Belem, Province of Para, Brazil
Belem is situated on the Guama River, which belongs to the
Amazon Delta. It is hidden behind a large island, where the river has silted up
so much that no large ships can reach it anymore. The Prinsendam anchored off
shore at Icoarachi, a small town an hour’s drive downriver from Belem.
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| Welcome to Belem... |
The waters are brown and silty, clumps of greenery float
along the current, and the air is laden with moisture and an aroma of muddy
dampness. A few swallows visit the ship.
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| Washed out steps... |
We tendered ashore to take a shuttle bus to Belem.
Low tide - ferries,
fishing boats and small barges all rested on the garbage strewn muddy beach. Icoarachi
appeared to have suffered from serious flooding earlier, as stone staircases from
the landing dock to street level were washed out and the small shore-side banks
were eroded, half dried rivers of mud demarcated sidewalks from street. We all
clambered up make shift wooden stairs to reach street level.
The bus was filled with an acrid odor apparently emanating
from the aft ‘bano’, which made one’s eyes water; the hour drive seemed longer
as everyone was trying to hold their breath for the duration.
Destination was Belem Centro at Estacao das Docas , a series
of converted shore side warehouses rendered obsolete after river silt up. The
bus dropped us here and people took a deep breath of air less pungent than
onboard, and one could walk the last few
hundred yards to the city centre in the comfort of air-conditioning.
I braved the late
morning heat and walked along the regular sidewalk and enjoyed my first taste
of Belem.
Belem had its major economic
boom during the rubber era in the late 19th century and remnants
of colonial and rubber boom buildings line the streets of old Belem Central.
Most are fighting a losing battle against tropical humidity and ever invasive vegetation, never mind ever
present graffiti. The city has over a million inhabitants, many live in a
forest of high-rises in the newer parts of the city, an immense number of them
live in seemingly endlessly stretching favelas and slums.
After a short walk from the drop off point, one reaches the
largest indoor/outdoor market of Brazil, the Mercado Ver-O-Peso. The indoor part consist of a turreted
building, the outdoor part of a large tent city (to provide shade and shelter
from frequent tropical downpours) where offerings range from freshly prepared
food, live ducklings and parakeets, as well as rabbits and chickens, to home
remedies by the truckload, heaps and heaps of Cashew and Para nuts (better
known as Brazil nuts) spices, fruits, vegetables etc. etc. etc. in addition to ‘arts and crafts’ for tourist
consumption.
Equatorial sun was steam-baking everything around. I made it
to the old fishing harbour, adjacent to the Mercado. Still being low tide, all
the boats were beached here as well. Instead of being surrounded by yellow river
water, they were surrounded by hundreds of black vultures, who scavenged
amongst the garbage and carcasses of dead fish and herons. Dozens of white
herons stalked amongst their black relatives looking for tasty morsels for
themselves.
Circumnavigating the square beside the harbour, I made my
way toward Forte de Presepio, an edifice dating back to Belem’s foundation in
1616. Traces of the old splendour of Belem could be seen in more or less well
reconstructed edifices. Forte Castelo was one of the first buildings
constructed by Castello Branco, and now houses a museum for Amerindian ethnic
culture. There is also the first church of Belem, Santo Alexandre, and the
Palacio Episcopal, the Bishop’s Palace.
Retracing my steps I returned to the open air market, which
had burst into pre carnival warm up celebration with dancing and drumming. Good
time to take a break from the heat, and watch the performers and cool down with
a local brew.
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| Carneval 'Dress' |
The return shuttle bus was of a newer edition, not only did
the air conditioning work – but there was no offensively pungent odor. However,
there was standing room only for the last passengers who climbed in, I being
one of them.
As soon as the bus arrived back at the tender pier, the
heavens opened up to remind us of ‘tropical rainforest’ weather conditions. Dozens
of fire-hoses cold not have done a more thorough job of drowning the streets,
pedestrians and motorbikers.
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| Anything will serve as an umbrella |
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| Refuge from the rain... |
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| Drying up for new guests... |
Diving into a corner pub – the only thing with open doors
within sprinting distance – and waiting it out, seemed to be the most sensible
option.
Tide was in again, and some locals took their afternoon swim
on the off side of the pier, where no fishing boats nor too obvious garbage
were cluttering the beach.
On the business side of the pier small boats vied for
position, and loaded/ off loaded their goods and passengers. There is not a
single bridge over the Amazon along its entire length; all traffic is conducted
via water craft.
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| Bit of smoke.... |
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| Tender pier at high tide |
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| Gone Swimming |
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| 'Second in Command' |
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| Kids and their cell phones - even on the Amazon... |
Our anchors aweigh moment was delayed, as a medical
evacuation needed to be completed before it. A local small motorized wooden barge
had tied up alongside the tender hatch of Prinsendam. A couple of suitcases
disappeared down the hatch of the small boat, officials with cell phones moved
about, and finally a man in a wheelchair – our disabled evacuee from the ship –
was hoisted on the small bow of the barge. There, a couple of people held onto
the wheelchair, as the boat took off across the river, now plunged into
darkness. The patient/passenger had a new take on water ambulance, occupying a
prime seat on the spray prone bow, and being taken to a hospital or airport.
The ship headed back out into the Atlantic, to
circumnavigate the island located in front of Belem and re-enter the Amazon
further north. For a day we were back in blue water – last chance to fill the
ships water tanks with desalinated water. Once in the Amazon, the desalination
plant will be disabled, as the silty waters plug up the plant’s filters. Water
restrictions are in force until we return to the open sea.
