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Foot in the World
Mount Roraima

Plane, bus, boat, on foot - The Gran Sabana and the Amazon Region

Enjoying the beauty and warmth of Belém and Marajó Island...

 

On March 14, 2004, after traveling to and from Ushuaia and Alaska in our Land Rover Defender, we had an accident on the Fernão Dias Highway. A truck, which was traveling the wrong way, hit us head on and sped off. The car was a "total loss." We lost the car and lost our way! Our dream of continuing to travel the world was gone. That was how we felt at the time.

 

After the shock, we concluded that we could not stop dreaming and making things happen. We decided that we would travel by plane, boat, bus, on foot... And that's what we did. We wanted to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary on top of Mount Roraima, in Venezuela, surrounded by crystals. So, first we took a plane to Belém.               

 

 When we arrived at Belém airport, we went looking for a hotel. We were offered hotels ranging from the most expensive to the cheapest. We decided to stay in the middle ground, but we still ended up in a dump that smelled like cockroach killer. We used our travel expertise and found another one, at a reasonable price, with a view of Guajarás Bay. It was just what we needed! With 33-degree heat on our heads, we decided to walk around the city and rediscovered a city that was very different from the one we had known many years ago. The only thing that remained the same was the rain that fell daily in the late afternoons.

 

The restored port made Estação das Docas a very good place with restaurants, bars and breweries. At night, many people went to listen to music or go to the theater. We went to the unmissable Ver-o-Peso Market. We took the opportunity to see and eat a variety of fruits and sat in one of those simple restaurants, where we had “Tacacá” and ate “Filhote”, the local fish. We couldn’t miss the Fish Market, one of the city’s attractions. From there, we decided to go on a boat trip, taking advantage of the sunny day. We passed through riverside communities and swam at a beach with warm waters in Marajó Bay. And, as we had already planned, this time we went to Marajó Island. It was a three-hour boat ride to Camará, the gateway to the island. We stayed in Joanes, a small beach, far from the better-known Salvaterra or Soure. 

 

We didn’t imagine that Marajó Island would be so big and have such a chronic problem with public transportation. Finally, we managed to go, in a van, to the inn, which was very pleasant and in a very special place. The next day, we went to Soure, the capital of the island. We left early, in the same crowded van that was going to Salvaterra. The transportation from Salvaterra to Soure was by boat, which only left by appointment and stopped at lunchtime. We had one problem. The return to Joanes, but we left that problem to be solved later. We walked through the streets of Soure and continued to Barra Velha, a quiet beach far from the center. We had to pass through a farm. The sun was strong, but the view was beautiful. The scarlet ibises, birds of the region, in a bright, fluorescent red, contrasted with the green of the vegetation. And when we arrived at our destination, we came across a river beach and white sands. When we stayed there with a Frenchman who, coincidentally, was staying in Joanes. 

 

At some point, we decided to go back, under a sun that cooked our brains. It was so hot that the people of the city disappeared. Only the buffaloes remained in the streets with tall mango trees. It was time to go back to Joanes. We heard about a school bus that would leave at six in the evening. We sat down in a bar to rest and wait. But a local who was negotiating a ride took us. And so, everything was resolved. 

 

At night, we always enjoyed some fresh air with the locals, as if we were already part of that community. Joanes had a little church, a lawn and little houses around it, just like Trancoso, in Bahia, from years ago. To this day, it is impossible to forget the taste of a simple pineapple cake, which Neide made every day, and that bucolic little place with its simple people. Yes, it is often in this simplicity that we find the greatest joys in life. We would have liked to have stayed longer, but we would have had to continue traveling to our destination, Mount Roraima, in Venezuela. So, we returned to Belém to catch a boat that would take us to Manaus, a trip that would take five days, upriver...  ​

The magical boat trip from Belém to Manaus...                

 

Back in Belém, we went to the port and left our luggage on the boat “Santarém”, which was already anchored. In fact, the Santarém is called a ship because it is an all-iron vessel. Wooden vessels are called boats. The maximum capacity is 350 people. The cargo is stored in the hold. On the first floor, there was a small cafeteria, the kitchen, the dining room, only for those traveling in hammocks, and bathrooms. On the second floor, there was also a space for hammocks, but with air conditioning, bathrooms, tiny cabins with bunk beds and the dining room, which serves the passengers on this floor and the upper floor. On the third floor, in addition to the tiny suites, there was a bar and an open space with very loud music, where Banda Calipso played from eight in the morning until late at night. Every day. That's where we stayed. 

 

Just to give you an idea, the bed was so small that our feet almost hung over the edge. And there was a set mealtime. And if you missed the mealtime, you missed it! And so it was that, early in the evening, the siren sounded, and the boat set off for five days on the river. We first sailed along the narrower Pará River until we reached the Amazon River. It was possible to see up close how the riverside dwellers live, their homes and the skill of the children who are born and live practically inside the river. When the boat approached a community, there was a party. 

 

The children would stay in their canoes and the passengers would throw them presents, wrapped in plastic bags. The children would be happy with the presents or with a simple wave and the “banzeiro”, which are the small waves that the boat causes. The skill of these riverside dwellers is surprising and impressive. With our boat in motion, the children and teenagers can tie up their canoes and get in to sell food and trinkets. We ended up counting nine canoes tied together. This was one of the attractions of the trip. 

 

Other than that, we read, rested and talked to the people, who we were already familiar with after the first day. In addition to the local passengers, there were also some “gringos” like us. Stefano, an Italian, Robert, an Englishman, who was traveling with Zana, who was from Latvia, Trent, an American and Christin, from New Zealand. There was also Mie, a Japanese woman, Benjamin, who was Chinese and Patrícia, from Espírito Santo. Together, we formed a group of friends. Stefano became “Empório Armani”, Robert became “James Bond”, Zana became Xuxa, we were “Mr. President & First Lady”, and so we had fun between stops in the small towns. 

 

When possible, we would go down to drink beers at the port itself, while the boat was unloaded and loaded with merchandise. In Santarém, the stop would be longer. The captain said we would be anchored from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. We told our friends that we were going to “Alter do Chão”, which was 32 km from Santarém. They decided to go with us. We negotiated with the driver of an old pickup truck, who did haulage. We all climbed into the back of the truck and went to the river beach. We had a beer, lunch and returned in time to board again. 

 

The boat continued. It stopped in Parintins, one day before the “Festa do Boi” began. The port was full of boats and visitors. This is because the city cannot accommodate the more than one hundred thousand visitors expected. For this reason, many stayed on the boats. After almost six days of travel, we finally arrived in Manaus. 

 

It was a mixture of excitement at our arrival and sadness at the end of the trip. Everything was the same on the boat, but at the same time different. The people, the stories and the funny things, like in the last chapter of a soap opera where people took turns holding an antenna up high so that the television would work. 

 

We had unique experiences, including the ship almost running aground on a sandbar. We learned a little about the river and discovered that it is mysterious and different every day. We heard legends and learned about the stars. We met the riverside dwellers... This was a magical trip that enriched us a lot as people and as Brazilians. ​

 

Revisiting Manaus and getting to know Boa Vista...               

 

We had already visited Manaus at another time. We have friends in the city, and it was great to meet them again. And our friends from the boat? We stayed in different places, but at the end of the afternoon we would meet at a bar to chat and share the news of the day. 

 

During our time in Manaus, we visited the Rio Negro Palace, the Amazonas Theater, museums, and walked around the city center, the main church, the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), and the Jungle Warfare Training Center (CIGS), with its zoo. We also visited some igapós, the Janauari Ecological Reserve, and the meeting point of the Rio Negro and Rio Solimões, where we learned why the waters of the two rivers do not mix.

 

What happens is that the density of the water in the Rio Negro is lower than that of the Rio Solimões, as well as its speed and temperature, which are five degrees different. In addition, we saw the floating houses, sailed on the igarapés, the “paranás”, which are rivers formed only during floods, and the “furos”, smaller than the paranás and which, in fact, are nothing more than flooded forest. We saw the samaúma, the “queen tree of the forest”, with its roots so long that it remains stable in strong winds. It is one of the tallest trees in the forest, a kind of “indigenous telephone”. This is because, during dry seasons, the sound of a knock on its trunk can be heard up to 5 km away. 

 

We also had the Café Regional, with a variety of fruit juices, such as taperebá, murici, cupuaçu, pineapple, acerola and others. We ate the sandwich with tucumã and coalho cheese, the pupunha and many other things. We enjoyed eating the tambaqui ribs and other fish from the region, such as tucunaré, pirarucu and jaraqui. A feast of flavors. 

 

We took the opportunity to visit some of the forty waterfalls, which are close to the city of Presidente Figueiredo, 107 km from Manaus. We visited Iracema, the Sanctuary, the Urubuí rapids, but unfortunately, we didn't see everything we wanted to. It was time to leave. We took the bus to Boa Vista. We passed through the Waimiri-Atroari Indigenous Reserve. It was forbidden to take pictures, and traffic was only allowed between six in the morning and six in the evening, when the road was closed. 

 

It was a narrow road, with no shoulder and many holes in the road, which forced the bus driver to "zigzag" to avoid the craters. Luckily, it wasn't very busy, despite the presence of cattle farms. In addition to the farms, the forest was dense. We even saw anteaters walking around peacefully. We crossed the equator. A large stone marked the “zero mark” or “zero latitude”. And, after 12 hours of traveling, we arrived in Boa Vista. 

 

Despite being small, Boa Vista was a clean and well-planned city. It didn't have a shopping mall and only had one movie theater. The people were very polite. Pedestrians had priority. The avenues were wide and long. On the central strip of one of the avenues that connects the city center to the airport, in the Ayrton Sena Complex, there were bars, snack bars, ice cream shops, motocross tracks, and spaces for physical exercise and for children. In the afternoon and evening, it was very busy. 

 

Another place of interest was the “Orla Taumanan”, a promenade with bars and restaurants, on the banks of the Branco River. We stayed at the hotel recommended by Ana Ruth, our friend from Manaus. Ana had already contacted Eliana, who became a mutual friend. We were introduced to the entire family, including the hotel owner, who was her brother. We spent some very pleasant days in the city, but we were already looking forward to climbing Mount Roraima. 

 

At the same time, we began to feel a little apprehensive. The temperature was around 33 degrees, and the high volume of rain expected was worrying for our plans. 

 

Pacaraima, on the border with Venezuela, was only four hours from Boa Vista. It was time to hit the road again... This time it didn't work out... Our destination, before climbing Mount Roraima, was Santa Elena de Uairén, already in Venezuela. 

 

We left Boa Vista in the rain. The road was still narrow and had no shoulders. A passenger asked to stop at the “oasis”. The driver stopped, we looked and saw nothing that looked like an oasis. Then, another person asked us to stop at the “white sign”. We tried to find the white sign and there was nothing there. We gave up trying to understand and let ourselves be carried away by the enchantment of the landscape. 

 

Since the bus did not go to Santa Elena, when we arrived in Pacaraima, already on the border between Brazil and Venezuela, we went through immigration and a taxi took us to Santa Elena, which was only 15 km from where we were. The streets of the city were flooded. We went straight to a guesthouse owned by a very friendly and alternative couple. The husband, Roberto Marrero, has written books about UFOs, mystical journeys, phenomenology and the mysteries of the Gran Sabana.

 

Anxious, we went to find out more about our climb to Mount Roraima. After all, that was why we were there. We planned to climb its 2,700 meters of altitude to the “Lost World”, so called because of its peculiar geological formations and its isolation. The route would be done on foot, guided by the indigenous people. The camp was in small caves. It would be six days and five nights. We had plans to go to the Crystal Valley and the natural pools. But unfortunately, all of this could not be done. Due to the heavy rains, the Kukenan River was very full and impassable. The local guides did not want to risk it. We were disappointed and had to reinvent ourselves. The dream of climbing Mount Roraima had to be postponed.

 

Despite the disappointment we didn’t let the situation get us down and went to see the Gran Sabana with Roberto Marrero, the owner of the lodge. We learned about the gold and diamond mines in the region and about the mountains that are said to have UFO sightings. 

 

With a lot of imagination, we saw the mountains of the three pregnant women giving birth. Further on, we saw the profile of a man lying down who, according to the indigenous people, when he stands up “heads will roll”. And we saw the “vaginales” mountains, so called because of their triangular shape, with low vegetation and indentations with tall vegetation, forming tufts as if they were pubic hair. 

 

The best-known mountains, or Tepuis, in the region are Chirikayen, Roraima and Kukenan, which can be seen side by side. We stopped in the Kukenan and Aaka Valleys, where according to legend, if you scream and hear the echo, you have already lived in that valley or will live in another life. Of course, we screamed and heard the echo. But the funniest thing is to scream and hear someone yelling back “crazy”. This is the fun of a local resident who screams back whenever someone decides to test the legend. 

 

We stopped to take a bath in Quebrada de Jaspe, a unique and unusual attraction. The place was breathtaking. The very smooth jasper stones shine under the water in a reddish tone. They say that the place has a very strong energy and that many photos showed bright spots. The only nuisance was the “puri-puri”, those same mosquitoes that we know as mutuca or borrachudo. We also saw the Yuruani River, Salto Arapená, Soroape, Quebrada de Pacheco, Valle de Los Quatro Vientos, Mirante Piel Del Abuelo, Salto Kamá or Kamá-Merú. 

 

The Gran Sabana has many surprises in store. We stopped to see the “mini tepuys”, which are miniature sand formations of the tepuys, the Grand Canyon and the Angel Falls. It was also fantastic to see a forest and realize that, right in front of it, there was a mini-forest, real “bonsais”, which were exactly like the original forest. We had lunch in an indigenous community and tried the “picante”, chili pepper with ant or termite sauce. Well, the spice was good, but the ants and termites were hard to swallow. 

 

We visited the house of an indigenous person who had three small children. Usually, the front part of the house is used for crafts. And the room where the hammocks are placed is in the back. A peculiarity of this indigenous people is that they never look white people in the eye. They say that the eyes lie, and the words do not lie. In a negotiation, they know, through the voice, whether the person is bluffing or not. 

 

Thanks to our new Venezuelan friend, who accompanied us through the Sabana, we learned a lot about the people, the places and heard many indigenous legends, such as the legend of the *Hummingbird, the Tiger and the Crab, among others. 

 

It was time to decide what to do. We tried a 3-day trek to a smaller “tepuy”, Cherikayen, but it didn’t work out either. The guide had a health problem with his son. So, we decided to take the bus back to Boa Vista and continue to Manaus. We needed to do something different and be a little more daring. We felt frustrated about not climbing Mount Roraima. And so that this feeling wouldn’t haunt us, we thought of another challenge. 

 

That’s when we decided to head into the jungle and do a real “Indian program” 

 

The Legend of the Hummingbird: 

 

There were two tribes living on the banks of a river. The smaller tribe planted and fished very diligently. As a result, there began to be more fish and a greater abundance of food. This generated envy in the other tribe, which began to harass its neighbors, first with words, then with gestures. And, finally, they declared war on those who, despite being smaller in number, were more hard-working and efficient. 

 

Indifferent to these issues, two young people fell in love. However, each belonged to a different tribe. The boy belonged to the smaller tribe and the girl to the larger tribe. Despite the war, the two met in secret. 

 

One day, the warriors of the girl's tribe followed her and found them making out. After beating the boy, and thinking that he was already dead, they took the girl back to the tribe. The Council of Elders was called to judge the poor girl. The accusation was treason and the sentence was death. But, because she was very young and beautiful, the Shamans decided to transform her into a flower. 

 

The boy, rescued by his warriors, survived the beating. And as soon as he recovered, he began to search desperately for his beloved. He called the elders and announced that he would go to the other tribe in search of his love. They did not allow this tremendous madness and tried in every way to stop him. They said that in their tribe there were beautiful young women who could be a good wife and give him strong, healthy children. The young man was adamant and the elders, seeing such determination and sadness of the young man, called the shamans to help them.

 

After much thought and knowing that the young woman he loved had been transformed into a flower, they decided to transform him into a Hummingbird.

 

According to legend, this is why the Hummingbird goes from flower to flower, always trying to find his beloved. In every indigenous legend there is a moral: never give up on your goal.

 

A true Indian program” ...                

 

We returned to Manaus and met an Indian who organized trips through the Amazon jungle. We arranged everything and paid, believe it or not, in dollars. We were ready for our “Indian program”.

 

Our adventure began at five in the morning, when we met the Indian from the Wapichana tribe in Manaus. We took a bus to a community that was three hours from Manaus. Then, we went in a “voadeira”, a motorized canoe, for almost an hour along the Urubu River, until we reached the jungle. 

 

Honestly, to this day we still don’t know exactly where it is. We found an open area with hammocks to sleep in. The bathroom was improvised, a deep hole in the ground with a straw fence that gave us some privacy. We bathed in the river, sharing the space with the piranhas and snakes. The person in charge of the place was a lady and her little monkey, which looked more like a bat. 

 

The speedboat returned to the village. That same day, we rowed a “piroga” (canoe) down the river and learned how to fish for piranhas, using only a line and hook. Piranhas are fast. That’s why we had to be careful when they caught the hook. This would be our dinner. That’s why we had to be careful with the quantity. 

 

The sunset was beautiful and, quickly, everything got very dark. The smells and sounds changed. We only had a flashlight and candles, which barely stayed lit. The bathroom was closed because of the spiders. And the Indian called for us to “focus on alligators.” We continued through the igapó in the canoe. He was in front, with a flashlight, and Helinho was behind, protecting the “lady” who was in the middle. It was the rainy season, and the water almost reached the tops of the trees. Because of that, sometimes we had to help the canoe cross between the thick trunks. The trees swayed and we never knew if the leaves or some animals were falling. 

 

At one point, the canoe got stuck between the branches of a tree. We had to lean on the trunks to tip it over and pass. Suddenly, we saw a giant spider. We watched. It bit a frog, which was equally large. The frog fell dead at the same time. And the worst part was that we had to pass right through the place where the spider was. We were afraid. After all, we hadn’t gone that far to be eaten by the spiders or the alligators. 

 

Suddenly, we began to think that the Indian was lost. But after many scares and apprehensions, we finally left the flooded forest and reached an open space. The view was fantastic. The sky, which was full of stars, was reflected in the dark waters of the river. It seemed possible to grab the stars with your hands. The silence and tranquility of the waters were profound. And it was only interrupted when our Indian friend alerted us to the sound of a jaguar, close to where the canoe would be anchored. Oh, oh, oh... we remembered that we could also be the jaguar's food. 

 

When we finally got close to the shore, we spotted an alligator. Then it sank into the river waters and disappeared. The Indian inspected the place, and we carefully got out of the canoe. Incidentally, that was exactly where we would spend the night. We lay down in the hammocks and tried to sleep. It was very tense. 

 

In fact, it was impossible to sleep. Before dawn, the howler monkeys began to make a deafening noise. Soon after, the birds began to sing. What a relief! The dawn in the forest was beautiful. We went to the river and heard the birds' wings beating. The water was so smooth it looked like a mirror. And it reflected the forest. It was an incredible feeling. We were in perfect harmony with that exuberant nature. We continued, entering the forest. In the middle of the forest, everything was intriguing. The sound of the animals, the noise of the trees falling, the softness of the ground because of the leaves. The jungle looked like a greenhouse. It was a good thing we had our Indian friend to guide us, because the GPS didn't work. 

 

The only technology that worked was the clock on our camera. And we didn't even need it, because all we had to do was ask the Indian what time it was and he would answer right away, almost accurately. We even though the Indian was messing with us. That he had a hidden watch, but he didn't. And his hearing was also a phenomenon. He always stopped when he heard an animal, or to kill an annoying fly that insisted on circling around. The slap was accurate and fatal. We walked in silence. We had to pay attention. The jungle is home to beautiful birds, macaws, tortoises, sloths, but it is also home to jaguars, wild pigs, anteaters, snakes, poisonous ants, spiders and much more. 

 

We learned about medicinal plants. “Vicks” is good for curing the flu, “Preciosa” cures stomach pain, Pará has a milk that can be used as a food. We saw fruits such as the well-known açaí, bacaba, buriti, among others. And we learned that the “tapuru”, a larva of the palm trees, was edible. The forest also has streams, waterfalls, is dark, but sometimes, it gives us rays of sunshine. It rains frequently, there is fog, many fallen trees, sand, anthills and huge termites. There are many strange things and creepy stories. The “spirit of the forest” is there, blue fireworks appear, rain of leaves falls, the big snake, which they swear exists... And, all of this, told, obviously, in the darkness of the night.

 

 In fact, nightfall in the jungle is terrifying, in the same proportion as the dawn is beautiful. We slept in hammocks, each day in a different place. The hammocks were tied to the trees, protected from the rain by palm leaves. We heard that the jaguars attacked us by the neck. Supposedly, we were protected. We had a mosquito net, which, for us, would prevent the jaguar from knowing which way our head was. Only the people of the forest can take advantage of what it has to offer. We, alone in the jungle, would die. We are easy prey for large animals and small ones like spiders, snakes, scorpions and ants. 

 

The Indian had his instincts honed. He had respect and caution when facing the jungle and the river. But he was also afraid of the dolphin, the big snake, of approaching the rivers at noon and at six in the evening... After those days, we returned to where we started our walk, happy and feeling richer for the chance and courage to face the new and witness all that intriguing beauty that is the Amazon jungle. The celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary was not held on Mount Roraima, surrounded by crystals, as we had planned. But it was in an unusual way. Just the way we are. Always curious, always searching, always learning and always different. Our delicious and true “Indian program” was worth it.

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