BELEM, BRAZIL

We enjoyed our visit to the busy city of Belem, also known as the “City of the Mango Tree” because of the many mango trees that grow in the area. Our ship had to anchor about 20 miles from the center of the city, so we were treated to a view of a very poor, dirty port at low tide, prior to reaching our destination of the Hilton Hotel in the center of town via shuttle bus. Even the intermittent showers (for a change!) didn’t deter our exploration.

Walking towards the river, we carefully made our way over the broken tile sidewalks past typical colorful buildings of Portuguese style architecture until we reached the waterfront. Here were 4 huge warehouses, “Estacao das Docas,” that have been converted to upscale restaurants, coffee bars and an auditorium, located next to the market, center of local life and commerce.

What a fun and amazing place! The Ver-o-Peso Mercado (verify the weight market) is an enormous, crowded market sprawling over several blocks, offering everything from everyday fruits and vegetables to exotic items such as live snakes, dried fish and rolled roasts of unknown origin (no refrigeration anywhere, and lots of flies!), and questionable spices, powders and potions! The cages of live animals -- chickens, quail, rabbits, ducks, a turkey and even mice caught our eye … The odor of fish drew us to another warehouse where whole fish, cut up portions and fish heads were offered for sale. The market was a result of the 1688 tax charged by the Portuguese for everything entering and leaving Amazonia.

We also passed by the shrine to the virgin Mary, Basilica da Nossa Senhora de Nazare, site of an annual festival on the second Sunday in October attended by hundreds of thousands of people. The city also boasts an art museum, a historical State Museum, one of Brazil’s largest theaters and the Goeldi Museum with 3 separate displays, the most fascinating being the zoo where many native animals roam freely in their natural habitat.

The southern channel of the mouth of the Amazon lies just north of Belem, so is our last port of call on the Amazon River. We now leave the muddy waters and daily showers of the rainforest, and look forward to the clear blue waters of the Atlantic on our way to Fortaleza.