Days 25 & 26 - Boat from Santarem to Belem

Small communities dotted the shores of the Amazon

After saying our farewells to our new found friends in Alter do Chao and caught the next boat headed westward down the Amazon.

Although the boat trip was slightly longer than the first it turned out to be quite a bit more entertaining and enjoyable than the previous one. We figured out that boat showers (small poorly ventilated stalls with a shower head over the toilet) aren't nearly as uncomfortable and pointless as we had thought they would be, at least they killed some time and saved us from being the stinky girls on the boat. We also found that the food served on board wasn't bad either (we had heard some horror stories). The river was much more narrow on this leg of the journey as well, therefore more scenic. There are small communities all along the way that use canoes as a main means of transportation, whole families, men, women and children paddling around the river in handmade canoes. Fascinating.

One of the best parts of the trip, and certainly the most entertaining was a group of men we met while having drinks on the top deck we quickly bonded with them over drinks and talk of American music. It turns out they were in Santarem training for their work, which was as a hired security force, basically rent-a-cops with automatic weapons. They gave us tips about things to do in Belem and kept us entertained by singing all the wrong lyrics to American songs. The trip flew by and before we knew it we were in Belem.

"It's Alter do Chao!! Why do today what you can do tomorrow!" Joao - Alter do Chao resident and friend

Days 16-24 - Alter do Chao, River Tapajos, Amazon, Para state

We arrived in Alter do Chao today, a small town on the River Tapajos. It is often called the "Caribbean of the Amazon" and rightfully so. The town plaza lies directly facing the blue water and Ihla do Ahmor, a sandbar with white sand beaches, and small places to sit and drink, eat, swim, and soak up the sun shine.

Ihla do Ahmor

We were immediately approached by a nice man, Berto, who showed us to our hostel, Alberberque da Floresta. It turned out we would be seeing a lot of Berto, he was one of the many guides around town and he seemed to pop up anywhere we were ready and eager to take us on a tour of something. Upon arriving we hung our hammocks in a small covered outdoor area and set up our home for the next 9 days.

Cozy isn't it?

Although it may not seem like it, the hammock area is quite cozy and nice. The whole area is nestled in a patch of large trees. Everything is outside, including the kitchen, bathroom and laundry areas. It is situated only a short walk from Lago Verde, where we went swimming every day, the water there is clean, calm and the perfect temperature.

Lago Verde

The whole town was entering it's low tourist season and so there were very few people staying at the hostel, most of those staying were long termers, staying for months at a time. It seems that a lot of tourists end up falling in love and getting stuck here. It is understandable, Alter do Chao really has a way of drawing you in. Between the beauty of the landscape, and the sense of community, even if you are just in town a few days, Alter do Chao has a way of making you feel like you have been there forever.

Most of time spent here was spent relaxing, however we did go out for a couple of short outings. On day 22 Berto took us out to fish for Piranha. Unfortunately, we were not so lucky, but we had a good time none the less. After the fishing we headed out to Ponta do Cururu to see the sunset and spot dolphins. For some reason the dolphins seem to congregate there, it was a beautiful scene.

Fishing for Piranha

Ponta do Cururu at sunset

On our last night in town, we went out with a group of friends at the hostel to listen to Carimbo, the typical music of the Para region. Helder, a now good friend, is one of the musicians in town that plays this style of music. It was such a great night, a small troupe of street circus performers put on an amazing show, and we ended up dancing the night away with locals and tourists alike. One man we met is involved in a group called Saude e Algeria (Health & Happiness) Foundation. They are attempting to aid in integrating local native cultures into the global community by introducing them to new technology such as the Internet, while still fighting to protect their distinct culture. The belief is that by doing this, the people will be able to find a voice and better protect the forest and their own heritage. Quite an interesting approach I think, progressive and realistic. These communities must be able to enter into the global community and communicate in a modern way in order to survive and retain their land and way of life. Check out their website at http://www.saudeealegria.org.br/portal/index.php (use Google translator).

By far the best part of Alter do Chao was the people we met. Helder, Joao, Susanna, Alex... the list goes on, great people and a great place.

Leanne, Helder & I

Day 18 & 19 - Jamaraqua, FLONA/River Tapajos

We have been in Alter do Chão a couple days now and left today on a small boat down the Tapajos River to FLONA, a national park area of the rain forest, where a handful of native families still reside. We are staying the night with one such family in the small village of Jamaraqua.

After a four hour boat trip in a very small boat, we finally arrived at the home of the family we would be staying with. On their land they appeared to be almost entirely self-sufficient, cows, chickens, and a very large and foreboding turkey roaming the property. Despite the large satellite dish (strange, I know) they were quite far removed from life as we know it. We were shown to a small outdoor area that was to be our home for the next 30 hours and given lunch before heading out by canoe to see the flooded forest. It is the wet season in the Amazon so much of the areas that are normally accessible by foot must be instead explored via canoe.

That night, we were taken out a second time in a canoe to hunt for the"jacarè," or caiman (a type of crocodile). We didn't actually hunt them of course, just went in search of them, and found one too, quietly tucked in a dark corner under the water!! A little scary, but mostly fascinating, our guide was quite the crazy man, with a laugh that could make you smile for days. That night we slept safely under the protection of our mosquito nets.

After an early start the next day we went out hiking in the forest. There was so much to see there, trees that bled latex, ants that when smashed could be rubbed on your skin and used as repellent, flora used in natural headache and lung remedies, and of course of giant sumauná trees, with trunks twice as tall as I.

That evening we enjoyed a bath in the river followed by beers and futbol in the small village "center." We left Jamaraqua at night under a full moon, headed back to Alter do Chão and on to our next adventure.

Jamaraqua was definitely an interesting experience. It is quite amazing how knowledgeable about the forest and river the people living there are, they know every name of every bird, animal, tree, plant, etc. I think that very few of us could say the same of the place we call home. The best part was seeing how really happy and content they all seem to be with the life they lead. Putting up tourists is, of course, a way for them to make money, but they seemed to be happy to do so, to share their knowledge and way of life with others. It is something I will never forget.

Day 14 & 15 - Boat from Manaus to Santarem

Hello, faithful readers!! Sorry for the break in contact we have been in the Amazon the past 14 days and had very limited Internet access, so I have some catching up to do... here it goes...

We began this little portion of our adventure with a 28 hour boat ride from Manaus to Santarem. It started with a crazy rush to the port, so much so I thought we might miss the boat but, as with much of the transportation here, the boat did not leave on time and we made it aboard.

The loading was a little insane, at one point, while already headed down the river, a man in a small boat pulled up, threw his luggage on board and just jumped on in!

The boat itself was an interesting experience, so many people packed on to one vessel, all swinging from hammocks. Despite the number of people on board, we were the only travelling gringos. Needless to say, as usual, we stuck out like a sore thumb. Our neighbors were very pleasant people who were more than willing to answer any questions we had.

Seeing the "meeting of the waters" was pretty amazing, it is where the two rivers, one "black" and one "white," meet and don´t mix for several kilometers because of differences in speed, density, temperature, etc.

The first night we experienced the first of many Amazonian sunsets. The whole sky lit up like the trees were on fire. This was the moment it hit me that I was floating down the Amazon river, something I never imagined I would do, and yet, there I was, it was truly magnificent.

The boat ride all in all was definitely better than I expected it to be. It did begin to lose it's luster after the first night, and we were glad we decided to break up the full trip into two sections.

After getting off the boat in Santarem, we had to stay the night in a hotel there because it was too late to head into Alter do Chão, but we head there tomorrow!!!

Day 12 - Manaus

We arrived yesterday in Manaus, a large city situated on the Amazon River. We are staying near the famous Opera House, which has turned out to be a blessing. The neighborhood is a quiet retreat in an otherwise painfully loud and bustling city. Last night we enjoyed pizza on the plaza where a small crowd gathered to eat and watch what I believe was a kind of `open mic´ night. After sunset a group of small street vendors selling popcorn, ice cream and a Amazonian typical native soup called Tacaca came out to sell to the locals and tourists strolling around the plaza.

Today was a lesson in taking the city buses in Brazil, something we had yet to try. It was quite the experience, but something we needed to learn sooner or later. The drivers in this country are a bit crazy anyways and the bus drivers are no exception. There are no posted schedules or routes at the stops, so somehow you just have to know what to do. After several attempts and a couple VERY helpful Brazilians, we finally made it on to the correct bus and headed to the INPA Science Grove. It is supposedly an Amazon research facility that has a small tourist section, but being that it was Sunday it was a bit difficult to tell exactly what they were doing there. Apparently, one of the projects is a conservation project for manatees and river otters. However, the small and rather dirty tanks these animals are being kept in made me wonder. I suppose some research is in order.

We have decided to take it easy for the next 24 hours as our boat trip begins 10 a.m. Tuesday!

`It´s Carnival!!!` -Leanne Reuss

Days 1 through 9 - Rio De Janiero

Yay!! Carnival and Rio pics!!

I know you all have been waiting for me to post some pics!

After a long day of travelling we finally make it to the hostel!

Some kind of creamy, gooey drink in a plastic tube... hmm...

Nothing like some tequila on the subway!!

Yeah, no idea...

Another Samba float, the size of them is unbelievable!

Buzios on the boat!!

Leanne and Shannon getting tattooed!! Crazy girls!!

I have about a million more, but I think you get the idea!

I am sad to say that Jamie and Shannon have left our little adventure. They had to go back to being responsible in the real world:-( It was so amazing having the 4 of us together in Rio, we travelled so well together, had each others backs and just genuinely enjoyed each others company. You two will be sorely missed! We love you!

then there were two...

`Would you like some of my sweet nectar?´ -Annie Carter

Day 7 - Rio De Janeiro

The last few days have been a crazy and amazing experience! Carnival officially kicked off on Friday night with a massive `Bloco,´ a block party of epic proportions!! Armed with our flask of tequila and boys in towels and shower caps, we braved the crowds and danced to music coming from a band on top of a large truck. I had never seen anything like it (at least until the next night), and doubt that I ever will again. The costumes on all the men are probably the best part.

We went to the Sambadromo on Monday night. What a crazy experience. It is a huge competition of Samba schools all across Brazil, each school has its own separate parade lasting about an hour and a half each, with about seven schools performing. It begins at 9 p.m. and goes all night until about 6:30 a.m. Leanne and I stayed as late as we could handle, until 4 a.m. It was by far the most amazing thing I have ever seen, the floats, the thousands of dancers and the crowd of people there to watch was staggering.

Last night was Shrove Tuesday, and after going to another bloco, we found an Irish pub in Ipanema and went there to meet up with some of other Americans we met. A bit of the comforts of home (i.e. pints of beer, and clean bathrooms) was a welcome change.

Today was tourist sight seeing day, we went up to see Cristo Rendentor, Christ the Redeemer, it is quite a marvelous piece of art and the views are amazing! We also saw the soccer stadium and the Cathedral, beautiful!

So far Rio has turned out to be a great city, and a great place to visit. Seeing the poverty and inequality, particularly between the light skinned Brazilians and the Afro-Brazilians, has been a bit difficult to see, but humbling as well. Sometimes we forget how good we have it, and you really aren´t able to forget that here.

OK, gotta run, the girls are waiting!!

Besos,

Annie