It was dawn when we slid into the port of Santarem – a city in the jungle! It seemed to sprawl out along the bank of the Amazon with lots of bustle on the wayter.
Above us great vultures circled ominously.
Brazil – Santarem – Sloths, Iguanas and Amazon jungle.
Back to Boca De Valeria – farewell
The Amazon – Boca De Valeria – into the hinterland.
Brazil, Santarem – rainforest and sunset.
Brazil – Walking through a fishing village on the Amazon.
Butterflies Down the Amazon
The Amazon – Boca De Valeria – Another dose – the locals, pantomime, reality and animals.
We walked back through the village, getting a second dose of the tourist pantomime. I talked to a few of the people. They were friendly and very open. Language was a problem but they explained that they could make more in a day doing this than a week selling crops in the market, logging or fishing. Who could blame them?
Despite everything it was incredibly interesting. We were an attraction for the kids. We were as much a pantomime to them as they were to us.
The Amazon – Through the swamps and back to the village. Photos
Poetry – Rio
Rio
In Rio,
In summer,
Under the clouds.
As the redeemer remains shrouded
In thick fog
And even sugar loaf
Is stark and grey –
It pauses.
Above,
A flock of frigate birds
Soar in spirals
Seeking the thermals
While sheerwaters skim the waves.
Then the sun,
And colour.
Light
Changes
The beaches to yellow
The hills to green
And brings the favelas to life.
Rio rocks
To the drumbeat of samba,
The hip feel of carnival,
The lightness of being,
The gaiety of vitality,
And beckons with adventure.
23.1.2016
Rio
To wander the streets of Rio in the rain as the heavy clouds create dreariness and humidity, is a leaden experience that saps the soul. Sugar loaf and Copacavada are invisible enwrapped in cloud. ‘Christ the Redeemer’ appears for a minute or two and is then enveloped.
But the clouds disperse and the sun bursts through. Immediately the colours spring out and spirits rise. People are out in the streets preparing for carnival. The favelas have colour and are no longer slums. Sugar loaf and Copacavada are picturesque monuments of nature looking down on the thriving beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana.
The crowds are out, beaches pack with football, volleyball and bronzed bodies. There is laughter, swagger and the pervading essence of samba.
A night, when the heat cools, the bars are filled with noise, bustle and beer – It jives. Rio, like most cities, is a place of contrast. Beauty and garbage sit side by side. There are luxury apartments overlooking the beaches and mountains, and slums thrown up in shanty towns on hillsides of mud. But when the sun comes out and the colours kick in you can feel the energy. It is the carnival city.