"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