This was written in Belem and I had hoped to post it before we left but as usual time ran away with me.
Although we are now well on our way into the rest of the trip I'll post this as of we have just left! Hopefully it will be clearer that way!
Well, we are just about coming to the end of our first leg of our trip. It has been amazing so far and this evening (29th July) we board the river boat for the journey from Belem to Santarem.
It was a bit of a shaky start tho! We had just got our bags up on deck and Chris was handing them down to me on the pontoon amid best wishes from some fellow yotties (who we may only see again somewhere on our travels) when the heavens opened and within seconds we were soaked!!!! We got our bags under cover, decided to call a taxi and after a quick change (I could wring my dress out!) made it to Joao Pessoa with no further incident. From then on all went well and we had a great bus ride to Fortaleza on a “leito” coach – a sleeper coach with really good reclining seats, extra width and extra legroom – Excellent, well worth the extra cost.
Although we are now well on our way into the rest of the trip I'll post this as of we have just left! Hopefully it will be clearer that way!
Well, we are just about coming to the end of our first leg of our trip. It has been amazing so far and this evening (29th July) we board the river boat for the journey from Belem to Santarem.
It was a bit of a shaky start tho! We had just got our bags up on deck and Chris was handing them down to me on the pontoon amid best wishes from some fellow yotties (who we may only see again somewhere on our travels) when the heavens opened and within seconds we were soaked!!!! We got our bags under cover, decided to call a taxi and after a quick change (I could wring my dress out!) made it to Joao Pessoa with no further incident. From then on all went well and we had a great bus ride to Fortaleza on a “leito” coach – a sleeper coach with really good reclining seats, extra width and extra legroom – Excellent, well worth the extra cost.
The bus arrived in at around 7.00am and although we could not get into our rooms, after a coffee and quick bite we took a taxi to our hotel. They happily took our bags into safe keeping, told us the room would be ready about 1.30 and so we went off for a wander along the sea front. After a while we found a very nice bar open and had a beer (I know it was TIME early but we had been awake for hours!!!!). A quick trip to the supermarket and we were back to the hotel by about 2.00.
I had booked a double "suite" for 2 and hotel had up-rated us for some reason to one for 4 people so we had far more room but (there's always a but) it was split over 2 floors! The stairs were made of metal and were really steep with the step on the top floor coming a good half way up our shins!! The bathroom was on the top floor – well I say bathroom but it was MINISCULE – the shower was fine but to reach the hand basin you had to stretch across the toilet and using the toilet, well………! Chris took some pics on his phone so I’ll post one when we get back (I’ve not got the micro-sim adaptor with us) Over all though the place was really nice - clean and with very pleasant staff.
We spent a good 2/3 days in Fortaleza; wandering along the front and going into the centre on the bus (helped by 2 brilliant young girls). The indoor central market was HUGE – set over 5 floors and I had the time of my live wandering round. I left Chris people-watching after the first floor!
Having enjoyed our stay in Fortaleza we took our flight to Belem on GOL airlines with nice roomy seats. It was nearly mid-night when we touched down so it was great that the driver from the hotel, Le Massilia, was there to meet us and of course our room was certainly ready. Another 2 storey room! Though this time the bed was upstairs on a mezzanine floor and the bathroom (a reasonable size) was down!!! We had that room for 2 nights and then moved (I had had to change our booking) and are now in an ordinary double room with no
peculiarities - opposite the wooden hammock!
peculiarities - opposite the wooden hammock!
Belem, in the region of Para, is very hot and steamy!! And it normally rains – as in RAINS – every afternoon.
There is masses to see and we have certainly not seen it all but have not done too bad! We took a taxi down to the docks where the old 19th century cargo warehouses that had lined the (then rather seedy) riverside port area have been transformed into quite a complex – with loads of food stores and stalls etc known as the Estacao das Docas.
There was an old stationary traction engine (I THINK I've got that right!) there that had obviously been used to haul cargo and had lots of it's parts made in England. Chris was very happy to look at that so couldn't complain when I was looking in the market!!
There is masses to see and we have certainly not seen it all but have not done too bad! We took a taxi down to the docks where the old 19th century cargo warehouses that had lined the (then rather seedy) riverside port area have been transformed into quite a complex – with loads of food stores and stalls etc known as the Estacao das Docas.
There was an old stationary traction engine (I THINK I've got that right!) there that had obviously been used to haul cargo and had lots of it's parts made in England. Chris was very happy to look at that so couldn't complain when I was looking in the market!!
Just further on is the Ver-o-Peso market (Check the weight). Originally, it was here that the exact weight was measured to collect taxes for the Portuguese crown and as a market for all produce but the meat and fish now have their own markets and it is now one section of an immense bazaar which also includes hundreds of barracas (tents) as well as an area containing bars and restaurants and numerous traditional craft stalls and stalls selling ‘medicines’ of all kinds!
Carrying along the riverside is the early 17th century Forte do Preseipio. From this fortress overlooking the Rio Guamá, the Portuguese jealously guarded the entrance to the Amazon while launching conquests deeper and deeper into the rain forest. The enormous cannons perched on the ramparts are proof of their defensive zeal. Sorry couldn't get an angle to get a decent pic!
There are some magnificent buildings in this area including the twin-towered Catedral da Sé, which was designed by Italian architect Antônio José Landi, who had numerous commissions in Belém. Unfortunately it was not open on Mondays when we were there but apparently the interior is an “unremarkable mishmash of baroque and neoclassical styles with a lot of glossy marble imported from Italy” so I don’t feel we missed out there!
There are some magnificent buildings in this area including the twin-towered Catedral da Sé, which was designed by Italian architect Antônio José Landi, who had numerous commissions in Belém. Unfortunately it was not open on Mondays when we were there but apparently the interior is an “unremarkable mishmash of baroque and neoclassical styles with a lot of glossy marble imported from Italy” so I don’t feel we missed out there!
We have also visited the Musea Paraense Emilio Goeldi Museum and Zoological Gardens. (Hmm, yes, I know!) Founded in 1895, the museum was the world’s first research centre devoted to the flora, fauna, and cultures of the Amazon. To date, it is also considered one of the best in South America. Located on a vast estate, the museum has an impressive collection of Indian artifacts, including a great display of the distinctive and delicate pre-Columbian ceramic vessels made by the indigenous groups that once inhabited the Ilha de Marajó. The main building housed a very interesting exhibition about the Ka’apor tribe who were involved in setting up the exhibition and many provided many artefacts and allowed some filming of their ancient ceremonies | |
It does provide an introduction to the rain forest itself, simply strolling amid towering mahogany and rubber trees, past lagoons strewn with giant water lilies. You can familiarize yourself with some creatures you may never see in the actual jungle. Some were rather sorry-looking especially the monkeys and a rather rare jaguar lying along a branch but the toucans, macaws, turtles, caiman were fine and it was lovely to see agoutis, scarlet ibis (watch out Rob!!) and iguanas roaming freely.
The iguanas were quite funny as they were up in the trees but kept falling out. We had heard twigs cracking and the odd thud but it wasn’t until one landed about 5ft (1.5m) away from me that we realised what had been making the noise!!
On our last day in Belem we checked out of the hotel at 12.00 but as we were not boarding Amazon Star until 6.00, we left our bags in the hotel and went off to Mangal das Garcas which I think means something to do with herons!! It should do cos there were loads of them there wandering freely with scarlet ibis and flamingos. The old Belem lighthouse is there providing an amazing view over the river & port, an d there is a museum of navigation and a butterfly house and aviary. We spent a great couple of hours there before getting a taxi back to the hotel, collecting our bags and going down to the port. More about that later!!
Well that's it for now! Hopefully next episode when we're in Rio after Sunday. I'll try to get some more pics up in the gallery now so do have a look to see!