MACAPA, BRAZIL

Our first stop on the South American continent was in the small port town of Macapa, Brazil in the “Middle of the World” at the mouth of the Amazon delta. Its claim to fame is their statue erected right on the equator (Monumento Marco Zero) which acts as a larger-than-life size sundial, and a soccer stadium which is half in the northern and half in the southern hemisphere. They also have a well preserved fort that was used by the military for protection for many years. It’s a typical third world town, with a population of about 500,000 and typical tropical climate i.e. lots of short, heavy rain showers, with no dry season. It can only be reached by air or sea -- no land access -- is very humid and very lush and green. Its steamy atmosphere supports a wide variety of wildlife and is a migratory route for colorful birds. Their most popular craft item is the piranha fish -- stuffed, dried, or carved. Their true purpose is to clean the river.

The Amazon River is really dirty -- it’s a muddy beige color, full of silt and when it empties into the Atlantic Ocean, its sediment reaches out 200 miles into the ocean. We were asked to conserve water because this silt clogs up the ship’s water purification systems.

There are several islands in the delta, one of them is the largest island in the world and is larger than Switzerland! The rainforest is larger than Europe, and there are more than 15 million types of insects (hope our Off repellent works!). More about this amazing river later.