Maceio, Brazil

Got stuck in Ipojuca today.
Recieved some directions but no timetables and landed in Ipojuca which was a crossroads of a crossroads of bus and van traffic. a town unattractive to the tourist but a town full of good people with good motives like just about anywhere else.
anyway, after more heroic translating/ciphering of portugese by amber we headed back up north to Recife to take the bus back down further south here. the buses are getting more grueling. the scenery helps a lot. today hills of cane fields and chunks of dense forest. at one roadbusstop monkeys or some longtailed animal were coming down some trees.
in the small towns i try to pick out the most ragtag of soccer field setups. todays best was about fifteen yards by ten yards of high snake-grass with four posts of aluminum cans.
a few towns ive seen look plainly poor but there is a soccer field in really good repair. <- this does not necessarily mean anything.
on the bus from porto galinhas to ipojuca the ticket/money taker would announce and shout the destination of the bus in a booming voice ey-po-JUUU-ca! and then EE-po-JUUca! he hung out by the entry door and waved out a window to see if people wanted to take his bus.
I like that someone comes around with cold drinks and snacks for sale on the bus.
I like that in brazil that thumbs up is a really dominant way of showing approval, gratitude, happiness, or even affection. It isnt a fonz thumbs up just a steady held out thumbs up. better still is the double thumbs up.