Let’s go back to just after Thieny and I were married - that would be October of 2004.  I took you through my experience with a “fixer” named Ze.

He really did assist with the marriage, so I thought we might have a similar result with buying a car….if a Brazilian car dealer sees a “gringo” coming the price tends to double! 

I handed Ze a lot of money...over R$15,000...because we had looked at several cars of the type I wanted and that was the going rate.  After more than a month of false starts and being put off, it became evident to me that Ze was not doing anything about getting me a car, so  I asked for my money back.  Well, he didn’t like that too much.  After talking to several people who were more familiar with this type of thing, it appears Ze had invested my money in some other vehicle or vehicles and was in the process of moving them between various “clients”.  At one point, he tried giving me an old Ford Courier pickup as part of the deal.

I ended up going to a lawyer who finally got Thieny and I to meet with Ze and the local area police chief, called a Delegado. As we went in to meet him, my lawyer asked me if I had R$300!  “What’s that for?” I asked.  “The Delegado has to be paid or he won’t even look at your case!”  Just one demonstration of how corruption seeps into every part of Brazilian life!  There was nothing else we could do and in the end we did get most of the car money back.

The upshot of the whole saga  was that I bought a car on my own and was left several thousand Reals short by the crook!  I didn’t realize just how big a crook until my lawyer ran his name on the police computer and found eight criminal charges and an almost equal number of civil cases against him.

Two lessons can be learned from my experience...Don’t pay for any services up front, and make sure you get receipts.  These two things may not solve every problem you have, but there is at least a better chance of keeping your money in your pocket instead of someone else’s.

A somewhat normal life filled the next six to eight months, as Thieny and I got used to living together as a married couple. There were rough times, no question - putting together two different cultures, languages, ages and, at least to some extent, classes.  We had to overcome almost every obstacle a married couple can have, but we have done it, at least so far!

Thieny’s older sister, Daisy (she has three sisters, two that live in Fortaleza and one in Sao Paulo)...looks after the apartment for us, cooking, cleaning and washing, things for “The Princessa”, as I like to call Thieny.  To be honest, Daisy is an angel who also looks after Thieny’s 5 year old son, Israel, when we are not here.   She is very used to that, being his “tia” or aunt.   She even does his homework with him!

One of the great moments for us came on our first anniversary.  I took Thieny to Guaramiranga, a mountain about 80 kilometres away from the coast.  She had never been into the mountains but always wanted to go there.  I described a little of Guaramiranga in a previous which is linked at the bottom of this one.

We stayed in the Hotel Escole.  It’s a government run place where they do official training for various organizations.  When there is no training going on, they rent out the rooms just like a regular hotel.  They have a big dining room and on the Saturday night, I ordered a special dinner plus a cake and flowers.  Thieny was actually speechless!  t was very beautiful.  I still remember the first morning...we came down for coffee early and the fog was rolling in clouds through the valley, just outside the windows.  Thieny just stood there with her mouth open!  She had never seen anything like that before, and I was amazed as well.

Right next door to the hotel is a restaurant that I described in my first article:

“Speaking of artists, Villa Lautrec, a restaurant featuring French cuisine, is located on the outskirts of Guaramiranga.  It’s named, of course, for the famous French artist and is one of the most amazing eating places I have ever seen.  Built inside an old flour mill, with the exterior left intact, complete with water wheel and a huge pond covered with water lilies, it would be at home anywhere in the world.  The view at night, with the pond surrounded by dim lighting only a few inches off the ground, is truly spectacular and I found it breathtaking.  The sound is of hundreds of frogs letting potential mates know their whereabouts.  There are huge picture windows so patrons can enjoy the view.  The food was truly world class, and inexpensive by North American or European standards.

Attached to the restaurant is a rather unique bar, with construction of dark wood, where I spotted some of the locals who own weekend homes in the area.   Apparently there is a very well-heeled community surrounding Guaramiranga that “weekend” there as an escape from the beach heat of Fortaleza.  The restaurant has a decidedly European flavor, with one lady seated at the bar waving one of those foot long cigarette holders!   The town is also home to a famous jazz festival and has a well maintained arts community.”

This year has been highlighted by our purchase of a small “lanchanete”.   It’s in a non-tourist area of Aldeota, away from the beaches, and its clientele are the local Fortalezans.  Thieny has set it up well and runs the day-to-day operation, with the help of her other, older sister, Guaraseana, who handles the kitchen and supervises when Thieny’s not there.  It’s been a real learning experience for me when Thieny and I have gone to other parts of the city, away from the tourist areas, to shop for supplies.  The prices are lower and can sometimes be changed with a little haggling!