March 4 - Natal, Brazil

Today we were docked in Natal, Brazil, at the northeastern tip of the country.  It’s the Brazilian city closest to Africa and Europe.  The city was founded on December 25, 1599 by the Portuguese, hence the name Natal which is Portuguese for Nativity or Christmas.  The city has a population of more than 800,000.  An interesting fact that I read is that during WWII because of the city’s proximity to Africa the US built an air force base here and used it to support troops fighting in North Africa.  Another interesting fact is that Brazil was the only Latin American country to send troops to fight in Europe.

Friends and I took a shuttle to the Handicraft Market in the center of town across the street from one of the many beaches.  Like many of the buildings in Recife yesterday there is mildew and mold all over them.  I think because of the high humidity they would have to be scrubbed continuously to avoid it.  Another thing is that there is graffiti everywhere but that’s ubiquitous nowadays.  Just from my ride in the bus it seemed to me that Natal was less prosperous than some of the other places we’ve stopped.  There was a lot of trash and debris along the streets. I didn’t get a picture of it but we passed a pink motel called L’Amore Motel.  I have a feeling it was the kind of place where you can rent the rooms by the hour.

The craft market was full of what Al would have called trash and trinkets. There were lots of mugs, dolls, magnets, and bags with Natal written on them.  We walked through the market and then decided it was time to catch the shuttle.  We just missed one so we had to wait but at least it wasn’t exceedingly hot because there was a breeze from the ocean across the street.  The beach did look nice but there were big waves coming ashore so I’m not sure how good swimming would be. 

In the early evening there was a country and western hoedown in the club.  After dinner a magician put on a magic show.  I didn’t have high expectations, but I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed him.  I’m still trying to figure out how he did some of his tricks.  He had a very engaging and funny personality which contributed a lot. 

Beginning tomorrow we have several sea days coming up, including the day we cross the Equator when the pollywogs aboard who have never crossed the Equator at sea level will be duly initiated into the realm of shellbacks by King Neptune himself.  It’s a very solemn occasion indeed. I’ll take some photos so you can see for yourselves.

Until later…