January 13th Friday
Belem Brazil
The Gateway to the Amazon River. Booked a ‘Best of Belem’ city tour which left at 8 am. We had to tender in since they did not have a decent port to dock in. As it was, it was low tide and the ship was sitting in just 6 feet of water. The tenders held 200 people and it was very primitive. They looked like the boat in the African Queen. The Amazon delta is very wide, and the tides can be up to 10 feet. We could not see the bottom of the river because it was very murky and there was a lot of garbage in the water. People were washing clothes and taking baths. We walked to the tour bus…..not a very nice area. Was surprised that the bus was new and air-conditioned. The ride to the city took about 45 minutes one way so we saw a lot of the area. Very poor, and run down. The average income for many people is around 500 reals which is about 700 US. And that is if you have a steady job. I think that this is a fairly new port to dock in because most of the people seemed surprised by our presence. They loved Bruce’s mustache, so we received a lot of attention, smiles and waving….the universal language. The official language is Portuguese and very few people speak English. We had armed security with us the whole time on and off the bus. We wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. Before we got to the Ver-o-Peso market they told us to stay together and not wonder off on our own. The security was pretty tight all around. We heard later that a couple did get pick-pocketed, but they told us no jewelry, purses, and to dress down. We walked through the market and saw lots of fruits and vegetables. They have 13,000 mango trees in this area alone. Huge bags of Brazil nuts and Cashews, and they peel each one by hand. The vendor food is displayed uncovered but there are no flies….and we didn’t see a one. No bugs at all really. Bruce was approached by a woman and we didn’t understand if she wanted money or was propositioning him. Must be the mustache. Security rousted her, and to prove that she did not steal anything she stripped right there in the street. Needless to say she followed us around totally naked until security shooed her away. Just a little uncomfortable, especially to the men in our group. But everyone wants a little National Geographic moment in their life…Right? Toured the Forto do Castelo, built by the Portuguese in the 17th century, and the botanical gardens. Belem kept a few acres of the natural jungle in the middle of the city. It was beautiful except the native animals were kept in cages. Well, I guess you can’t have leopards and monkeys running around the city. And yes, everything grows huge in the tropics, from the animals to the plants. Rena the tour guide was excellent. She was very proud to show off her city and it showed.. Very knowledgeable and witty. The tour was only supposed to be about 4 ½ hrs but it turned into 7. By that time many of the group were very exhausted from the heat. Glad to get back to the ship. The ship left late that night waiting for a few groups that were stuck in traffic. Good thing they had a ship tour. This was one port that we were glad we did not do on our own.
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