A HOT MONDAY

MONDAY 17th JULY

  It was another lazy day in Fortaleza.  After a relatively late breakfast, Rob phoned me on Skype.  He was chuffed as on top of the overtime worked in moving the warehouse, one of the brothers gave him a cheque for $500 as a thank you for his efforts.  Robert's response was to ask when they would be moving again!  An undeserved defeat for the Eastwood/Epping Tigers saw Nick play a blinder, and as a result he became the target for the opposition.  But despite some crude tackling he continued to play brilliantly and the Tigers had some 20 shots on goal but just couldn't score.  One rare error from the Tiger's keeper resulted in a 1-0 defeat.  Life just isn't fair sometimes!  At least that is what I felt at La Paz airport the other Sunday!

  Alan came through on Skype and informed it was raining in London.  He was just collating his notes from the last SPK meeting.  I had to cut him off as Peter came through from warsaw.  (Skype has been busy).  Apparently the Museum of the warsaw Uprising want my permission to use the speech from New York in 1946 by my father that I had issued with one version of his book in Poland.  Naturally I told Peter he could give written authorisation in my name.  Apparent a Polish couple from Gdansk were murdered in the Amazon area recently, the area where Alex and his mate Pawel have ventured with a guide in search of this elusive Amazonian tribe.  Apparently the native took objection to the couple bivouacing in his territory and blasted them with his shot gone.  He denied the slur of being drunk and simply stated that he had a gun and used it!  The lads do not emerge from the jungle until about the 24th of the month, so it is an anxious time for Peter.

  It was a cloudless sky today and pretty hot in the sun.  I perhaps erroneously ventured without applying any sun cream, but I think I just about got away with it.  Walking down to the beach, I again came across the contrast of affluence and poverty side by side, with several men and women just lying across the pavement on bits of cardboard.

This was just up the road from my restaurant and straight on my path from the hotel to the beach.

A bit further up the road (nearer the beach) is a bar I spotted recently that I'll have to try out soon.

I took a towel with me down to the beach for the first time, and stretched out for a bit of sunbathing.  A local, some 10m away and bronzed to the hilt asked me the time.  I didn't think of "dos hora i vingti minuta" or something of that ilk quickly enough, and gave him the victory sign and then curled and uncurled all ten fingers twice.  I think he got the message.  I noticed suddenly that my shorts had ridden up a bit and a white portion of flesh was exposed to the sun and starting to sting a bit.  I packed up my things and went for a stroll in lapping waves.  The tide lifted my right toe nail so that it was protruding skywards!  It made me feel a bit queasy, and I stamped on it with my other foot.  I walked in the sea, but careful not to leave my left foot in the water when a heavy swell came in.  Making my way back I was accosted by another Brazilian who started asking me direction for some street.  I said in English, "Sorry I speak English.  I could direct you to Oxford Street, but not where you want."  He turned out to speak English pretty well and told me he was going to the Amazon, but was coming back and had booked a hotel and wanted to take a quick look at it.  He would have to find someone else, he said.  The sun continued to shine mercilessly:

  After returning from my evening meal. I decided to take a closer look at my toe nail, and in an act of incredible bravery I pulled the old toe nail off completely - I think I will bring it back as a souvenir!