The Amazon treated us to a beautiful sunrise this morning. As we continued to make our way to today’s port,
we continued to see the effect of both the recent rains and the end of the wet
season on the homes and land along the shoreline. Due to the high water, actually visiting the village
of Boca da Valeria was in doubt as the “available” dock might be underwater. However,
the excellent crew of the Navigator was able to make it work.
This port of call is a small Caboclo settlement that serves
primarily as an opportunity for visitors to experience a small Amazonian
village. The town is reported to have a
census of 75, but on days that a cruise ship visits, several hundred additional
folks from surrounding villages come to act as guides and share their
cultures. Children bring their “pets”
(various birds, insects, etc.) and offer to take you around the village and parents
offer small boat rides out to the giant lily pads. The village consisted of a school, a church and
even what they call a “restaurant”.
As mentioned before, due to the lack of roads, the river is
the primary mode of transportation for those who live here. The locals that came to Boca da Valeria all
came by boats of various sizes. Some
more “entrepreneurial” locals came right up to our tenders as they were loading
and unloading passengers. From their
small vessels, they hawked handmade bracelets and necklaces and requested “donations”
(knowing to ask for dollars).
We did not go ashore today, as it was a tender port and the
weather was 100/100 (That’s 100 degrees with 100% humidity!) We spent the day resting and loading on up water
(hydrating . . .) for our two-day visit to the Ecolodge starting tomorrow
morning. Learning about the Caboclo heritage
will be part of our experience on our overnight as will a visit to a native Caboclo
home. Caboclo is the term used locally for
those born of the union of Portuguese fathers and native Indian mothers. These unions were especially common during the
time of the rubber boom in the Amazon. (more on this in a later posting)
The view of the small village was in stark contrast to some
of the cities we then passed later in the day.
In addition to some significantly industrial areas, we noticed some very
modern homes.
Probably because we were well hydrated and rested, our team
won trivia this afternoon, earning six additional “Regent reward points” (3 for
each of us). We are well on our way to
that t-shirt!
Once again, we had a magnificent sunset. Enjoy!
Link to today's photo:
Boca da Valeria, Brazil photos 6/3/17
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