Brazilian

With the next crew joining me in Valletta, I was keen to make contact with them when they landed at the airport to guide them into my location. My concern was that Carl stubbornly eschews modern means of communication and refuses to use anything other than public transport. I knew he had landed but he was maintaining telephone silence and not communicating with me in any way. I had given him the instructions for locating Hejira and recommended that he and his son, Tom, take a taxi from the Airport. On a previous occasion, Carl had insisted on taking a bus from the Airport to the Marina in Barcelona and I then had to try and find him as he ambled aimlessly through the city. I felt for Tom as as his father insisted, once again, on using public transport which resulted in a two hour trip involving two busses, a long hot walk and a cost of 8 Euros each. The taxi would have been air conditioned and cost 16 Euro to the door in 20 minutesā€¦ As the Americans say – ‘go figure’!

When they finally arrived, a walk into the centre of Valletta revealed a vibrant, pretty, fortified city which was thronging with people, mostly tourists but which still maintained some charm.

Valletta thronging with tourists.

Having a gin and tonic on the aft deck before our ablutions, we were engaged in conversation by Leilane who was a 29 year old Brazilian girl on a budget travelling adventure, ā€˜couch surfingā€™ (itā€™s a thing like Airbnb apparently) her way around the World. She explained that she had been travelling for several years offering her services for passage and subsistence. She said that she happily sleeps rough and eats from food banks and supermarket benevolence. She asked where we were headed and whether she could ā€˜work her passageā€™. This was out of the blue and rocked us back so we explained we needed to have a chat amongst ourselves and that she should return in ten minutes when we had discussed our position. It was not surprising that Carl was all for the addition, Tom was more cautious so it was up to me to decide her fate. The problem was that the dynamic of our cruise was planned and established with all chores allocated and with Carl in full control of the galley. An interloper would upset the balance and evict Carl from his cabin to the pilot berth. We explained this to the girl and asked her how she would feel if she were jettisoned at some point if we felt it was not working, even if it was somewhere like Tunisia. The other complication was that she was a non EU citizen which would add another level of bureaucracy to the proceedings. She addressed all of our concerns, assured us that she didnā€™t need a visa for Tunisia and confirmed that she would happily disembark whenever we felt it appropriate, (assuming land!) even in Tunisia. It seems that the ā€˜couch surfingā€™ app is a powerful facility for back packers. This was a very independent, confident and resourceful girl!

The charming Leilane chatting with Tom. We had a dilemma !

We parted with the understanding that, having discussed the pros and cons, she would Email (she doesnā€™t have a phone) in the morning after we have all slept on the conundrum.

With Carl and Tom having been up since 3.30am, it seemed that the best arrangement for our evening was to adjourn early to the adjacent Black Pearl (a supposed pirate ship) where I enjoyed a reprise of the ribs which were so good a couple of nights before.

Tom & Carl playing pool and posing for a picture in the Black Pearl.

Carl writes:-

Ahoy there, Shipmates! Donā€™t you just hate it when the other person is right? Well, imagine how much that is compounded when it happens to be Captain Mines! In the aforementioned taxi vs bus conundrum, for once, his advice was on the money, and for that I shall always resent him.

So, upon our eventual arrival we find the olā€™ sea dog safely ensconced in the Royal Yacht Club Bar, where he appears well at home and on unsurprisingly good-terms with all the bar staff, several patrons, waiting staff, concierge, cleaners, security guard, the bell-boyā€¦er, exactly, how many days have you been here, Nick?

Reacquainting myself with Hejira is a very pleasant experience and she appears in surprisingly fine fettle ā€“ thankfully, Captain Bouncyā€™s solo escapades have not yielded the scrapes and dings many had worried about! Nickā€™s safety intro is strangely reminiscent of the earlier one delivered by a far more attractive EasyJet employee, just with the additional line of ā€œin the event of an emergency, itā€™s every man for himself!ā€

Valletta, the capital of Malta, proves to be charming and is a veritable melting-pot of Mediterranean cultures and sandstone styles, at one turn Arabian and the next Moorish. The West has had its influence too ā€“ Vodafone, Hagen Daas, Rolex, McDonalds and, incredibly, M&S. You can tell the town is a little on its uppers but itā€™s all the better for that.

So, for everything that Nick had gotten right on the day, you just knew his luck was going to run-out at some point in time. And so it did as we dined at his favourite local eatery, The Black Pearl. WTF. A contrived ā€˜funā€™ pub with all the fun taken out, serving a lovely draught beer that ran out before the first had been poured, eating a cardboard pizza, whilst sitting on plastic garden furniture on a lawn of fake astroturf. Thank heavens, finally a return to the form I can recall!

Tom writes:-

Having been a teacher for a few years, controlling unruly, testosterone-fuelled males is nothing new to me. However, the age reversal with which this is taking place most certainly is new! Be that as it may, no challenge is too great for someone that had to convince 13 year olds that Tudor fashion could be an interesting topic. Probably.

Swooping in like Joe Wicks with better hair, Iā€™m determined to get things ship-shape over here (excuse the pun)! As the sun rose, the Hejiraā€™s first HIIT class took off with great zeal on the Valletta quayside. As the cool morning air passed over me I heard rapid movement behind me and turned around, expecting to see our gallant captain beginning his ascribed sprint training. Having claimed to have taught OllieĀ  (hisĀ  son) everything he knows about dynamic movement on the rugby field, I was expecting explosive and powerful motions akin to a more nimble James Haskell. And itā€™s true, Nick outdid himself. With dancing feet, he scampered below deck, hurdling the storm doors in the processĀ  – all the while muttering something about an emergency bit of cleaning that needed to be attendedā€¦immediately!

Never Ā fear readers, this personal trainer wonā€™t give up without a fight and as my workout drew to a close Nick (urgent cleaning errand presumably completed), was busy tucking into some granola with a thing called a blueberry on top. Small victories, baby steps, call it what you will ā€“ if I can convince this unruly lot that hops or grape in liquid form donā€™t count towards your five-a-day then my job here is done… I think Iā€™ve got my work cut out, should probably get to it! Over and out.

This is a subsequent addition to the the blog following receipt of this Email in November 2022 from the Brazilian lady who is mentioned above:-

Dear friends,

If you are reading this email, it is because at some point of my journey we have met! And, most likely, you helped me!Ā Thank youĀ for that!

I am still on my journey! After almostĀ 6 yearsĀ on myĀ non-stopĀ travelling around the world by hitchhiking, doing volunteer work, camping in the wild, and living out of leftover food. I am trying to live my life by not using money at all, unless it is extremelyĀ necessary, like for Visas, for example.

It makes meĀ happyĀ to live like this! And the plan is to travel forĀ 10 years.

I have createdĀ a blog and an Instagram account to talk with people about my travels. My main goal is to let the whole world know how it is safe to travel; that people are amazing and friendly and willing to help; that you can travel much cheaperĀ thanĀ you thought; and that travelling is the best way to live, to feel alive and to become a more tolerant and aware person. The world is so beautifulĀ and so huge! There are plenty of wonderful things, places and people to be discovered out there! Don’t be afraid or let the news intimidate you! There are much more good people in the world than bad people. At least, after travelling for almost 6 years, through almost 60 countries, always alone and byĀ  hitchhiking, that is my experience, based on facts!

But because I don’t have a mobile phone, Whatsapp, Facebook, or a Premium blog with sponsors (I don’t wantĀ any), it is very difficult to attract more traffic to my blog, and let people know about all of this. So if you can, all I ask you is to advertise the blog in your social media, among your friends and family. Let’s spread the good news! To let the world know that there are wonderful people in this world, and that life is to be lived without fear, but with enjoyment! There is so much love out there! Help me to let people know about that!

Here is the link for my blog and Instagram:

www.peculiarkind.wordpress.com

https://www.instagram.com/10yearsaroundtheworld/

A big Brazilian hug, full of love, on all of you,

Lei.

2 thoughts on “Brazilian

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  1. Excellent blog entry!
    I can see that the Skipper is going to have to resort to all his old tricks to keep this crew at bay!
    Carl and Tom; please remember the old adage – old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm!

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