March 15: Boca da Valeria, Brazil

Boca da Valeria is a small community located where the Valeria River and Amazon River meets.  This village is unparalleled to any other Brazilian destination because of the extraordinary and authentic lifestyles of the local Indians.  You will not find luxury hotels, restaurants, or even paved roads; instead Boca de Valeria is surrounded by a spirit, beauty, and charm uplifted in the smiles of its brightly dressed children and natives, who welcome their guests with open arms.   Boca da Valeria, Brazil is an unusual stop but it is definitely worth the visit, giving everyone in its path an in-depth look into the Amazonian culture.

Words cannot fully describe this pocket-size treasure nestled behind verdant jungles, echoing the radiant cries of the wild.  Its picturesque houses glide in the air like men on stilts to prevent erosion, while many of its trees can be seen with their heads peeking above the streams.  Although Boca da Valeria’s civilization is very different to the rest of Brazil and modern society, there is much to be cherished of its warm inhabitants and rich history.  Its classic way of life have survived the test of time and valued as preserved generational traditions.  Its locals are proud to share their sacred customs through cheerful greetings as well as performances, especially through their artful handicrafts, which are expected to be respected as souvenirs and fit for every pocket. 

Boca da Valeria experiences wet tropical rainforest climate.  During the months of December to April (warm season) the temperature averages from a daily in the 90s and to a low in the mid-70s.  From June to September (cold season) the weather ranges from an everyday high in the low-80s and decreases to the low70s at night.

Boca da Valeria is a popular destination visited via cruise ship.  Since it is positioned at the mouth of the Valeria River, small boats are the main source of transportation. You can also tour the village on foot.

[source: TravelPulse.com]

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We awoke to some ground fog rising to overcast skies under which there were some variations in the topography.  The jungle was visible, but so were open fields that appeared to be agricultural.  We passed a mountain by local standards.  It was about 100’ height.  

At the far end of this outcrop was Boca da Valeria.  Upon seeing the village, Pam’s first observation was, “Oh no, I can see power lines.”  Their presence contradicted the mental image she had of the community.

MAASDAM dropped anchor at about 0715.  We watched ship’s launches being lowered while ashore the dock was scrubbed.  People from beyond the village began arriving in dugouts and other small boats.  It started to rain.

At 0745 the captain announced that the first report from the team he sent ashore was that the pier where the launches were supposed to land was completely under water.  He said an assessment was being made on whether passengers could be safely taken ashore.  He was back on the PA system at 0755 with the good news that although the process would be elongated due to submerged objects in the channel and congestion at the pier, going ashore was feasible.

We have experienced similar “authentic” remote community visits on other trips.  Safe in the knowledge that there was no urgency to get ashore, we let the pushers and shovers do their thing while we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, took our time getting ready and watched it rain.

As you can see in the previous picture of the village, the transition from the Amazon to the Valeria River was similar to that of the transition into the Tapajos – a distinct line of color change.  The Valeria being a much smaller river than the Tapajos, there was no downriver line, the Amazon immediately mixing with the water from the Valeria.

Before going ashore we needed to assemble some special items.  A few days ago we were told it was nice to bring small things ashore that the community would value.  At the same time, we were admonished that such items should not be plastic or any other non-biodegradable material.  Yesterday in Santarem we found a store that sold pencils and purchased two dozen with logos, designs or other features that would appeal to school children.

We were also told that having $1 bills would be an appropriate gratuity – actually an expectation – for taking a picture of an individual, their home, their pet, etc. Cruise ship tourism is a thriving cottage industry here in Boca da Valeria.

The rain having stopped and the line for people waiting to go ashore being short, we disembarked the ship about 1130.  The onslaught began immediately.  Before we were even cast off from the ship, two dugouts came alongside our tender with children holding up a variety of things to buy or for a photo op.  Flat Stanley got his picture taken with a pet sloth that was sizing Stanley up as a snack, but true to its name moved too slowly.  Our infusion of dollar bills into the local economy had begun. 

Ashore it was more of the same, but in much larger numbers.  Stepping off the pier we ran a gauntlet of adults and children, the former encouraging us to take a boat ride on the Valeria River in a dugout and the latter trying to “adopt” us.  A couple of children took Pam by the hand and another $1 (each) photo op for Flat Stanley ensued with the local school as a backdrop.   

We succeeded in ditching our adoptive children by going into the school house, certain that no child wants to go to school on a day off.  In was a simple, one room building with a large globe in the middle of it.  On the teacher’s desk was a donations box.  We had planned to give the pencils to the school, but opted to leave money instead.

Plan A for the pencils now at least on hold, we knew that we needed to be surreptitious if we switched to Plan B; distributing them ourselves.   What we wanted to avoid at all costs was getting caught handing them out.  We watched one woman who was less prudent almost overwhelmed by a steadily growing crowd of children all wanting what she was handing out.  Since she was not carrying a bag the size of Santa’s sack, presumably some children went away disappointed. 

We wandered to one end of the village, Stanley having his picture taken with a pet lizard along the way.

At the end of the village shoreline we turned uphill, walking carefully along a trail the stones which were slick with a red, sticky mud.  We were invited into a home - incurred financial obligation for accepting a given - which although simple and a building inspector’s nightmare had a number of amenities and a general sense of comfort and functionality.  Naturally Flat Stanley made a appearance.  Some pencils got new owners.

Back down the muddy, slippery trail we went, then along the shoreline to the other end of the village.  

Yes - that is a TV dish.  We saw a few of them in the village.  Their primary use is to watch soccer games.  

Flat Stanley met the largest rodent in the world – a capybara - and its owner dressed in some sort of celebratory costume.  (For those interested, the second biggest rodent in the world is the beaver; the third the porcupine.)  Flat Stanley gave the boy a pencil and a dollar.

He also met a little boy with two either small parrots or large parakeets.

In the boy’s left hand is one of our pencils.  He liked the pencil; his mother the dollar.  BTW, when I say "dollar" I mean a US dollar.  Acknowledging that we were visiting tour locations, no matter where we went in Brazil the dollar was readily accepted and even sought, it being less prone to inflation than the Brazilian Real.  Of course when used to buy something, the exchange rate was less than favorable, so I used Reais - the plural of Real - for purchases.

Returning to the center of town, quietly passing out more pencils along the way, we visited the church, , then headed for a launch back to MAASDAM.  The last of the pencils were handed to a father with a dugout full of children who took responsibility for distributing them into anxious hands.

Contrary to the impression you may have gotten from some of my sarcasm, we enjoyed our time ashore.

At 1530 the anchor came up.  MAASDAM headed downriver for a couple of miles to intersect a deeper channel, the turned up to Amazon headed for Manaus with an estimated arrival there of 1000 tomorrow.  As we proceeded upriver, we saw more signs of human presence on this section of the river with a more varied (civilized) topography.

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Tomorrow we arrive in Manaus where we disembark for an overnight trip to an EcoPark.  We return to the ship on Monday afternoon.  I do not anticipate having the opportunity or ability to post anything tomorrow.