Credencial

I went for a delicious dinner at Annette and Emre’s house. I watched a video of their eldest son being befriended by an octopus during a trip to Bazaruto further north in Mozambique. It climbed onto him and sat there like a backpack. It was awesome.

I cut it fine to leave before the 10pm curfew, with Vitória the trusty taxi driver coming to the rescue. She confirmed that taxi drivers are in possession of a ‘credencial’ that permits them to be operating during the curfew. I don’t think the same applies to passengers who can’t prove they have a valid reason for being there.

A few minutes before 10pm, we met a police roadblock, which had randomly popped up on a backstreet. The normal identification and paperwork checks ensued, which Vitória handled. Then the officer started hustling about an expired tax disc, which wasn’t accurate, as Vitória knew it was valid until November. Spurious accusations like this issued in hushed tones at a driver’s window are a risky strategy by a officer, but he or she knows in certain cases the driver will want to avoid any hassle and will hand over some dosh. It often comes down to a battle of moral will.

This time he was no match for Vitória’s calm approach. She simply apologised for the (untrue) oversight, and as he was lying he couldn’t involve his colleague or write a ticket. He eventually stepped back from the window, a hustle that failed on this occasion. She never accused him of lying, and didn’t escalate the situation, until she let rip about corruption when we were back in private. A useful woman to know, wonderfully consummate.

Octopuses are well known to adapt their colouring to their surroundings. I believe this is a camouflaged black-necked agama I saw in the Praça da Independência.