The Mighty Amazon and Amazonia

 Thursday & Friday, January 11^th & 12^th, 2024

 

Do you remember sitting in geography class and being told that the longest river in the world was the Nile River?   I do, and I guess that technically, that’s true.   But when you talk about volume of water there is nothing that comes close to the Amazon.  In fact, it has more volume than the next 13 largest rivers combined.  Some more fun facts:  It holds 20% of the world’s fresh water.  At the mouth, it discharges 220,000 cubic meters of fresh water into the Atlantic Ocean per second.  So much so that the Pacific Ocean is actually fresh water as far as 100 miles out from the mouth of the river.   This was a phenomenon that really baffled early sailors in the early days of discovery.  It is over 4,000 miles long.

Vialula and I are only sailing in about 1,000 of those miles and then back out.  The westernmost source is in the Andes Mountains but that was not always the case.  The river used to flow east to west but when the Andes Mountains formed they pushed the river current to the east as it is now. There are several rivers that feed into the Amazon, some of which flow south and some flow north. The Amazon basin covers a lot of Brazil and Peru and significant parts of Columbia, Ecuador and Bolivia.  Much of the basin is thick tropical rainforest and represents about half of the worlds remaining rainforest.  The Amazon evaporates as much as 20 billion gallons of water every day, and so the area has two seasons.   One is the wet season, and the other is the very wet season!  But rain is also part of the life blood of the Amazon and helps create these lush tropical environments.  Unfortunately, deforestation and gold and mineral mining has left its mark in a negative way.  The effects and benefits of the world’s rainforest cannot be overstated.

Life along the river is not easy.   Small villages dot the river as we float by. These villages range from a couple of thatched roof buildings to what we might call a small town to large cities.  We will be visiting those small villages as well as the small towns and cities.  The river has a life of its own and people must adapt to its rules.   As we sail up the river against the current, there is a lot of flotsam going down stream.   And I mean lots.   Whole trees and large logs as well as smaller ones float down.  We must be very careful where we sail as the riverbed is full of sand bars and hidden dangers.   We have taken on two river pilots at Macapa at the mouth of the river.  These pilots guide us along the best path, trying to avoid those dangers, but the river bottom changes with no warning, so slow and steady is the rule. 

Our first stop along the river was at Alter do Chäo.  I would call this a small fishing/tourist area that boasts some beautiful beach areas and a protected bay area that can be crossed by kayak, canoe, boat or just walking through the waist deep waters. This was a tender port.  As we tender back and forth from the mother ship everyone was on the lookout for the star of the Amazon, the pink bottle nosed dolphin.  Seen only in the Amazon, it gets its color from the crustaceans it eats.   Just like the pink flamingos we have in Florida.   Our tender boats can hold maybe 50 to 60 folks.  These tenders arrive at a make-shift dock and discharge what I would call a more life experienced group of folks that “stand out” from the locals, wearing the khaki colors of their gang!   It is fun and interesting to see the Amazonians watch us arrive.  We wonder what they think about us, all clad in our Columbia SPF gear and funny-looking sunhats! 

The locals are all so friendly, but language can and is a difficult obstacle for us.   A mash of Portuguese mixed with Native Amazon is the local language.  However, we find ways to communicate and usually can work out what needs to be conveyed.  Alter do Chäo is sometimes referred to as the “Caribbean of Brazil” so we aren’t the only visitors here.  Vialula and I wandered up and down the streets of the town and looked at the local wares.  

It was hot and humid, so we stopped at the local watering hole.  I found my local beer of the day!  600ml of Tijuca later, and I was hydrated enough to carry on.  We stopped in the local market and found some items from the western world and some items of a more local nature of which we did not recognize.   Armed guards stood around the ATM machine, so I didn’t really expect much trouble.  

We visited the local church, Our Lady of Health (Nossa Senhora da Saude) of Alter do Chao, which is always near the town center.  

Our stop was not that long here so after we covered the ups and downs of the town we headed back toward the beaches where our tenders were loading and unloading folks to head back to the ship.  We were warned that if we made any purchases made from the local wood that it would have to be stored in the ship’s freezer for at least 24 hours to kill off any unwanted pests that might had made the piece it’s home.  A good day over-all.   As I didn’t really know what to expect, there was nothing too surprising.   A quick trip overnight and on our way to Boca da Valeria tomorrow.  Vialula has tucked some pictures in to give you a much better feel for the place.   They say a picture is worth a thousand words.   In my case it might be worth ten thousand of my words!!

See you tomorrow at Boca da Valeria!  We have 5 ports in 5 days, so please be patient if there are a few days between posts.  We hear it is very cold at home.  Stay warm, and thanks to everyone for keeping the home fires burning!

LeRoy and Vialula