The ship arrived a little before 8am. The ship moved from the Amazon River to the
Tapajos River. The guide said to us, “Welcome
to our city in the middle of the jungle.”
There are about 300,000 people here and the population has increased
rapidly in the last few decades.
The city is connected to the next state by a highway;
however, on 10km of the road is paved.
The rest of it is a dirt road that is impassable during this time of the
year (the wet season). So, boats are
really the only mode of transport which is evident with all of the boats in the
city.
My tour included time around Santarem and then a trip out to the
beach community of Alter do Chao. Unfortunately, much of the beaches were flooded with the high water that exists on the rivers in the Amazon Basin.
Tomorrow the ship will be visiting a small Amazon village in which the kids are the our guides.
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| We moved from the muddy Amazon River to the "less muddy" Tapajos River to reach Santarem, Brazil. |
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| This island separated the Amazon from the tributary (Tapoajos), but both rivers have overflowed their banks. |
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| The buses (and also tour boats) are waiting for us. |
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| They warned us the local transportation would be basic... so don't expect air conditioning! |
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| The group visited the local church, one of the oldest buildings in the city, during church services. |
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| We went to a family "farm" where they raised Brazil nuts and other items. Here the father of the family(left) is demonstrating how you open the husks of a Brazil nut. The guide (orange shirt) is translating (his English was great). Note the daughter, who did the selling, is like all teenagers on her cell phone (even in the Amazon). |
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| I didn't buy this, but I did buy a vase made of the husk. It is in quarantine (48 hours in a freezer) to prevent pests. |
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| Mom and daughter are sharing with us samples of local fruits. |
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| The youngest family members were also posing for us. |
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| The rubber industry was once thriving, but the seeds were taken to SE Asia and Africa. They took the market from Brazil. |
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| The next stop was the beach at Alter do Chao, but the beach was partially flooded. |
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| But these guys were ready to take you over by canoe for $5. |
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| I couldn't figure out what this meant. The guide said it says I love it here (the dolphins make the heart) in Portuguese. |
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| Another beach was available by walking to the end of the town stretch. |
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| The local dog welcomed me to the beach. I didn't choose to swim today, but I'll give the Amazon a try in a few days. |
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| Iguanas were enjoying some time at the beach. |
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| This young guy decided to stay in the tree. |
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| Preserved piranha were available in all formats. A large group of folks went fishing for piranha, but I understand they weren't biting today! |
