Last night I went to one of the islands in the Rio Guamá. The organizers for the excursion only run the tour twice a year, and this was the fourth time they had gone. The cruise and island visit was definitely aimed at tourists, although I was the only non-Brazilian and it seemed like almost everyone else in the group of 30 or so was from Belém.
The boat left around 7:30 and cruised for about 20 minutes before entering an igarapé, or a channel that runs between river islands. The music on the way was good. After passing the homes of several ribeirinhos, the name for people who live on the islands and along the river, the group got out and encountered a gigantic canoe filled with fruit.
The boat left around 7:30 and cruised for about 20 minutes before entering an igarapé, or a channel that runs between river islands. The music on the way was good. After passing the homes of several ribeirinhos, the name for people who live on the islands and along the river, the group got out and encountered a gigantic canoe filled with fruit.
Annoying lady with microphone next to the fruit canoe
I pigged out on bananas, watermelon, cashew fruit, star fruit, acerola (red, tiny, and tart), papaya, and cacao (from which chocolate is made).
I also helped myself to some tacacá. Tacacá is an indian dish found all over Belém and is quite tasty. It is made from tucupi (lemony-tart juice of cassava) and is served with jambu (alkaloid spinach), and salty dried shrimp. It also has goma, which is made from finely ground cassava and has the consistency of snot. My first experience with tacacá was not very good as there was WAY too much goma in my serving, so I felt like I was drinking a bowl full of warm loogies. But this serving was more balanced and very enjoyable.
After the food, I could have left. Some people sang and dance around the campfire but I opted to stare at the almost full moon through the tree branches. The group of people I came with also wanted to leave, and by 10 we passed the time by making fun of the tour guide who would not leave the microphone alone. Finally, a little after midnight, we returned to Belém.
3 comments:
That tacaca shit is good. I stalked a place in Rio de J for it. Mouth-numbing and goobery. But I had to wait 30 minutes for them to make it, which pretty much ruined my entire trip to Brazil.
I thought you'd like this post. I can't believe you had to WAIT for 30 minutes - outrageous. Those cariocas should take some hints from their northern brethren and set up tacacá stands on every other street corner and in shopping malls.
Actually, I disagree. They should be running after me with trays of bowls filled with goobers on their heads. This is the Brazilian Problem: no one takes fast food seriously.
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