Today saw the second power cut in two days, albeit much, much longer than yesterday's (hours rather than minutes). Obviously a by-product of the endless rain, thunder and lightning which seem to have resumed after an unaccustomedly long break. If I was a travel writer I might welcome this plunge into darkness as a "colourful" detail of life in "colourful" Brazil (did someone mention "the soft racism of low expectations" again ?). Ditto the latest leak, coming through the strip light in our kitchen. But back in the real world, I / we have a baby to look after, feed, amuse and keep warm. Life in boring old monochrome would be very welcome. ( I noticed, btw, on a walk around our local streets that not all the restaurants and shops had lost power.)
The real "infrastructure" problem here is in people's heads. Where there's a will, there's a way. And where there's no will, no way.
Went back to the police station just now, another pleasant-sounding chap who rattled on in that familiar sing-song voice, a tone which seems just too comfortable with the status quo. He also told us that it was a fool's game trying to trace and track villains in this country. But if we wanted we could go tomorrow and have a look at a database of about one million known criminals. Somehow I don't think that will be a high priority on my to-do list.
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