05 Dec PRAIA DO INGLÊS, The Shrimp Story – 03 DECEMBER 2017 – Travel Diary

The Shrimp Story

Today was the last day of abstinence. Out of the last resources we made a desert-like dish similar to a Romanian “coliva”: boiled wheat, honey, chia seeds, sesame and flax seeds.

For dinner we had rice with lentil stew, all prepared on an antique mini stove that we keep as a relic bought at a flea market in Cusco, Peru. What can I say, the little one saved our life! 🙂

Our week was calm and sunny and our main occupation was staying and preparing meals. Our host, a fisherman like his father and his father’s father, taught us a lesson about life and nature telling us the story of the shrimp. Yes, the shrimp! In Portuguese shrimp sounds like “camaroish”.

So Mr Erico impressed us to tears with the story of the camaroish, which, in case you didn’t know, sheds its shell about 40 times before it reaches adulthood. Well, the shell that used to protect it at one point becomes unbearably tight, like a prison, then it sheds and another one grows and so on for about 40 times.

The worse part is that not seldom it finds itself in the situation where it can’t shed its shell and it gets stuck inside. We were amazed.

You can see how much passion for life and struggle in this little seafood’s life and it ends stirred with garlic in our pans!

These past days I went fishing.

On the left of the little patch of sand where we live right now is a jungle peninsula. Through this jungle there are paths that lead to the last rock that stands in front of the ocean. This “punta”, as the locals call it, is a 45 minute walk in the jungle and at the end of it you are in a place surrounded by water, a unique and nice feeling making you feel very small.

You fade, as if you turn into a small dot facing the greatness of nature. Here is where we tried to catch a swordfish.

A local taught us, called Cabral. We didn’t catch anything, but we gained some experience in losing all the lead balls, that being the fishing kit Cabral had just offered us.

Oscar ate the remaining bait and the rest of the evening turned into laughter and a victory out of a mistake. We were playing and put a piece of fish in a bag that we threw in the water. When we left and took the bag out of the water we had the surprise of seeing a fish caught in the bag.

The size of a hand… at least Becka liked her paws!

***

Astazi am petrecut ultima zi de abstinenta. Din ultimele resurse am facut o mancare desert gen coliva.

Adica grau fiert, indulcit cu miere si asezonat cu seminte de chia, susan si in. La cina am avut un orez cu o tocanita de linte, toate pregatite pe o antichitatea de aragaz in miniatura ce-o pastram drept relicva si recuperata de la un targ de vechituri din Cusco, Peru. Ce sa zic, mai ca ne-a salvat viata micutul! 🙂

Saptamana ne-a fost linistita si plina de soare iar ocupatia de baza a fost statul si pregatirea mancarii. Gazda noastra, pescar de meserie din tata in fiu, ne-a tinut o lectie despre viata si natura prin povestea crevetelui.

Da, a crevetelui! Crevetele in portugheza suna ceva de genul camaroish. Asa ca nenea Erico ne-a impresionat pana la lacrimi cu povestea camaroish-ului, care, daca nu stiati naparleste de vreo 40 de ori in viata lui pana sa ajunga la maturitate. Ei bine e ceva de genul carapacea aia ce-i creea atata protectie devine insuportabila, ca o inchisoare, pana o lasa in urma lasand loc pentru a-i creste urmatoarea si tot asa de vreo 40 de ori.

Partea proasta este ca nu rare sunt momentele cand nu se poate desprinde, fiind prins inauntrul propriei carapace. Am ramas cu gura cascata!

Bai, nene, ce se mai chinuie fructa asta de mare sa ajunga perpelita cu usturoi in tigaile noastre, cata pasiune pentru viata!

Zilele trecute am fost si la pescuit.

In stanga micii plaji unde stam este o peninsula injunglita! Adica e o jungla, ce sa mai! Prin jungla asta sunt carari de acces catre ultima stanca ce-i tine piept oceanului.

“Punta” asta cum ii spun localnicii e la vreo 45 de minute de mers prin jungla despre care va vorbeam si cand iesi din ea si vezi in jur numai apa, e o senzatie unica si misto in care te simti  tare mic. Palesti, parca te transformi intr-un punct mic, mic, mic in fata maretiei naturii.

Aici am incercat sa pescuim un peste spada. Ne-a invatat un localnic, Cabral.

N-am prins nimic, doar ceva extra experienta in a pierde toti plumbii, kitul de peste spada tocmai facut cadou de Cabral. Oscar ne-a mancat restul momelii si seara s-a incheiat cu ras si cu o victorie din greseala!

In joaca, am pus o bucata de peste intr-un ac  pe care am aruncat-o in apa. La plecare, cand sa scoatem “jucaria”,  hop un peste prins!

Cat o palma de mare… macar Becka! 🙂