Where are we today? Alter do Chão
What do I love about Alter do Chão? Everything!
We turned down a gigantic river (Tapajos) that flows off the Amazon for this stop. Alter do Chão is a river beach town known as the Brazilian Riviera. The best thing about it to me is that it is truly Brazilian — or so I think. It has touristy aspects, but for Brazilians enjoying their own country. It is not overrun by foreign tourists, and hardly anyone speaks English. Travel bloggers and Instagrammers are beginning to talk about it though, and obviously the occasional cruise ship stops here. I hope Alter do Chão maintains its out of the way charm.
There are a lot of native Brazilian crafts for sale here, including beautiful woodwork items and earrings carved out of delicate fish skins. There are many Brazilian foods and drinks offered, as well. One of the drinks, which I am not brave enough to try, has an herb in it which numbs your mouth
 |
| Toasted Cassava flour — side dish, topping, ingredient - versatile |
 |
| We had no idea this much food was coming — all for 20 dollars |
 |
| One of the vendors selling floats |
 |
| One of the huts where I smelled smoking meat. I think our lunch came from this one. |
 |
| Rowboat to Love Island. |
 |
| The tender boat driver is behind Dave. |
 |
| Does anyone (Karen) know what this tree and fruit are? |
 |
| Dave took this in the water looking back to the beach |
After we explored the town, we paid three bucks to be ferried a short distance to an island beach. (The name translates to Love Island, so how could you not go?) Immediately, we came to a row of huts where people were smoking meat. At the edge of the beach, there were also rows of chairs, tables, and umbrellas placed so that you could sit, eat, and soak your feet - all at once!
At least today, everything seemed family oriented. I saw many young parents with little kids enjoying the water.
We did not have the lovely Karen Vega Luna with us to help us communicate with our young waiter, who spoke no English. We ordered what Mr. Google told me was roast chicken and fried chicken. We had no idea whether sides were coming with it or how big the chicken would be. And, we waited and waited for whatever was coming to arrive. At one point, I lost confidence that we actually had ordered or if we had just confused our waiter. Then, just as we were about to go seek help in the cabana, the man in question arrived with more food than Dave or I could possibly eat. It was delicious. We tried a tasty Brazilian side dish prepared with rice, black eyed peas, some Brazilian veggies, and Brazilian spices(Baião?). I sent Karen a picture of another dish that I had never seen, and she told me that it is farofa(toasted cassava flour). It is a common accompaniment to main dishes in Brazil. Yummy.
It’s possible to swim or wade to and from the island ( the water would be chest or neck level in places), but I wasn’t dressed for it. Also, we’d have to hoist our gear high. And, we would have to remember to shuffle our feet because there are freshwater stingrays in the channel. They are peaceful and will let you pass if you are careful. Understandably, they do not like to be stepped on, and if you do, they will perce you with their poisoned barbs. We paid the 3 dollars to have someone to row us back to the main beach.
After getting back to the town, we wandered around some more. An English teacher, William, from somewhere else in Brazil, overheard our struggles to communicate in a shop and came to our rescue.
By Dave:
Elizabeth did find time for shopping ...
Back to Elizabeth:
It is rainy season and Brazil does badly need a good soaking. The clouds built up over the day, but not a drop fell. The weather was pleasant and breezy. It was nowhere near the steam bath that Devil’s Island was.
This was a tender port The Zuiderdam had set up a first aid station and a water station, and they met us near the tender boat with chilled, wet washcloths. Ahhh…
Comments
Post a Comment