Barra do Dande

I had not been out of Luanda since I got here about four months ago. Today Doug and I went to a beach resort called Barra do Dande (meaning Mouth of Dande River, like Bharalumukh, Tipaimukh, Gogamukh in my childhood place). To get there one has to almost go through hell for two hours – traffic, potholes, dirt road, bumpy ride, shanty towns, and trash piles. We arrived at 10:30 AM. When we arrived, I felt like it was worth it. It was a quiet beach without a big crowd. The sand was perfect. There were little kids playing in the sand. Local young boys and girls in love were clinging close to each other in secluded places. Others were simply sun bathing although it was somewhat over cast. The Sun did break out in the afternoon. I had Chicken with French fries for lunch and a Cristal beer (Frango c/Batatas Fritas and Cerveza Cristal). After lunch I walked barefoot on the beach for about an hour. The cold water and the white foam touching my feet felt wonderful. I was humming some old Assamese song as I walked.

Before lunch I read some more of "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. I have come to agree with him that success depends generally on when and where you were born, your upbringing, historical cultural back ground. Genetic make up is only a part of the success story. Many folks I saw along the way to the beach have very little chance at success because they were born at this place to some poor people. It may not be their fault, but that’s the reality it seems.

But the walk on the beach took my mind off these thoughts. It was a simple pleasure for a change. We had a cup of coffee with milk (Café com leite) before leaving the place. We returned the same way back to the house. Tomorrow starts another week being bound by four walls of my office. But today was mine and I savoured every moment on the beach.