Whiskey Jack Adventures: Santarem, Brazil

For dinner last evening we went to the specialty Italian restaurant and enjoyed an excellent meal. We then played trivia by ourselves (team members still all at dinner) Dinner was followed by a comedy-magic show put on by the cruise director. In our stateroom in the evening was a certificate testifying that we have crossed the Equator. We can put that with the one we got for crossing the Arctic Circle!

Located at the confluence of the Tapajós and Amazon Rivers, Santarém has an estimated population of 350,000. Because of the crystalline waters of the Tapajós River, Santarém has more than 100 km of natural beaches including one known as the "Caribbean in Brazil." thus has become a popular tourist destination.

Both rivers run along many kilometers in the front of the city, side by side, without mixing. Amazon's milky colored water carries sediment from the Andes in the East, while the Tapajós's water is somewhat warmer and has a deep-blue tone. This phenomenon is called "The meeting of the waters" by the locals.

We sailed alongside Santarem about 0630 this morning and Doug went to the top deck to bug hunt (see pics). As previously mentioned the various insects are attracted to the lights of the ship during the night.

This morning we were able to experience our first tendering situation as we are anchored in the middle of the river and needed to get to shore for our tour. They use the ships lifeboat vessels, spacious but also warm. These enclosed vessels hold about 100 people.

We had been warned about the tour buses being old and not to our standards but they were the most spacious we have had so far. No air conditioning, though. Our tour guide, Maria, did an excellent job. Her English was originally self-taught by watching subtitled movies but later took English in high school and university. She was a lawyer for a time but got tired of helping criminals get free so became a cop and does tours on the side. We realized how lucky we were with her for our guide when we were paired up with another group for a short while and you couldn’t understand anything their guide was saying.

Our tour started with a visit to a demonstration flour mill. They showed us how they traditionally prepare the cassava flour and offered us treats made from it as well as numerous different fruits including star fruit, pineapple, orange, banana and the stinky but very flavourful jack fruit as well as raw and roasted brazil nuts. They also demonstrated how rubber was extracted from the tree.

Other stops on the tour included a Cathedral and a museum. We also were taken to the meeting of the waters. All in all, a very informative tour but it was hot and humid.

Tonight we change back to Atlantic time (Brazil has 4 time zones) on our way to our next Amazon port - Parantins.