Around South America in 80 Days

March 13, 2019

Alter Do Chao, Brazil

Alter do Chao is a resort community on the banks of the Tapajos River. It has been referred to as the Brazilian Caribbean.

Pat, Patty, and I met at 10 am to board the tender to go to the town. There were some craft stalls by the tender landing which we briefly looked at before walking the few blocks into town. We visited a number of shops and bought a few things. One of the most interesting places was Arariba a shop that contained all kind of indigenous crafts. We stopped for a cold drink and a bit of a rest before looking at a few more shops and stalls and heading back to the tender.

There were a couple of things that struck me about the town. One was the fact that the cats and dogs we saw looked healthy – unlike most we have seen in Brazil. Second, there was virtually no graffiti on the houses, walls, etc. again very unlike what we have seen in other places.

We returned to the ship at about 1:30 and made our way to the Lido for lunch where we sat and knitted (and made mistakes) until time for afternoon trivia.

We did much better at trivia than yesterday with 15 out of 18 but the winners had 16.

1) How many members make up a team in an official game of tug-of-war?

2) Operation Sea Lion was Hitler’s plan to invade which country?

3) Which city is sinking into the ground having lost 35 feet in the last 100 years – Paris, London, Rome, Mexico City, or New York City?

4) In what country did Keats and Shelley die?

5) What are the three largest islands in the Caribbean?

At around 6 pm we passed Santarem (where we were a few days ago) and saw Veendam. The captains put on a good tootfest and there was quite a bit of horn blowing between the two.

We again were one off the winners in evening trivia with 17 out of 19 (three teams tied with 18).

1) Who is credited with discovering the rabies vaccine?

2) Pupusas are a type of corn tortilla from which country?

3) Where were the 1988 winter Olympics held?

4) What was the last country Titanic was docked in?

5) What does the bird say in The Raven?

All present for dinner. I had fruit, prosciutto, parmesan encrusted chicken (very good), and Heath Bar frozen yogurt.

The show was a digital magician which I skipped.

Alter do Chao