DAY 48. A FISHERMAN’S PRIDE

At first, I thought of setting off on my way right in the morning, but I was so warmed by the kindness of the people around me that I asked if it would be a problem if I stayed for another night. I knew it was a formality, but a necessary one. I was assured that I could stay for a week and it would present no problem for anybody.

I practiced casting my tarafa net. It was not too successful. But the guys taught me several other ways of casting a net – they are not suitable for fishing off the boat, but if I cast standing on the bank, I can do it very well. I managed to catch a few small fish. This is comforting, but I still came back to the idea of buying a small net. As much as it goes against my fisherman’s pride, I must accept – unlike in my home country, fishing nets are not considered a method of poaching here. It is the most common way of fishing, which allows people to survive and to live. If I want to learn from the locals, I need to learn everything, without exceptions. Moreover, I cannot wait to see other species of fish that dwell in the river. Well, not only to see, but also try them!

The thing is, there are no nets less than 100 metres long. I went round the shops to check out the prices. I had 600 reals left for 1200 kilometres, that is just over $100 for one month. The choice, it would seem, is not easy – I can save money and steadily buy cassava and sugar all the way and have a meagre, but steady supply of food …. or I can make this extravagant purchase and have a chance to replace the cassava with fish in my regular diet. I am used to this kind of decisions, so I had very little doubt that it is worth taking a risk. Besides, Nogueira helped me out greatly – he had one slightly shabby but ready-made net. Yes, the thing is that the nets here are sold in pieces, and people put together whatever shape and size they need. Understanding my situation, he sold it to me for only 150 reals, and I spent another 20 to buy good floats to replace the pieces of styrofoam which crumbles and takes up a lot of space. But a hundred metres was way too much. I decided to cut a 25-metre piece and keep the rest as back-up.

I started unravelling the net, cleaning it, untangling the knots and taking off the old floats, and Philip and another guy offered their help right away. The three of us got the job done in an hour or less. We added an empty plastic bottle, attached the floats, fixed some holes, tied the weights in the necessary places. My new fishing tackle was ready.

If I managed to catch more fish then I need, I could interact with locals in more ways – give fish as a gift, barter, or trade. This idea was comforting and reassuring, and I even stopped berating myself for the upcoming net fishing. My curiosity and interest in the new experience took over. I want to mention that crocodiles are also caught with nets or harpoons.

I also spent some money on a new torch which produces a long beam of light. I needed it so that in the dark I could find the red pupils of a caiman: they say that caimans abound in this area. Not long ago, a huge – the people told me that it was eight metres long! – black caiman was sighted near the village and swam under one of the houses on the water. I am not sure how realistic the eight metres from the story are but reaching the length of 4-5 metres is possible for a caiman. That is very intriguing. I must keep in mind that the caiman is one of the most aggressive crocodile species and it can really choose to attack.

As I showered, drawing water from the river, I witnessed another interesting scene from the local life. Before entering the water to wash up, Nogueira swung a stick around the concrete steps, as if to scare something away, and then made a few more strokes on the surface. It turned out that electric eels often flock to houses on the water. They are not dangerous on their own, but if they get scared, you are in trouble. Their electric shock cannot kill, but the river can. The person simply faints and drowns silently. Caimans, eels, and piranhas are all part of local life, nothing more and nothing less. I have also been warned about a fish with a dangerous spike on its tail. I suspect they were talking about a stingray. I think I will keep from having a swim. I will not swim near the banks at least.

In the middle of the day, the owner of the firm, Augusto, arrived with his wife Isolina. At first, he appeared arrogant to me – he is a very wealthy man and he owns many things here, but our closer acquaintance shattered all my prejudice. We spent more than an hour talking while heavy rain poured down on the neighbourhood. I am still impressed how well people understand Spanish here, but I am even more amazed that I understand some Portuguese. I do not understand everything, but I comprehend the key words, and the rest is for my brain to work out and piece together. I remember my agony when I arrived in Brazil for the first time, oh! It is a joy to see how everything changed about me during these 7 months on the continent. I have learnt a new language; I have made dozens of new acquaintances and even some friends who are truly looking forward to meeting me again. This continent is no longer foreign to me as it used to be.

In the evening, Isolina and Augusto asked me if I could eat fish asado (which is charcoal-grilled fish). Of course, I can eat anything. Who knew that this question would result in them cooking it for me. They cooked a gamitana (which is a local name for tambaqui) for me – the very species that the fishermen had told me about, calling it the most valuable type of local fish. The meal also included bananas fried in breadcrumbs! And it was cooked for me. I do not think I have had anything tastier in months. It was the tenderest fish with white meat and the crispiest bananas. And there was this atmosphere of a homecooked meal. I have had many delicious meals travelling, but this was different from all of them.

I went to bed very late as I wanted to make this incredible evening last as long as possible. I loved its warmth, the breeze, the night birds and the sound of fish hunting for insects nearby. Well, their hour of fame will come soon enough when we are alone on the river. In the morning, I will be on my way.