Jungles and Beaches

We had an early start to a relaxing yet stimulating day. We took part in a morning excursion to Parrot Island, a small semi-flooded island a few miles offshore. The boat departed at 5am (with a 4:30am hotel pickup!) to arrive at the island in the gray pre-dawn. As the sky lightened and the clouds cleared, the parrots awoke. They squawked, circled around to find their mates, then flew away into the dawn. Afterwards the tour explored the small side channels of islands in the estuary. Then we went on a nature walk through the jungle. We were accompanied by a half-dozen rather eccentric Europeans throughout the tour, including an older Frenchman who was fascinated with parrot sex and a Dutchman who wanted to taste every and any jungle fruits, nuts, and bugs! Our guide was a crazed yet gentle older German man named Ciciro. He knew just about everything Amazon. Having spent over a decade raising a family in the jungle, he knew exactly what fruits to eat and which ones to avoid. We learned a lot during the walk and even scored an early high-protein breakfast (Stuart and I snacked on some jungle termites!)

After the parrot tour/jungle walk, the group returned to the hotel for a quick breakfast. We then headed back to the port to catch a "party-boat" to the beach. Having arrived the night before, Jill from the ILR Extension Office in Manhattan joined the team for this excursion.The ride to the beach was very rainy and windy. Luckily the boat had live music, dancing, and plenty of green plastic tarps to keep us entertained and dry during the storm. Be sure to check out the picture of Chad dancing with one of the sexy samba dancers. :)

The beach was very sunny. We enjoyed a a buffet-style Brazilian lunch: Spicy fried meats, rice, vegetables and kale, noodles, and seafood. We also took this time to relax in the sun and/or shade, to catch up with Jill, and discuss our plans for the upcoming week. After some time we got back on the boat and headed to Belem. During the rainy and windy trip, the boat was approached by dozens of very young children in canoes looking for sweets. A normal occurrence, many of the Brazilian tourists came prepared and gladly chucked plastic snack baggies overboard towards the children.

The rest of the day was spent lounging, laughing, and enjoying the Brazilian air and scenery. And while I am certainly tired now, I am also excited for the week ahead. We have a dynamic and passionate delegation here in Belem. The forum will be great.