Living in Brazil - 9 years on

Around 9 years ago I took the decision, which at the time appeared to be the only sensible one open to me, to move to Brazil. My reasons for doing so are laid out in an earlier post (Leaving England for new pastures) so I won't repeat that here, but I was rather heading into the unknown, as apart from a small amount of savings (after I had bought and furnished a house to live in), all I had coming in was a very small annuity which at that time was £220 a month. The amount had been guaranteed for two years initially, and I had no way of knowing what would happen to it at the end of that time - it could just as easily have gone down as up! As it turns out it has gradually increased year-on-year and is now almost double that original amount! As I am also now officially retired and getting a UK pension my financial situation is much improved - while I am in Brazil! Back then the annuity was just about enough to live on, as long as I didn't do any travelling, and didn't have any large unexpected expenses.
Those who follow my Blog will know, however, that I do not have permanent residence in Brazil, so spend 6 months of the year in neighbouring Peru, where I have to rent an apartment, so, until my pension started this year meant that I was unable to save any money, and was using up my "old" savings while in Peru and in getting there, as well.
I like living in Brazil, and would still choose to live here if circumstances had been different - Brazil was my original destination as much through circumstance as choice, though I have spoken Portuguese for almost 60 years, and my nephew still lives 250 miles (400 kms) away from me here, but looking 9 years ago at alternative "cheap" places to live didn't throw up any viable options, and still doesn't! (I have been told that some Eastern European countries like Romania would be easily within my budget, but language would be a major stumbling block) With my pension I maybe could just about survive back in the UK, and that may become my only option as I get older and if my health fails, as I probably couldn't afford healthcare here or in Peru, but I am not looking forwards to the though of months of cold weather, and related heating costs. 
Brazil isn't perfect, and living in a very rural, remote area can be trying, and I have been accused of seeing things through rose-tinted spectacles, but think that after 9 years the fact that I still feel the same way about it, despite the problems faced, says a lot for how good life can really be here for an impoverished retired foreigner. If I were younger and looking for work out here, and had a family to raise, though, I am sure my opinion would be quite different.
I am fortunate that though I live alone, I do not feel lonely, despite that fact that I also do not have any close friends here - I have always been a bit of a lone wolf, so manage quite happily on my own. I would, however, be lost without the internet! It is my only real contact with my daughter back in the UK, and with other friends and acquaintances, and, since I don't have TV in my house, my only source of digital entertainment. I live in a National Park, and we are surrounded by incredible countryside, with waterfalls, nature walks, grottoes, and greenery all year round, so never lack anything to go and look at, and having a motorcycle allows me to explore whenever I want.
The cost of living here, for me, still appears reasonable 9 years on - but I do not have to support a family of 4 (or more) on minimum wage (which is currently around £200 a month), with no social security benefit back-up! If I make direct comparisons with prices in the UK (based on their minimum wage, which is currently over £1000 a month), then living here doesn't seem quite so cheap! Petrol, for example, is only about 30% more expensive in the UK (minimum wage is 5 times more!), but my council tax is probably 10 times less than I would pay "back home", though I receive similar services. I rent in Peru (similar minimum wage levels to Brazil) and a one bed-roomed apartment with all services included, as well as internet and cable TV, cost me around £200 a month (and would probably be the same here in Brazil) - a similar all-inclusive unit in the UK (in a decent area!!) would be 4 times that, at the very least. It is difficult to make direct comparisons - especially as I live simply, as I do not smoke, rarely drink, rarely eat out, do not have membership of any clubs or societies (never felt the need for that), and my only real vice is food - I do like to eat well, and, fortunately, am quite a good cook.
So on a day to day basis Brazil is perfect for someone like me with my lifestyle and "income" - so what are the downsides? Well, for starters living in such a remote rural area means a lack of shopping options, so if you need some new furniture, some new clothing, new electrical goods, etc. it is a major problem getting them! We do have a shop in town that sells things, but the selection is very limited, and prices a lot higher than would be in a major city (our closet one is 250 miles/400 kms away), and shopping online ... well, let's just say that for a foreigner without a Brazilian bank account (as a tourist you cannot open one) it is nigh impossible, and delivery charges (and lead times!) are prohibitive!
Finding a tradesman is also a challenge - everyone claims to be an electrician/plumber/builder/etc. etc., but very, very few have even the basic skills required. They are all desperate for work so will claim the ability, and try anything you need! The quality of the finished work is often very poor, though, though the costs are also low. Another thing is that if you need, say, a garden wall building - the "builder" will tell you it will cost £200, but that is just his labour charge, as it is up to you to buy all the materials separately. He will tell you what you need and you pay for them and have them delivered - and anything left over (because he miscalculated!) is yours for the next project! He will also have very limited tools, so more often than not he will be using yours, and may even ask you to buy some things that are needed if he cannot borrow them elsewhere!
Reliability is an issue, too, not only with tradesman coming when they say they will and turn up late, or the following day, but even among people you consider friends. I posted before about a young man I had known for almost 8 years and considered a friend (With friend like these who needs enemies? ), who had betrayed my trust badly, but even this year when I had someone else look after my house I had problems. When I got back there were no problems with the actual house, and he had even done a few jobs around the place, for example he had found a part-used tin of paint and did some interior painting, but I had left him money to pay all the utility bills while I was away and came back to 3 outstanding water bills (that is half the number that came in while I was away), including a reconnection as it had been cut off for non-payment, an electric bill and my council tax bill. He had used the money for other things so had none to pay my bills, I was so relieved that my house was intact this year, after the experience last year, that I was not too bothered, but it still reflects badly on how Brazilians think of us Gringos, and that they take advantage of us without a second thought.
Finally, and perhaps the most important one, is healthcare. I am now 65 and have no right to free healthcare in Brazil (or Peru), and though the cost of major procedures is still a fraction of places like the USA, it would still cost a lot more than the UK where I would get treatment free on the National Health Service. If (when?) my health starts causing concerns I will have to re-assess the situation, and probably opt to sell up and return to the UK permanently. But, for now, the decision to move here was, I think, one of the best decisions I ever made, though I still miss being able to see my daughter on a more regular basis!

Visiting the Police Station

This morning I had cause to visit the local Police Station - nothing serious I was just after some advice for my nephew about a hostel guest who had done a runner without paying, but who had turned up in the town where I live here.
The building that houses the Policia Militar here (literally Military Police, but these deal with the normal public) is one of the older buildings in the town and the main door was open, followed by some steps leading to a locked glass door. It was just before 08.00 and I wasn't sure if they had "opening hours" (OK, I know that sounds odd for the Police, but this is Brazil, remember!), so I knocked lightly on the door. A female officer appeared from a room down the hall donning her flak jacket and opened the door for me. I explained the reason for my visit, and she led me into an office, then apologised and said she would be back in a few minutes as she had to deal with something in the "quartel", which means barracks. While waiting a male officer came in - well, I assumed he was an officer as he had a gun in his hand, but was wearing very flimsy shorts and a camouflage t-shirt, which almost looked like sleeping garments - and he asked me if I was being attended to. The female officer eventually returned after a few minutes, and so did he, and between them they gave me the information I needed, so I thanked them and headed out - the female officer accompanying me to unlock the glass door.
As we reached it several more police officers, all heavily armed with automatic rifles, came up the stairs, so I stood to one side to allow them entry - always very respectful towards the Police, especially when they are heavily armed! The still scantily-clad male officer, and the female officer both saluted the new arrivals, and there was much hand-shaking, which amusingly included me!! I managed to slip out and parked in the road was a 4x4 with Rondas Especiais Chapada, blazoned on the sides (Special Routes), which I believe is like "rapid response".
While I was sitting waiting for the officer to return I realised that this was only the third time - in 65 years - that I had actually been inside a Police Station! The first time was some 30 years or so back when I had gone to collect someone who had been arrested for a petty offence, and the only other time was when I went to ask for a Police Certificate for my volunteer visa for Brazil - both those were in the UK. I always have the utmost respect for the Police, and am always pleased to see them out and about as it makes me feel safer, even out here and in Peru, where in both countries their reputation is not as good as, say, in the UK. I am firmly of the belief that everyone treats you pretty much in the same way that you treat them, so if you show respect you get that back, and if you are abusive to the Police, simply because they are Police, they will not treat you very well in return.

A world of difference

I like to be organised. That doesn't mean everything has its own place, or I live in a tidy home - far from it - but I like to have a well-stocked "pantry" (kitchen cupboards - pantries went out years ago with the advent of refrigeration!!), and have sufficient food in my fridge/freezer (tiny freezer compartment) for several days, if not weeks! OK, fresh fruit and veg I buy at least twice a week at the local market, but that means I need enough to last till the next market day, so covers at least 4 days - and there are other shops in town that do sell fruit and veg.
I live just outside the town centre - 10 minutes on foot - so could shop daily, but prefer to keep a decent stock of essentials, and replace my "stock" as one runs out - so as I use the last of my olive oil, and open the next bottle, I will buy another to keep for next time! This goes for almost everything, except maybe dried herbs and spices which last months, so would possibly go off before I used the "stock" packet!
Though I live alone when I go to the butcher I will buy meat in kilo amounts, so it will be a kilo of minced beef, or "carne do sol" (sun-dried beef literally, which is a local speciality) say, and split it in two when I get home and freeze it - one half kilo pack will make at least three meals when added to vegetables and served with rice, pasta or potatoes. This means that I will usually have at least a week's supply of meat in the freezer compartment at any time, and either a plastic container with leftovers (from the batch I made the previous day) or a defrosting piece of meat in the fridge for dinner that night - I will check in the morning to see what I will be eating that night. Food is my only vice, so I like to keep on top of my menus and I do eat pretty well!
The same goes for cleaning materials, toilet paper, kitchen rolls, candles, matches, and pretty much everything else - I always have "supplies" in reserve, and re-stock as soon as I open the last packet.
It has nothing to do with having loads of money - which I don't and never have had - but more with being organised, and not wanting to find myself about to cook a meal and not having any, say, onions, in the house! Back in the days when I was a smoker (I gave up 24 years ago), I was always the one among my friends who never ran out - day or night I always had cigarettes, and would buy a new packet as soon as I got to halfway through my last one. It did often mean that I was supplying to all my mates who had run out, though!
Here in the rural part of Brazil I live it is a totally different story for most people - they live a hand-to-mouth existence, so have to buy every day what they will be eating that night. It isn't only because of poverty and not having the money to buy ahead, but also to do with lack of planning, or maybe even the inability to plan ahead. Some also lack refrigeration so cannot keep perishable food long in the heat here. For many they can only afford essentials - it is a "joke" here that people live on rice and beans, but that actually isn't very far from the truth, and meat will be a luxury, or they buy extremely poor cuts, and little of it.
The area I live in here is a tourist hotspot - the only "industry" is tourism - so almost all employment surrounds tourism, and much of it is casual, with no fixed contracts, and therefore no job security or benefits! Minimum wage in Brazil is pretty poor, and many employers do not even pay that, especially if the work is casual with no written contracts, and unemployment benefits are only payable (for a very limited time) if you have your "carteira de trabalho" signed and up to date. The carteira is a record of your work, and should be filled in and signed weekly or monthly by your employer, but won't be if your work is casual!
So most people here work either in accommodation providers (hostels and hotels), restaurants, tour businesses or other shops, and much of that is on an "as needed" basis, with no contract, and "cash in hand"! Obviously this makes any sort of budgeting, or planning, almost impossible, and as soon as any money is received it goes straight out to pay bills - personal debt is a huge problem here, and interest rates can be very high, too, and almost no-one has any savings, either for emergencies or for retirement. The town is expanding and there is a lot of construction work going on, and again much of this is casual - there are no construction companies as you would find in the UK, but rather loads of informal builders and workers - so no written record of hours worked, nor any guarantee of pay, and often the "employer" will halt the work for any length of time as the money runs out, so the builders get no pay till they start again!
It is a world apart from what I was used to when back in the UK working, and something that I couldn't have done, even had it been legal there. Never knowing when the next pay-cheque will come in, nor how much it will be, must be a nightmare, and goes some way to explaining why when you are looking for any tradesman everyone claims to have the required skills, but most don't have a clue!
Since I got back in September I have had a chap doing various jobs for me. I was expecting to have to get two bedroom floors tiled, but circumstances meant that I also had to get a retaining wall built, and have two trees felled, and my "handyman" has managed to do most of the work himself (he had to find a man with a chainsaw for the trees) to an acceptable, but not professional standard - but finding that level of skill here is nigh impossible anyway - and for a reasonable price.
When you get a quote here for a job it will only cover the labour - you have to pay for materials separately, and, in many cases, will have to supply a lot of the tools, as they have little more than a hammer, a bucket and a shovel. As the work progressed he kept asking for "loans" - advances against the final price - as he needed food, needed to pay alimony (they send you to jail here if you fall behind!), or needed to go and visit his daughter in another town, so by the time the work was complete he had received almost all the payment, and on some occasions had already asked for a "loan" against the next job! Fortunately I trust this guy, so know he will still come and complete the work - also on the expectation that there might be more work afterwards - but soon there will come a time when there is no more needing to be done, and as I am now retired and on a pension, cannot keep creating new work just to help him out, much as I would like to.
A problem here, too, is that most people like a drink or two, so are as likely to spend their money on that as to use it for food for the family, or to pay any outstanding bills, and my guy is no exception! He is 44 and has two kids, living away, and I was told before he started that he was reliable, but does like a drink, and on occasions after he has asked for a "loan" (to pay a specific bill!) he has come back later a little worse for wear - and occasionally not come back till the next day! - but since I am paying for the job, and not by the hour I am in no hurry for completion. Until a few years ago he, apparently, used to get his carteira signed regularly, but then went self-employed (he also does some guiding work for the tourists), and since then has had very irregular income, but still seems to be happy and unconcerned about his precarious financial position - something that I couldn't be were it me in his situation! There are, however, hundreds like him in a similar plight here, and no backstop like social security for them.

Giving inanimate objects gender

As someone who has always enjoyed languages, and even etymology (the study of words), and who speaks three languages on a regular basis - English (my mother tongue), Portuguese (for 6 months of the year in Brazil), and Spanish (6 months of the year in Peru) - I am constantly struggling with the gender of inanimate objects!
In English we use "the", "a/an" and "it" to describe anything inanimate - so we talk about "the table", "the car", "the road", and refer to them all as "it", but many languages have allocated gender to everything so in Spanish and Portuguese they talk about "la mesa" and "a mesa", "el coche" and "o carro", and "la calle" and "a rua". So in Portuguese and Spanish table and road is female (a and la) and car is masculine (o and el), and they would also use him and her when referring to these inanimate items. As a general rule if the word ends in "o" it will be male, and "a" will be female - but as can be seen in the examples I used "coche" and "calle", both end in "e" but are different genders! It makes for difficulties for foreigners in these countries.
I did a little research on this and found that there are scores of languages that fall into the gender/no gender categories, and some that have 3 genders (including neuter) like German ("die", "das" and "der") and Russian. Notable in the gender-less category alongside English, are Chinese and Japanese, and in the gender category, with Spanish and Portuguese, are French and Arabic.
Mark Twain once wrote about German: “A person’s mouth, neck, bosom, elbows, fingers, nails, feet, and body are of the male sex, and his head is male or neuter according to the word selected to signify it, and not according to the sex of the individual who wears it! A person’s nose, lips, shoulders, breast, hands, and toes are of the female sex; and his hair, ears, eyes, chin, legs, knees, heart, and conscience haven’t any sex at all…”
Apparently much of this stems from the earliest days of human language when certain tasks were considered to "belong" to the male of the species (like hunting) and others to females (like making food) and so the utensils for these tasks acquired the masculine or feminine identifier. Yes, extremely sexist, and even more so that many languages retain these distinctions today, and one article I read claimed that most of the languages that retain gender identification of inanimate objects have the worst records of sexual equality, so maybe there is some correlation.
English used to have gendered nouns, too, but these disappeared during the Middle English period, between 1100 AD and 1500 AD - though I understand now that it not politically correct to use AD and BC, as these refer to Christ (who is only relevant to Christians, and not to the other billions of people on the planet), so we now must use BCE and CE - Before Common Era and Common Era! It means the same thing but doesn't "insult" non-Christians.
There are always exceptions to every grammatical rule and I will end with two amusing ones - in Spanish "masculinity" is "la masculinidade", which is feminine, and in Portuguese "voluptuous woman" is "o mulherão", which is masculine! Give me a simple "the" any day!

Northern Peru Adventure - Part 9 - the journey back to Huanchaco

After the wonderful day in Cabo Blanco I decided to have a quiet day round Mancora before heading back South the following day - I had had a great time this trip, just as I had the previous one, but wasn't really looking forwards to the bum-numbing ride home! Oli, the bike, handles the miles extremely well, the engine feels strong and reliable, but the seat leaves a lot to be desired, and the now well-worn knobbly tyres transmit quite a lot of vibration to the handlebars, and contribute a lot to the noise you always get when riding a bike.

Baja Beetle - not something you see every day

Three up and no helmets - on the Panamerican Highway through Mancora with their dog following behind!

Not too clear but a small child standing holding the handlebars on a scooter

Mobile Garden Centre

Juice bar

Hot drinks - many of these are herbal remedies

Another unsafe child on a bike on the highway

School run

I want one of those!

It amazed me how many parents were risking their children like this

This minibus had seen better days

Child sitting on the tank holding on to a mirror

Or maybe I would prefer one of these!

Baby squashed between parents on a bike

Same family as before coming back the other way

These are common in Peru as light commercial vehicles not requiring a car driving licence - with a payload of around half a ton. The engines are generally 200-300 cc

Road to the beach in Mancora

I love the Peruvian scaffolding poles

One thing I really enjoy about travelling is seeing how things are done in other countries - we (in the developed world) are so safety conscious these days, but in may places they simply cannot afford to be, despite the fact that they do not have any social security if things go wrong, nor insurance cover as back-up!

Blue-footed Booby on Mancora beach

Flat calm sea - well, Pacific Ocean!

In the UK we have donkey rides on the beach - here it is horses

Egret on the rocks

I hadn't managed to get in my fishing trip - the nearest I got was one man in a small agency calling a captain who promised to get back to me, and never did - and when I went back to the agency it was blamed on the weather (which had been terrific the whole of my trip!). That would now have to wait for another adventure!

Scenic route from Piura to Rancho Santana

Even miles from anywhere you find rubbish dumped at the side of the road

Oli all loaded up - looking a little dirty at this stage!

Retracing my route back to Piura was straightforward and much easier to find the same hotel despite the roadworks still in place.

Ovalo Bolognesi near my hotel

I have just found out that they have now completed a bypass of Piura, so my "convenient" hotel (where I have now stayed 4 nights) is miles out of the way, so I will have to find an alternative next time I venture North.
You may recall I had parking problems last time as I got parked in and had trouble raising the owner who was between me and the gate - so this time I spoke to reception about it and they suggested I didn't park my bike till late evening after everyone else would be in. So after dinner, around 20.00, I did just that - and next morning again I was parked in! It didn't take quite so long this time to get the driver to move for me - he could have parked further back as I had left space, but instead parked in front where it was too narrow for me to pass!
I was heading out on a different route this time from Piura back to Rancho Santana - avoiding the boring, mind-numbing Panamerican Highway through the Sechura Desert. This route was taking me inland some distance, then alongside a range of hills and looked more promising, and was almost the same distance as the "faster" highway, but was unknown territory for me, and I was uncertain ow good the road would be. As it turned out the road was in good condition, traffic almost non-existent, and it was a good decision to make this detour!

Much nicer scenery than the Sechura Desert

Looks like I have the road to myself 

Great road with gentle sweeping corners

... and stunning scenery

These mountains flanked my route

Steep and forbidding in places

Panoramic view

Came across this overturned truck on a fairly straight stretch of road - a reminder to stay vigilant

At one point the road passed over the mountain range - through a series of hairpins

Peru does have some magnificent scenery

In the small town of Naupe there is a protection centre for the White-winged Guan

One of the very few townships I passed through on this route

Travelling alone can be daunting for some, but driving through spectacular scenery like this on good road surfaces makes it a pleasure - I was in my element!

Andes foothills

Oli, cooling down!

My route was taking me down into the valley below, before turning Southwards towards Pacora and Rancho Santana

... but even here miles from the nearest town loads of rubbish has just been dumped at the side of the road

The road from here on to Pacora is relatively flat 

Although I had now joined a major route over the Andes traffic was still very light - and here consists mainly of speeding minibuses!

I was now looking forwards to renewing my acquaintance with Andrea and her family at Rancho Santana not that far away from here. I have been fortunate to find some lovely places to stay at on my travels, thanks to Booking.com.

One of Rancho Santana's cats on my roof

Some of their chickens

Hornero - a type of ovenbird

My tyres were showing signs of wear - some of the knobbles were worn down, making vibrations and road noise worse. Front tyre.

Rear tyre

Cow at Rancho Santana

Hornero

Vermilion Flycatcher

The cat finally came off the roof and wandered off

Let sleeping dogs lie ... 

... hard life being a farm dog!

I renewed my acquaintance with this cat, too, but she didn't look happy at having her picture taken - as I had stopped stroking her!

Another of the cats trying Oli out for size - I still have the claw marks in the seat!

After a leisurely breakfast with Andrea and two volunteers she had staying I set out on the relatively short leg back to Huanchaco, with no further mishaps along the way. Around another 1600 kms (1000 miles) added to my travels round Peru, and some wonderful memories along the way.