Early Bike Ride

Greetings!!! Hope all is well at school, work,home!!

Due to jetlag, I was off on my shiny bike at 6AM last week. I headed along the sandy beach road of this city of half a million. For 15 minutes the street was empty, then at 6:15, it was suddenly flooded with elementary school kids,headed for school. They wear school uniforms..navy blue shorts and skirts, and light blue button down shirts. Everyone looked pretty tired, but one managed to shout,"Ola, Blana ! (branca in Portugese)

I passed the big orphanage for babies. The HIV Infection rate is 35 % in pregnant women, and women are infected at twice the rate as men.

Out on the ocean I saw hundreds of dugout canoes and larger, double ended dory-like boats headed out for fishing. It was quite a sight! A few have sails made of tarps, garbage bags, etc,, some have motors and many are paddled.

Beyond the fishing boats were quite a few huge freighters. This is a big, busy port and route from and to the East, and up and down the coast of Africa.  So exciting! My husband was friends with a captain from the Czech Republic and got to go out to his vessel. But alas, he was fired for being drunk on the job, so I missed the chance to get out on a freighter!!

Sending all the best. It is getting hotter by the day, as summer approaches.
Emily /  Ms. Wesson