Mar-2014
Why I don’t like Recife
What a messed up day. When I wake up I walk into the living room and there I find my Airbnb host, Karina (she’s pretty cool, I like her though), sitting on the sofa making a nervous phone call. During her cellular conversation she asks me if I still have the key of the patio gate. “Well, yes I do, why do you ask?” I reply. She asked because the TV has been stolen last night. Are you for real?
I mean really. Ever since I arrived to Recife only weird vibes have been surrounding me and I haven’t felt in paradise at all. Everybody has been telling me constantly before going, during the journey, upon arrival and during my stay to watch out and to be very careful in Recife. And now while I was peacefully sleeping last night with my fan working its ass off and all of my thousand mosquito amigos enjoying my veins someone entered the house and stole the TV. I feel so bad for sweet Karina. The bits of good mood I had left for Recife are now completely spoiled because of this amazingly stupid (or perhaps very clever…) and annoying thief.
Sometimes I just don’t get football
As I walked around Recife the day before I’d never seen nor heard so many police sirens in my life. The police has to be everywhere in this city, or so it seems. Makes sense after last night though. Last night I wanted to meet my local friend Anderson, (who I got to know in Buenos Aires) so we decided to meet at 20:00 at the Shopping Mall of Boa Vista.
Unfortunately plans got changed as he soon realized that there was a football match tonight. A football match in Recife, according to my friend Anderson, means dead people. Sooo… I guess it was a wise and easy decision to cancel our reunion and just stay at home where you’re supposed to be safe. Right.
Another thing that’s unsafe in Recife is swimming…
Worst transfer ever
Then there’s the taxi drivers. Ah yes the fantastic taxi drivers.
A lot of them are careless. They won’t help you with your luggage and instead they talk on their cellphone to avoid needing to help you. During the ride they call a lot too! Not that all of the taxi drivers are horrible, because I’ve met some very nice and helpful ones too, but I think I can say that 80% was lousy. Still there’s nothing as bad as my transfer experience at Ilha Grande. There I had the worst driver ever. It was raining and the driver made me walk to the van while afterwords he drove back to the same dry place where I was waiting before. It didn’t make any sense. My luggage and I were completely wet and then he drives back to where I could have gotten on the transport and stayed dry! I also remember him leaving me at the airport while I had to go to Copacabana and he didn’t care that I wasn’t supposed to be there. My advise: don’t use the SpeedConnection of Ilha Grande.
But let’s get back to Recife where I was originally complaining about. Man oh man, I’ve never felt so bad at a place. Seriously. It wasn’t the house nor the host, but the bad vibe of the city of Recife.
The city of Recife
There was also this kid the other day following me on the beach of Boa Viagem. I noticed it immediately as he sat everywhere where I sat, but as I started walking he just kept on walking behind me. Not that I felt unsafe, it was actually more like an interesting thing for me. Maybe the child had no parents. Who knows. So as I walked down the beach with my earphones in later that day the kid finally approached me. I took my earphones out of my ears and spoke with the little fella. His name is Philippe and he wanted to know my name too, also where I’m from, where I’m going to, if I have children, and all kinds of other things. He also kept on repeating one question over and over. “Você tem um real para mim?” Meaning that he asked for 1 real all the time. I decided to tell young Philippe that he should go to his parents instead of asking a stranger for money, but he then waved at me and quickly took off. It was a bit weird.
The beach of Recife: Boa Viagem
It’s time to leave
Today, after the police had arrived at Karina’s place to sort out some bureaucracy I told my host that I can’t stay here anymore. It’s to much of a bad vibe and i’ve never felt this before. I decided to leave Recife earlier than planned. I took a shower, packed my things, closed all the locks again and left for the rodoviario. A bus to Natal it will be. That’s what I love about Brazil: you can simply go to any rodoviario and buy a bus ticket to anywhere whenever you want to go. Bye Recife, hopefully we meet again some other day with a much better vibe. Pipa here I come!
About Renate Rigters
Ever since I left my home country I felt at home at any other place I went to. I enjoy getting to know more cultures by talking to strangers and hearing their philosophy about life. Speaking with gestures when you can not find a shared language, finding places only the locals go to and learn about their customs and values. Hanging out with local people makes me happy. The experience of every new place is a step out of your comfort zone where I like to wander around until it feels like a second home.
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I soooooo didn’t like Recife either!! Natal and other Brazilian cities further north are much nicer and better!!!
Damn, that´s a pity! But I can tell you, I went once to Brasil and that was to… PIPA!!! I love pipa, a village and capoeira. (Do I write it like that? ;-P) But I´ve been to much better places but definitely worth a visit! Enjoy sweatheart! X