Travel with Indigo

When we were in Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic, I met and befriended Bruno Massida, an Italian tenor and flute player who plays gigs around the islands and in Brazil. Bruno had mistakenly invited me to visit him at his home in Porto Seguro at which we arrive today. The port is secure alright (Seguro means secure), but only if you have a shallow draft boat that allows you to get behind its protecting reef. We don’t, and so have to anchor several miles at sea behind a reef for protection from the rollers. After a sloggy ride in the tender, I get into town where I meet Bruno, who takes me miles up the beach to a fine restaurant owned by an Italian friend of his. There we have a great lunch while seated on the beach under a sunshade, followed by a nap as a result of too many
caiparinhas.

This is the traditional drink of Brazil, called cashasa or pinga for short, made from a clear jet fuel distilled from sugar cane poured over ice into a cocktail glass full of crushed lime slices and a dab of sugar. For variety, you can get the jet fuel mixed with various fruits, including mango, passion fruit, strawberries, pineapple, or my favorite, the fruit of the cashew tree. It also can be ordered with vodka or rum as the active ingredient.

After lunch, Bruno takes me to his 18th century townhouse located adjacent to the fish market and allows me there to take a shower and a nap. His place is cozy and rustic but delightful, with a small garden out back facing an inland waterway. Its ceiling beams are hand hewn, still showing the axe marks. Later that evening, I meet Bruno by prior arrangement in town for dinner at an Italian (what else!) outdoor restaurant owned by a friend of his. Every night in Porto Seguro, a town much like a miniature St. Augustine, the shops all open, kiosks set up along the seawall and the locals and tourists promenade with kids in tow. Later music and dancing starts in the bars. It’s a fine town with little crime. Bruno has chosen his new home well.