Yesterday I was challenged by Susanne, one of my customers in the tuk-tuk tours I do in Lisbon, to create a blog telling the stories of the people I meet, the daily situations one encounters while driving a tuk-tuk in the capital of Portugal, and at the same time forcing myself to write more often. Susanne is a writer by the way. So I decided to just do it. And here we are. 7 years ago there were no tuk-tuks in the streets of Lisbon. Well, those days are gone. There's about 900 of them nowadays, and the popularity of this means of transportation doesn't seem to stop. Tuk-tuk is an onomatopoetic word formed in imitation of the natural sound made by their small engines. However and fortunately so, the one I drive is electric and doesn't make that tuk-tuk sound. Doesn't pollute too. So it is a quieter, cleaner contrast to the original tuk-tuks from Asia. The story of the tuk-tuk origin in Lisbon, as I was told, goes like this. A Portuguese businessman inspired by what he saw in Thailand on one of his vacations, bought a tuk-tuk just to drive around his wife on the weekends. Just for fun. But he got such a reaction from the people he encountered on the streets that he sensed there was a business opportunity there. And he was the first one who took it. Nowadays there's over 900 of them around the city and it's proven to be a very popular way of navigating the seven hills of Lisbon.
Two weeks have gone by since I last wrote here. The struggle to write regularly and keep a daily blog is real. I was wondering the reason why and I remembered a song that describes it. It's called "Inquietação". That word can be translated as restlessness or disquiet. "Cá dentro inquietação, inquietação É só inquietação, inquietação Porquê, não sei Porquê, não sei Porquê, não sei ainda Há sempre qualquer coisa que está pra acontecer Qualquer coisa que eu devia perceber Porquê, não sei Porquê, não sei Porquê, não sei ainda" The chorus of the song talks about an interior disquiet, a consuming restlessness. The motives are unclear, the author doesn't know why, or not yet. But then he says something that I feel most of the time: there's always something happening, something I should understand (Há sempre qualquer coisa que está pra acontecer, qualquer coisa que eu devia perceber). And that's what the past two weeks have been. Some
You did it! Keep writing, Joel, and I'll keep reading.
ReplyDeleteMost excellent. Where Susanne treads, magic happens. :) When I come to Lisbon, I know who to turn to. Blogging Pearl Jam fans, unite and take over. ;) Happy writing!
ReplyDeleteSo glad Susanne encouraged you to blog :)
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