Journey with Christina

Our first stop on our trip was Belem, Brazil. A city that sits at the mouth of the Amazon River which flows into the ocean for 100 miles. You can see hints of the cities past rubber-boom grandeur underneath the buildings graffiti facades and impressive sites such as the Teatro da Paz, Forte do Castelo, and Basilica de Nossa Senhora de Nazzare. They are trying to revive the city with projects such as Estacao das Docas which are old abandoned warehouses and quays of the port that have been converted into a walkway along the river, restaurants and stores.

From top left: Teatro da Paz, Forte do Castelo, Basilica de Nossa Senhora de Nazzare and Estacao das Docas.

Belem is also home to the largest open air market in Latin America where it is reported that you can purchase just about anything. We did not get to spend too much time exploring the market other than the food market which temped us with many of its treats.

From top left: Picture of fried fish, acai with dried tapioca, the market and street behind, the lively waterfront bars at the market, coxinha (shredded chicken in corn dough and fried), delicious acai juice.

Belem does not have any beaches as it is a port town, however it is surrounded by several gorgeous Island’s, one of which, Ilha de Marajo, is the size of Denmark. Trying to go to one of these beaches was our best adventure in Belem. We took a local ferry where we were supposed to get off at Barcarena for lunch. After seeing the port and not being impressed we asked a non-English speaking passenger “la praia”. He motioned for us to stay on one stop and follow him. He spoke to a taxi driver and we jumped in with trepidation wondering if where we would end up. After about a half hour of us trying to communicate how we were going to get back to the ferry we were able to enjoy lunch and the beautiful beach resort somewhere on the Amazon.

From the top left: Jon drinking our favorite beer Tijuca, our best lunch of grilled shrimp and fish with rice and the yellow stuff is manioc,views from the beach, and me on the Amazon riverbanks wearing my hat that was left behind.

Foods we tried:

From top left: creamy ice cream, food stand on the street where we tried arroz con galinha (rice with veggies, ham, olives, and with think raisins), and empty bowl of tocaca (shrimp soup with jambu leaves that make your tongue go numb).

Where we stayed, Residencia Karimbo Amazonia, Tv Piedade, 391 Belem, 66053-210, which was located a 15-minute walk to all tourist sites. We had a private air-conditioned room with a bathroom (had to go outside to a small open area to get to it, was about $40 a night including a good breakfast. The owner was very helpful and spoke excellent English. It also had a small pool which heaven in the 90-degree weather where your sweating 10 minutes after you leave your room.

Me standing in front of our pousada and Jon sitting in our room. You can see the glass door behind him that leads to the open area and our bathroom.