Icoaraci and Belem

Belem Skyline from the Amazon River

We woke around 6 this morning, full of anticipation for the day ahead.  Out of the porthole we could see the shores and boats of the Amazon.  Keen to see more and be ready for our tour meet time of 8.15, we went up for a “hearty breakfast”, (it’s gonna be a long time till lunch), and a look outside.  We knew from last year that a few moths may have landed on the ship overnight.  When we looked we found four.  We expect more in Macapa!
The Amazon splits out into many branches as it approaches the sea.  Today we’ve been anchored more or less in the middle of one of those river branches,  just outside Icoaraci.  Our tour was to visit the Guama river and take a short walk through the jungle.  It went as follows: 

We started in the Marco Lounge at the time detailed in the daily blurb. We’d been allocated a tender number, and when it was called, duly followed our escort to the gangway to climb into our transport to the shore. The tenders are actually the ships lifeboats. They all have motors and are pressed into service when there isn’t a dock big enough for the ship.  Getting on and off isn’t too difficult, because the a lot of effort goes into making sure the gangway is safe. The tender took us from the ship to the pier in Icoaraci. 

There, as is the norm apparently, we had to climb off our tender through a river boat that was already moored, to get up onto the pier. Bizarre!
A bus took us from Icoaraci, through Belem to the river boat that would take us along the Guama River. The trip took about 45 mins, through the various sections of the city. 

We saw the muck and squalor of the poorest estates, the many fenced off military areas, and the posh estates surrounded by metal railings, obviously designed to keep the dirty poor out.  Belem itself is full of modern sky scrapers and wide avenues, but still manages to look poor. Graffiti was everywhere.  
We got to our River Boat which was tied up in a very nice, touristy designed area. Once on board, we sat and enjoyed watching Belem, then the jungle and the river go by.

As I said, Belem is full of skyscrapers, and the skyline from the river could easily be that somewhere like Manhatten.
As we sailed along the river, the tour guide gave loads information about Brazil, the Amazon, de-forestation, etc. We didn’t hear most of it though, because of the noise of the engine. No matter, we were thoroughly enjoying the scenery.
At the point where our walk was to start we disembarked onto a pier on stilts, which meant we had to go upstairs to the top deck of our river boat to get off.

Our guide then took us on a short walk through jungle, showing us all the fruits and plants available to eat. It was amazing to realise we were surrounded by food.  It really was everywhere. I can’t remember the names of everything he talked about, but bananas, mangos and cocoa were in abundance as well as everything else. No-one starves in this jungle. As usual, we were all  looking for wildlife. The jackpot today were the cricket things we spotted, Ugly as sin, but really interesting.

The walk culminated in a fruit tasting session, and the showing off of a pet tarantula type spider owned by a young Amazonian lass. No, we didn’t eat the fruit (it was covered in flies!), and no we didn’t handle the spider! We then returned Icoarici by river boat and coach as per the way we came.

The tour had overrun by 1 ½ hours. It was now 3.30 pm and we had about an hour before getting one of the last tenders back to the ship.  We used that hour to get a quick look at the shops and craft stores before heading back.

By the time we were back in our cabin, it was 5 O’clock, and we were absolutely starving.  We’d not eaten since breakfast.  We headed first for the tea station, and then sat on deck until the Bistro opened at 6.  We were two of the first in there. 

All in all, it’s been a thoroughly enjoyable day.  We are adding to our knowledge of this area all the time.  It’s amazing the differences between the culture, lifestyles, terrain and wildlife here and our own. Tomorrow is another cruising day, and after that, many more Amazon ports.  As Peter says, “bring it on”.