Go Fish! Santarem, Brazil
January 16, 2024
The boat took us along the banks of
Santarém where we could see the beautiful blue church called Catedral
Metropolitana Nossa Senhora da Conceição.
It is the oldest and most visited place in Santarém, and its beautiful
blue color makes it easily identifiable. It is the only cathedral for hundreds
of miles around.
We also saw some water buffalo along the banks. We didn't see any in the water though. Isn't that where they do their water sports or something?!! Our guide told us that they are much bigger
than our cows at home. They were brought
to the area because they could swim and with the Amazon River’s water level
constantly changing, that is a good thing!
When the river rises, they are herded to higher ground. Their meat is higher in protein than our beef
at home, and their hide is tougher, too.
This is a very good thing as it makes it difficult for the local fish,
the piranhas, to bite them! The pictures below are courtesy of our friend, Rick.
As our boat sailed on, we could see “the meeting of the
waters” again, where the Amazon and Tapajos Rivers meet, but never mingle. It is an incredible sight.
As the river narrows, our guides are combing the banks for
any wildlife they can find. Mostly we
saw some hawks, some picnic’ers, and a few fishermen out in their little
boats. Once the captain found just the
right spot, we banked the boat, and it was on to the main attraction …. Fishing
for piranha!
Piranhas are not man eaters, contrary to popular belief. They are omnivores, and they eat meat and plants. There are actually very few instances of them attacking humans. It is usually due to some food that has been tossed in the river near to where the people are swimming.
We were all so excited and a little scared! We wondered, do we need a bigger boat?!!! The guides baited our hooks with meat, and
each hook had a metal shield above it to keep the piranhas from biting through
the line. We dropped the weighted lines into the water, and it wasn’t long before Vi
got a bite (literally) – in fact she got several bites. She just knew she was going to catch one of
those teeth-bearing fish. About that
time, someone pulled one in! Then the
guide pulled one in! Then another and
another. The biggest one was about 8 inches
long. Everyone wanted their picture
taken with it, but not Vi. She was
intent on catching one of her own! After
our boat had caught about 6 or 7 fish, it was time to cut bait and leave. She was disappointed, but it was lots of fun,
and our boat caught more than the sister boat across the river from us! Take a look at the pictures below. The teeth are quite something to see. They say the fish are good to eat and have a
salty taste which is odd because it is a fresh-water fish. Be mindful of bones as they have lots of
little ones.
Even though Vi didn’t catch one of her own, it was a great day. Like the old saying says, the worst day of fishing is better than the best day at work!
We will be cruising out of the Amazon tonight and tomorrow, and dropping the river guides back off at Macapa, then on to the Atlantic. As of this post, LeRoy still doesn’t have his Brazil passport, but we have loved being on the Amazon River and visiting all these friendly places and people. Very surreal! We will see you next in Granada, West Indies!
I sure am enjoying your adventures!
ReplyDeleteso glad you are! It's fun to share our adventures!
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