Parintins, Brazil
Nearly 700 miles up the Amazon River, we arrived at Perintins, a town of 80,000 residents. Without industry or agriculture, it serves as a waypoint for people as they journey up and down the river. Located on Tupinambarana, once a single island but currently split into four by the natural forces of the Amazon, this sleepy town is best known for its Boi Bumbá festival.
Perintins is not a deep water port, so the Viking Sun anchored in the center of the river and we tendered ashore. This is the end of their dry season and the river is 9 feet lower than it will be in a few months. The rainforest typically receives 10 feet of rain annually.
It was Saturday morning and the local people were out in force to greet the arriving gringos. The English spoken here was quite limited, probably due to fewer American tourists visiting here than along the coast.
Even at 10 AM, it was a sweltering day outside. Luckily our tour was to view a special 1-hour abbreviated performance of Boi Bambá in the town's "air conditioned" convention center.
Each June the town hosts the Boi Bambá festival that draws 50,000 people to view the 3-day performance (and party while they are there!) The revenue from this event represents more than 1/2 of the city's annual revenue.
The story line of the performance, all in Portuguese, is quite simple:
Catarina, a young pregnant newlywed, is craving ox tongue. She begs her husband Francisco to bring her the tongue of his bosses' prize oxen bull. Since Francisco cannot resist his beautiful wife's desires, he kills the bull and gives her the tongue.
His boss is furious and vows to punish the person who slays his favorite prize ox. A worried Francisco consults with a priest and a shaman and begs them to bring the ox back to life.
After much praying and dancing, the priest and the shaman succeed, and everyone lives happily ever after.
All of this in an hour of loud music, singing, energetic dancing and huge floats. At the June festival, 45,000 people pack an outdoor stadium to view it.
After the performance, street vendors had set up shop outside the convention center.
Tri-shaw operators hawked one-hour tours of the city in their air conditioned vehicles. Most of the vehicles in the town were bicycles or motor scooters. There are no connecting roads to other parts of the country.
The local (Boy) scouts were assisting gringos around the town. It's nice to know they are progressive and have female members in their troop.
Heading back to our tender we passed a local ferry boat. They provide most of the transportation up and down the river. Since a ferry ride may last 2 to 3 days, passengers bring their own hammocks, food and beverages. Decks two and three are equipped with hooks to accommodate the hammocks on a first come, first served basis.
Perintins is not a deep water port, so the Viking Sun anchored in the center of the river and we tendered ashore. This is the end of their dry season and the river is 9 feet lower than it will be in a few months. The rainforest typically receives 10 feet of rain annually.
It was Saturday morning and the local people were out in force to greet the arriving gringos. The English spoken here was quite limited, probably due to fewer American tourists visiting here than along the coast.
Even at 10 AM, it was a sweltering day outside. Luckily our tour was to view a special 1-hour abbreviated performance of Boi Bambá in the town's "air conditioned" convention center.
Each June the town hosts the Boi Bambá festival that draws 50,000 people to view the 3-day performance (and party while they are there!) The revenue from this event represents more than 1/2 of the city's annual revenue.
The story line of the performance, all in Portuguese, is quite simple:
Catarina, a young pregnant newlywed, is craving ox tongue. She begs her husband Francisco to bring her the tongue of his bosses' prize oxen bull. Since Francisco cannot resist his beautiful wife's desires, he kills the bull and gives her the tongue.
His boss is furious and vows to punish the person who slays his favorite prize ox. A worried Francisco consults with a priest and a shaman and begs them to bring the ox back to life.
After much praying and dancing, the priest and the shaman succeed, and everyone lives happily ever after.
All of this in an hour of loud music, singing, energetic dancing and huge floats. At the June festival, 45,000 people pack an outdoor stadium to view it.
After the performance, street vendors had set up shop outside the convention center.
Tri-shaw operators hawked one-hour tours of the city in their air conditioned vehicles. Most of the vehicles in the town were bicycles or motor scooters. There are no connecting roads to other parts of the country.
The local (Boy) scouts were assisting gringos around the town. It's nice to know they are progressive and have female members in their troop.
Heading back to our tender we passed a local ferry boat. They provide most of the transportation up and down the river. Since a ferry ride may last 2 to 3 days, passengers bring their own hammocks, food and beverages. Decks two and three are equipped with hooks to accommodate the hammocks on a first come, first served basis.
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