27 Hours Non-Stop Bus, Ready For Amazon Pirates
Trip Start
Sep 29, 2007
1
65
221
Trip End
Ongoing
Fortaleza to Belem,
Brazil
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
A couple of days ago we bought tickets and waited for our Jericoacoara bus in boring as bat shit Fortaleza, a major fishing port and commercial centre which is mostly a gritty modern city with no sights. Our morning bus from Natal got in at 7am and the 10am to Jeri bus was filled so we couldnīt leave until 4pm. We didnīt get much sleep. We realised we wouldnīt get to Jeri until 11pm and with no accommodation booked and a difficult trip back out, we decided to give it a miss and headed straight to Belem and out to the Amazon, a wise choice. We ended up taking a 27 HOURS LONG NON-STOP BUS from Forteleza to Belem. Major bus Twilight Zone / bus delirium action going on. We had massive drama buying the tickets and i had to get a translator to help. We ended up with seats at the back, good for the crash zone theory but too close to the toilet that started to stink after 10 hours. Luckily we got some good on and off sleep in. The bus stopped briefly to pick up and drop off passengers and for 20 minutes in the morning for breakfast. The only food was the pay by the kilo type buffet that is found all over Brazil. We had meat kebab meat and potato with an assortment of strange foods for breakfast. The Brazilians havenīt seemed to explore the idea of different flavours merging together on the palate just yet and tend to eat many different types of foods on one plate. We survived the bus. Brazil is the fifth-largest country after all.
We arrived in Belem late last night and took a taxi to an old hostel where we appreciated a lengthy shower (cold of course). The weather is cooler here and the mosquitoes more plentiful. There are two people staying at our hostel with what they believe are dengue fever symptoms (highly unlikely). We are keeping covered up. Belem has historic neighbourhoods, looming churches and a vibrant arts and music scene. Belem is said to be dangerous for tourists (a lot of dock / wharfie workers) and is notorious for pickpockets. We were immediately warned to lock our valuables in a safe and to take little money out with us, no bags. We carried some cash in a plastic grocery bag and had no problems. We didnīt get the strange vibe that anything was out of whack here although this could change at night time and we will take taxis to be safe.
Vast jungle covers the north of Brazil, with the many tributaries of the Amazon coursing through the region like earthīs dark veins. Along the riverbanks lie tropical cities, Indian villages and great stretches of uninhabited rain forest, inspiring our imaginations with its unknown mysteries. The Amazon basin has 80000km of navigable rivers. When looking for travel routes on a map of Amazonia, we must look for water because rivers are the highways here. Belem is the gateway to the Amazon, the reason we are here. We visited the bustling Mercado Ver-O-Peso (market) where we stocked up on supplies for our boat trip including hammock US$15 each, rope, water, DEET repellent, toilet paper, snacks, food including Brazil and Cashew nuts, energy bars, condiments and sauces and little munchies to make our Amazon trip more comfortable. We have heard the meals on board are bland. I ate some local battered Dourado (Catfish) that tasted incredible and was about as close to Aussie fish n chips as we will ever get. People seem to eat it with Acai (Amazon berries). We are also fond of a Brazilian dish called Acaraje which is a traditional dish served by women on street corners. Itīs made from peeled brown beans, mashed in salt and onions and then fried in wonderful smelling dende (palm oil). inside is vatapa (dried shrimp), pepper and tomato sauce. Cheap as chips!
There is a fascinating hybrid of cultures in one of the worldīs most rainiest zones here. Belem lies 120km from the Atlantic where the Rio Guama (a tributary of the Amazonas) empties into the Baia de Guajara. The most prominent feature of Belem is its busy port, a transportation and shipping hub and the place we would be boarding our boat to Santarem. We went down to the docks this morning and tried to haggle for cheap hammock class space tickets on a riverboat. We are satisfied we have bought legitimate tickets for a boat leaving on Friday at 6pm. Well, we think we have, not sure how good the price was though! We are really looking forward to this stage of our trip and it really feels very adventurous, cruising down the Amazon on a trade boat and sleeping in hammocks. A day of rest tomorrow and the circus is in town, the Portugul circus.
Am not sure if i have said this before but, we love Brazilians, adore them. The people try to help us at every turn with directions, our backpacks, a smile or even by showing an interest in us and expecting nothing in return. Kindness is both commonplace and expected and even a casual introduction can lead to deeper friendship. Brazilians have no shortage of patience. They donīt raise their voices in anger. They are unstressed and unhurried. They are creative. The diversity of the landscape matches that of the people inhabiting it. There are Indians, Portugese, Africans (brought to Brazil as slaves), and their mixed offspring, Italians, Spaniards, Germans, Japanese, Russians, Lebanese and others. These groups represent but a handful of the many types that make up the kindhearted (but complicated) Brazilian soul. Soccer is a source of pride, less the national pastime than a countrywide narcotic to which every Brazilian seems to be addicted. Capoeira, a amrtial art developed by slaves to fight their oppressors enjoys wide popularity. Music and dance is an integral part of Brazilian culture, as it is for Nadia and myself. I could go on and on. We love them and they are good to us.
Life really is a cabaret!!!
