Night Sounds and Getting Around

Now I am back in line – the wireless was down for a week.
Night stereo sounds… I had mentioned soccer playing 6-8pm outside my window. But did I mention there was a church behind the complex with singing from the alta falanche (loud speaker) just about every night (8-10pm, after soccer). Then comes the most amazing delightful music from college students finishing classes and from 10 to 11:30 they practice their steps for the Sao Juao festa June 14th on the neighboring soccer field dancing, clapping, marching and singing to broadcasted folklore music.

It’s dawn – and now I hear all the exotic native birds of the Amazon!

Walking About and Moto-Taxi

I took a walk to the Amazon River, about a mile away. The river walkway was bustling with riverboats transporting people, fish, and produce ( the people sleep in hammacks). The river is the main access for this town to the outside world. Santarem was prosperous during the rubber trade, but went bust when an Englishman named Henry Winkham in the late 1800’s illegally transported rubber tree seeds to England where they were germinated and exporting to English colonies around the world.

Since we had two days of torrent rain and mild weather, I forgot the sun here could be so hot (we are on the Equator!) after 9am and so I forgot to bring water. I stopped at a corner mercado to purchase a can of beer - so delicious and cheaper than water. There are no street signs here so I have to remember wherever I wander to observe the gas stations and drogarias on the corners, and count the street lights so not to lose my way back. Some streets are paved, but the majority are not.

Like I observed years ago, Brazil is a country in contrasts which is demonstrated in Santarem – well appointed, sophisticated students at the University along with common folk sitting out in front of their barracas (shacks) selling what they can – bananas, churascaria; beautiful gardens next to rubbish. Streets are filled with beautiful ceramic walkways and gardens surrounded by gutted sidewalks. I do not know how the beautiful Brazilian women manage to walk down the street on broken sidewalks, or no sidewalks, or red dirt walkways in their 5 inch high heel shoes, but they do so with grace and manage to not to dirty their feet nor their shoes. It is unbelievable and one of those incredible Brazilian “things” that no doubt I will never conquer!

The Amazon region especially is a study in contrasts: among the lush beauty of the flora, multiple specimens of birds and fish are the bugs, termites snakes and disease, and decay below. It is difficult to keep buildings looking good with so much rain and termites.Here is a public phone - they are all over the place, although many people have cell phones. They look like “orelhas” -giant ears and are so named or sometimes named "Oi"- Hi".

Today I took my first moto-taxi, an inexpensive way to get around Santarem. This is me, a little fearful at first but the traffic goes slow and it was like riding a bike, minus the exercise.