(^92) No one in their right mind would believe me if I told them Amanda’s bank card saga
had been going on for over a month and a half. The incompetence of some people
boggled the mind. Each day she was told it would be delivered the following day.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was when she was told a special delivery
could be made at US$500, and the card would then be delivered the following
morning. To cut a long story short, a deal was made and guess what? No card was
delivered the next morning. I thought it was time to forget about the card, but,
understandably, Amanda wanted to pay her way.
Valenca – Nazare – 47 km
We optimistically waited until 13h00 but no delivery was made. Finally, a decision
was made to leave Valenca for Nazare. Of the nearly two months Amanda had been
in Brazil, she only managed to cycle one month. We left a note informing the staff
to phone us when, or if, the parcel was delivered.
Being a hot and humid day made it exhausting cycling. Amanda felt faint and shaky
and decided to take a bus. None could accommodate the bicycle, and eventually,
we slowly continued to Nazare.
We found a surprisingly historic town in the middle of nowhere. Portuguese settlers
arrived here in the second half of the sixteenth century. The city still had a central
plaza featuring lovely old churches and tons of narrow cobblestone lanes. Colourful
houses, packed tightly together, lined the hillside. A pousada in one of the alleys
sported a large balcony overlooking the town and the Jaguaribe River.
A pleasant surprise awaited us the next morning as we learned the parcel had been
dropped off in Valence. A mini-bus taxi took us to Valence to collect the long-
awaited card. Eish!
leana
(Leana)
#1