I’ve been in Aracaju for the last two days. Last night I went to an aikido class. The training was very different from what I am used to. Much more rigid, more like how I remember judo class than most aikido classes I’ve attended. Regardless of the differences, I focused on my own body and how best to respond to my partner’s movements, and it was enjoyable. Afterwards, I went out for acai, a sorbet made from berries grown in the Amazon region (see below for a picture), with two of the aikidoka from class and we spoke at length of my travels and what brought me here.
Today, after a tour of my current hosts’ (very impressive, large, and modern) eye surgery facility, I took a trip around the city, which they arranged for me (causing me again to pause to appreciate the extreme generosity of all of my hosts to date). More pictures of the trip are below. I had a definite Tim Ferriss moment when my guide informed me that when it is hot, she gets tasty. (Actual intended statement? She gets “sweaty.”)