our purchases, and some extra reals left over, we headed back to the ship in less than two hours. Salvador is magnificent during the daytime and there is so much energy from the people.

Heather writes, “The market is so overwhelming even when you know what to expect, but Megan and I were on a mission and completed our shopping in about one hour. After reboarding the ship, Megan returned to her project while I wrote a couple of postcards home to take up to the Purser’s Office to mail, and return our passports because you are required to carry them in Brazil along with your immigration papers. I feel so good now that our postcards from both Venezuela and Brazil are mailed and look forward to hearing from home regarding their arrivals.”

Back in the port terminal we found ourselves making a last minute purchase for Dad, sorry no more hints. We bought twelve stamps for twenty-four reals. The postcards from Venezuela have been sent home and Brazil postcards will see their way into the mail later today.

Heather worked on accounting and balancing our purchases on a paper we keep in the safe while I worked some more on my presentation. She has been really supportive during this time and it feels so wonderful to have her additional help keeping things tidy in the cabin and labeling and packing our purchases without my assistance this time.

We went to dinner, where the dining room staff has completely mastered our names and does not even confuse us for each other. Ormond, from Saint Vincent who always smiles, as well as Dimitar have been tested quite a few times in which Heather and I have traded purses and such. Regardless they always get it right. We even have a running joke on chocolate chip cookies, as such Ormond now thinks we like everything chocolate and brought us a chocolate crumb pudding the other night for dessert. It was the consistency of cake and might I impart much better than the brownie.

After dinner we went up to the pool bar to purchase a one and a half liter bottle of water. Heather gave into the urge for real chocolate and purchased a Three Musketeers and I got peanut M&M’s. Even the attendant at the counter, who we have only seen once, I am sure (when we got chocolate chip cookies at the barbeque) knew our names.

I felt the water in the pool and as no one was up there at six o’clock in the growing dusk Heather and I decided to slip into our swimsuits and have a private dip. We went up for about an hour, in which we sat in the growing darkness alone, chatting about our plans for tomorrow, which include staying on the ship, relaxing by the pool, washing some laundry, and doing some papers.

Excerpt from Heather’s Journal:

After eating dinner, watching a beautiful sunset from our window table, we went up to the pool deck to make our purchases, of which I previously mentioned. It was deserted on the deck and we could not help but wish we were enjoying the warm pool water in the evening hours of Brazil. So, we went back to our room and changed into our suits to take an evening dip in the pool on what seemed our personal deck, except for the two crew working at the bistro. It was so beautiful looking off into the distance across the water at the lights of Itaparica and the many ocean faring vessels. The pool is very nice with a central area flanked by a ledge to sit on and sides shaped like a semi-circle. The water flows from the sides through holes cut in the ledge to the central pool with the swaying of the ship that makes a very relaxing sound of rushing water. It was around six o’clock when we went up, at which time it was already nearing dark, and almost seven when we returned to our cabin to shower and eat our much-desired treats.

We turned in early for a very quiet evening aboard the ship, rocking back and forth with the rising tide. Tomorrow is another very relaxing day in which we plan to work a little bit on some school related projects and enjoy for the first time the splendor of the pool deck in the warm rays of the sun.

Excerpt from Megan’s Journal:

We went back downstairs and showered, hopping into our beds to journal and eat our chocolate. We turned on the television, but no good movies, unless you like unclothed Indians skipping about the screen with leaf loincloths and lip plates stretching their mouths to enormously large portions.

I am ready for bed even though it is only seven thirty. I would love to check my email but as there is an hour difference I have a feeling mom and dad would only have had an hour since returning home from work to even look online at any new posting and emails we have sent during the day. I might sleep in a little tomorrow, having grabbed an extra box of cereal this morning for such an event. With an apple in the fridge and the cereal I should be able to make it until eleven thirty without being hungry.

Tomorrow around five thirty I would love to take some photos of the Brazilian sunset, as I have not done so yet. With it being the last day in Brazil I suspect many students will be returning from extended trips and there will be long lines to contend with. Desmond Tutu should be boarding tomorrow at some point, as he will be making the crossing to South Africa with us. I am eager to get back into classes and look forward to what amazing experiences await me in Capetown. Good night Brazil and good night cosmic void. Until tomorrow…