The cruise boat arrived in Brazil at Recife’s harbour in the early morning, but Litz was tired because she had to wait a long time in the queue for visa and passport controls and she had to carry her luggage: a 10 kg heavy pink backpack, a Thai-made orange laptop bag and a natural leather bag. Thankfully she had not trusted the luggage drop service, as her friend Serena later found her trolley without a wheel.
She said goodbye to a few cruisers who were heading the opposite way and took a bus with the rest of her friends to go to Porto de Galinhas, a nice little village at one hour driving from Recife. Recife was not the safest place in Brazil, so they had decided to stay at a touristic spot where foreigners would be more welcome. Wearing her straw hat and sunglasses, overwhelmed by her luggage and tanned after crossing the Ocean, Litz found herself happy again for the very first time since her departure. She could feel the energy of adventure flowing inside her and her curiosity about such an exotic country like Brazil was at its peak. As usual in her travels, she would have challenged her prejudice and slowly got to know the local culture from the inside.
The bus left her at a dusty gas station near the village center. She didn’t have internet connection so she looked at her offline Google Map and found her orientation intuitively. Down below, she liked finding her way without technology, because it made her feel more indipendent. When she arrived at Che Lagarto hostel, a famous Brazilian hostel chain, she found a long check-in queue. Apparently most of the cruisers would stay there and the hostel was fully booked for a few nights.
After some time, she was assigned the female dorm room at ground floor and just in front of the pool, so she couldn’t complain. The room was pretty basic: two bunk beds and the toilet. After her luxurious cabin on the cruise, that came as kind of a shock, but Litz forced herself to be optimistic. She secured her luggage in the locker and left with Serena for lunch.
It was 3 pm on Monday afternoon, so the restaurants were almost desert. Litz spotted a cool place upstairs of a boutique shopping gallery. They ate chicken with rice and salad. The price was insanely low in comparison with European standards and they even got a free drink in case they would come back in the evening. After lunch Serena went to a tour agency to book a safari, while Litz walked around to explore the village. It reminded her of small seaside villages in South Italy. The buildings were short and colorful, it was full of artisanal boutiques and restaurants, people walked directly in flip flops and swimwear. She didn’t notice much poverty on the street, but the police was 24/7 in front of the main ATM point and it was suggested not to hangout in that area at night.
When Litz came back to her room to dress up for dinner, her roommate Marissa was eating chips and unpacking, with the window open because of the heat. Litz went to the toilet to take a shower, but only a few seconds later she heard Marissa screaming aloud like in a horror movie:
– There is a cockroach in my bed! I saw it, I saw it! It’s alive!
Litz got out of the toilet and found the room door open. Marissa had run away. She looked at her bed and didn’t see anything. She was not afraid of insects, but she knew that many people had a phobia about that. After a few minutes, two local women working in the hostel came over followed by Marissa, who was clearly upset and by Google Translator was trying to communicate what happened. None of them could speak Portuguese, but Litz mimed the scene. The two women laughed like it was totally normal to have insects in your bed.
– Find the cockroach! Find the cockroach!
Marissa screamed helplessly in English, offended by their laughs. Actually Litz started to laugh as well, because she had imagined right after seeing the room that it wouldn’t be the best accommodation of her life. However, she calmed Marissa down and preyed the women to clean the room again. Eventually they found the cockroach, triumphed, took one of Litz’ shoes from the floor and killed it in front of them. Marissa, disgusted, left. Litz thought: “Well, at least we are staying among friends”.
