images of dystopia

Really well done roads, 4 lane highways, well lit long tunnels through the hills, cars zooming past, and some motorbikes. The location of Florianapolis is quite unique as in it is sandwiched between a mountain range and an ocean. So there are beaches and there are dunes opposite that. It seems to be quite well off economically too. There are fancy traffic lights, which countdown 5 steps before changing colours. All these roads in florianapolis till the airport seem to have bicycle paths. Some places where the street got narrower not dedicated bicycle paths but bicycle drawn on the road to indicate that cyclists might go through them too. I was just walking aimlessly - not that aimlessly, I wanted to reach the sea. What was surprising is that there were hardly any other ppl walking. While there were bike lanes, the pedestrian paths were quite neglected. Them decreasing to unwalkable breadth or being broken at points and so on. In trying to walk straight to the sea, I had ended up in this highway. and finally reached a part which was next to the ocean. It’s not that far. the hills to the ocean. This part was also quite green, some paved tarred lanes made there for cycling and walking/jogging. This was also quite an empty stretch with a few odd jogger - well equipped who had come down there specifically for the purpose.

Seeing a few huts on the small beach I went upto it and it turned out to be fishermen shacks. Am assuming fishermen as there were boats and somehow had that feel. But nothing else really gave it away. There was a person there instructing someone to do things, but again completely empty otherwise. I kept on walking next to the sea up the hill, hoping to find some other more ‘beach like’ place or something. Or maybe nothing but just being neXt to the ocean. the road had gotten narrower into a two lane thingy- the main highway going through the tunnels in the highway. But even these two lanes road was very well done, cars and cars zooming past. All kinds. SUV’s, sedans, sometimes public transport buses. One odd person walking here - very very few, but most of these few were black. And then there was me. who didn’t fit in at all. In all this area, there was no street food stall, there was no outlet or eatery of small shops or anything. I had crossed just one sugarcane juice stall close to the guest house I was staying in. But even in that residential section, there were hardly any street thingies - not just shops and all but in general life on the street. Now I was in this other residential section. And after walking for quite a while I arrived at this place which had some benches and seemed like a big bus station with two or three stops- each with a nice place to sit. Turned out to be a parking place where these nice setups to sit where. Thankfully there were some people sitting in some of those stalls. Two groups to be precise - one of 4 ppl, another a couple. And me then sitting in the third one. It was evening, and the sun was going down. I also hadn’t eaten anything since lunch and was quite hungry. There was an eatery right there at this parking place but it looked too run down and there was nobody there. I could see the person inside opening some windows, switching on the lights, which increased its feeling of rundown ness or abandonment. I checked on maps and saw that there was another place a bit further away and went down to check it out. There was a bike shop opposite that and the person there told me in his broken portugese that it was shut. And on asking if there would be more options further down, he told me I should try my luck on the other side - the direction I was coming from.

I walked back and was still unsure of this rundown place. There was a motorbike standing next to it, which was taking out some orders every now and then. If ppl were ordering food from there it might be good. I went in, all the menus were kept on one table. The menus themselves were quite old, in plastic lamination - the prices hardly legible. I picked up one and was spoilt for choices for the tables - all empty. the place dimly lit - in a non fancy way - there were lights and all, they were just weak. one corner had the bar and the billing counter and the kitchen behind it. This obese couple, with huge sandwiches in their hands were watching football on television which was hung on the wall neXt to this counter. I translated the menu quickly - not so many options. Ordered a heart sandwich, nothing to drink. The guy went in with his sandwich, presumably to prepare my order. The woman went to the billing section where she was sorting some accounts out. The order came in a basket which had the sandwich in a paper envelope and four sauces - barbecue, mayonnaise, mustard, and something else. All tasted plastic - as in unnatural - with a lot of colour added in. As I munched on the sandwich the couple now back to the place where they could see the television. The hearts were actually well done, and the sandwich had quite a bit of lettuce and tomatoes, and crunchy thingies. There was a goal that happened with the very familiar and popular latin american commentary ‘gooooooooooooaaaaaaallllllllllll’. The man seemed a bit excited by it, telling the woman something. A while later an order came in for delivery, it was prepared again by the man, and someone who had come on a motorbike took it.

When I went to pay for the bill, as had been the case mostly in Brazil, the possibility of any conversation was voided - due to language issue. But they did ask me where I was from, and as has been the case, the guy was happy with my answer being India, giving the woman ‘I told you so’ look. I went out for a smoke, ordered in an uber moto. And was looking into this eatery. All lights on, with windows all around, in its rundown ness. The couple back to watching the football with their huge sandwiches. I was smoking out. All the people sitting in the parking place had left. Streetlights on by this time, and it was dark. Cars zooming past one after the other. There was another goal by the same team (in green). And the couple this time were really happy. Cheering it on but not shouting or anything. Going back to their sandwiches, as they continued to lunge out of the counter and watching the football broadcast.

epilogue: The uber moto person arrived in this motorbike, and we zoomed away through the highway, through the fancy tunnel, at speeds higher than or touching 125 kmph - the fastest bike ride for me I think. In a matter of a few minutes I was back at the guest house - the walk, the pauses, the dinner, that all took a few hours crashed back at 125 kmph and in a few minutes bam! I was too tired from the days in são paulo and just dozed off.