March 21 - Boca de Valeria

Today was the first day that I really felt like I was in the Amazon. On some of the other smaller ports it could have been some of the small islands of Polynesia as easily as the Amazon. But today had all the trappings of the Amazon. Boca de Valeria sits at the “mouth” of the Valeria River and this colorful Cabocios village contains a few wooden houses and an abundance of local wildlife, including monkeys, birds and several varieties of flora. Brown-skinned locals who poke about this very tiny hamlet are descendants of the Portuguese sailors and local Indian women, with whom they “married.” Called Caboclos, their life along the river is much as you’d expect. Men fish for a daily catch, and the whole family tends to the farm animals including chickens and pigs. When the seasonal tides are high, these animals find safety atop the stilt houses that are built just above the high water mark. When the dry season comes the water recedes and the people immediately plant crops, including their staple, manioc, (the root of the cassava plant; the source of tapioca). The 75 or so inhabitants also wile away their time making handicrafts to sell to passing vessels, or cruise ships with a woman from Montana aboard, which is in keeping with a long held tradition from this trading port. Their position at the confluence of the Amazon and Valeria Rivers is very strategic at the river’s bend for freighters traveling the 2,310 miles between Iquitos, Peru and the Atlantic. Incredibly one fifth of the world’s total fresh water washes past Boca de Valeria, sweetening the saltwater more than 60 miles out to sea. I was happy that I was on the first tender and one of the first on land because we were met by what seemed like 50 kids that formed two lines that we walked through and they each touched our hands. Often one would latch on to you and show you around the “town.” I was no exception as I ended up holding hands with a cute little boy, about 6 year old. No need to show anyone the town as it’s all right in front of you. There were about 10 houses on stilts, a church, a schoolhouse and a bar…what else do you need? Fortunately I had gotten change from the front desk this morning because EVERYONE wanted a dollar. From my new best friend to the many kids dressed in local costume to the kids holding various animals of the area. Although the kids were “staged” for pictures, this truly felt like an Amazon village. The jungle grew right up to the river and a primitive dirt road and clearing was cut to form the town. It’s the first day that you noticed a BIG increase in bugs, fortunately mostly dragon flies, moths, colorful butterflies and beetles. Some mosquitoes, but not many that bothered me. The villagers were friendly and very happy, doesn’t look like it takes much to keep them happy, altho most do have satellite TV. The money they make appears to go into Coke and snack foods from what the kids were eating. I’m told river people eat 5 to 6 times a day….hmmm maybe I COULD be a river person! Apparently you could go into their houses but I didn’t know that so I didn’t. I did talk to someone at dinner that did go in. When you look in you see a BIG freezer and open rooms with no furniture. I’m told that the house my friend went through was for a family of five and they had one bedroom with a double bed, one big room with only a table, 5 chairs and TV, a kitchen with a 4 burner stove, a big refrigerator and a big rectangular inset area when they washed the dishes, but no sink. The laundry is done in the river as is their bathing and there is an outhouse behind the house. They said that the house was immaculate! I decided at the last minute to take a local canoe out into some of the back areas and picked a teenage boy and 8 yr. old brother to take me. It was amazing! The Victoria Regia giant water lilies I saw yesterday at the special park, I was cruising through today. I saw lots of birds, including a toucan, which was too high to photograph but I did get to see one up close in town. It was a very serene and beautiful and was the perfect ending to my day in Boca de Valeria. Another oddity that we saw today was the pink dolphins that played around the ship all afternoon. They are actually pink and only live in the fresh water of the Amazon. Our sail away was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, as the sun was setting on the magical little hamlet in the jungle and we could see the convergence of all the rivers and tributaries. They always play Louie Armstrong’s “It’s a Wonderful World” when we pull out and tonight it certainly made you know it is. Tomorrow: Santarem