Belém is the capital city of Pará, a state in northern Brazil. It is the gateway into the Amazon and sits along the Gaujará Bay and Guamá River. We have now entered what is known as the Amazon River Delta. The Amazon River is a mere three days away. So close yet so far. Sadly our plans changed to go further up river due to a Brazilian law requiring we take on a partial Brazilian crew if we remained in their waters over 30 days. Alas we move on. We have the crossing of the equator (80 miles away) and an initiation of the “Pollywogs to Shellbacks” to look forward to when we depart Belém in four days.

Meanwhile, the waterfront markets await. They consists of a meat market, a fish market, and the Açaí Berry Market. The most famous is the Mercado Ver-o-Peso Market which began in 1625 as a weigh and tax station. The discovery of the rubber tree in the 18th century was a major export from the port of Belém.

Paul Fishman, an Odyssey neighbor, could hardly wait to find the Piranha. That was his lunch for the day. I believe he is somehow paying homage to his namesake. Yum yum😋

“Cajú” and Castanho-do-Brasil” em abundância! Cashews and Chestnuts/Brazil nuts galore! Jeesh! Look at that knife. (Charlie, don’t get any funny ideas. I’m not holding a Brazil nut for you to shell ~ only green beans)

When I returned to the Odyssey I asked Sanjay if he knew what this commodity could possibly be. Between the two of us we unraveled the mystery. The above picture on the right is a google screen shot of the description. It is considered a “stone fruit.”

The meat and fish markets were in buildings along the waterfront. The remaining markets were under countless canopies which offered the most common and the most bazaar items for your everyday shopping experience. The remnants from the fish market were easy pickings for the swarming buzzards and egrets.

Bosque Rodrigues Alves Amazon Zoobotanical Garden

This botanical garden opened in August of 1883. It was 37 acres of natural habitat that was fenced off on the edge of town but now is in the heart of Belém. We were excited about our opportunity to experience what was going to be as close to the Amazon rain forest as we were going to get. It was a 20 minute Uber ride from the port. The ride itself was an experience we won’t soon forget. The driver only spoke Portuguese and not the least bit interested in trying to communicate. The park had such potential but I must admit, I was disappointed. I expected… more. The monkeys were the highlight. No sloth today.

~🙈 ~