Every now and then you come across a person or a group of people that remind you that there is something called humanity out there. This story goes back about 5 weeks now, to when I was still in Massaguacu in Brazil, but I didn’t get around to blogging about it (in full) when I was there, so now is the time.
Rose and I had visisted Breeder surfboards on the second day we were in Massaguacu to look at boards, but as I wanted to check out some of the other shops in the area, I didn’t actually make a purchase.
A month later after breaking the fin off my board and being on the search for a new set, we returned to Breeder to see if they had any in stock. Unfortunately they didn’t, but Renato (Casimiro) the owner said he knew someone who could make some. It was going to take about a week for them to come through from the shop up the coast, so whilst I was there I had a second look around the shop and got into the mindset to buy another board.
After having a tour of the shop and the shaping room, I went for a tasty 7’0 fun board (see previous blog post about Clyde) which was the best purchase I made whilst in Brazil. What I didn’t realise was that this board came with a whole lot more than just a thruster set-up, sock, leash and board bag. It came with the Casimiro family stoke.
Rose and I had walked to the shop, as we didn’t have a car and the buses are a little thin on the ground in those parts. As well as going to the surf shop, we were also due to go to the supermarket to buy food and supplies for a few days.
After purchasing the board, we asked if we could leave it there just whilst we popped up to the shop. Joao (Renato’s dad and business partner) asked us if we wanted a lift to the supermarket (about 10 mins walk up the road) but we said we’d be fine.
15 minutes later, whilst walking around the shops, we bumped into Joao, who had driven up to the supermarket with the sole intention of picking us up, taking us back to the surf shop and then driving us back to the apartment, all to save us the hassle and effort of taking back all our stuff on foot.
This was one of those moments, where you thought, man, there are still decent people out there who will go out of their way to help you. He was just stoked to help and happy that we were grateful for his help.
So anyway the moral of the story this time, spend £350 or more in a Brazilian surf shop, and you might get a free lift home – joking!
But seriously, in a world with more than its fair share of assholes, it is just nice to be reassured that there are decent people out there! Thanks again Joao and Renato.