Chapter Nine

Manaus to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Amazon River is stupendous in size! It's length is 4,000 miles (6,437 kilometres), surpassed only by the Nile River of Africa.It's width is astounding, ranging from 1.5 to 6 miles (2.4 to 10 kilometres), the rivers' edges being difficult to make out at times. The depth averages 40 feet (12 metres) and increases to more than 300 feet (91 metres) in some places. The Amazon River Basin covers about 2,400,000 square miles (6,220,000 square kilometres) and makes up the world's largest rainforest. Eventually we passed through a narrow channel which was more interesting because it allowed us to watch the local inhabitants from close up, living where jungle meets river. Young boys paddled their wooden outrigger canoes close to the passing ship and awaited gifts of clothes, thrown overboard in plastic sacks from passengers and crew.

Finally back on the highway at Belem, an old Portuguese port located at the mouth of the Amazon River, we continued all the way along the coast passing cities such as São Luis, Fortaleza, Recife, Salvador and Belo Horizonte. Olinda, founded in 1537, near present day Recife, was the first capital of Brazil. There was much competition between the Dutch and the Portuguese in the 16th and 17th centuries, both having left fortresses which survive today. Olinda is built on a rise overlooking the ocean and still retains its colonial character, with cobble-stone streets connecting the colonial churches, monasteries, palaces and old houses. Today the town has become an artists colony with many fine paintings and wood carvings available to buy.

In 1494 the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed between the Spanish and the Portuguese, dividing up the potential spoils of the Western Hemisphere from a demarcation line. The Portuguese settled in Brazil in 1500, becoming very wealthy from the trade of sugar. Competition was fierce between the various European states with many battles being fought, but the Portuguese ruled for almost four centuries before Brazil finally became a republic, after the emperor, Dom Pedro II, was exiled to France.

After Olinda, Salvador became the capital of Brazil, and remained so until 1763, when the capital was transferred to Rio de Janeiro. Salvador was definitely one of the more interesting cities to visit in Brazil, with richly decorated ornate churches, many fine examples of magnificently constructed colonial buildings, cobble-stone streets and a colourful mix of gregarious people pervading a sense of total ebullience. The original city's location on a clifftop overlooking an estuary, has an exterior elevator connecting the upper town with the port below. Rythmic Brazilian music, a fusion of black African drums and Portuguese, was played by high-spirited local musicians as they danced sensuously with sheer spontaneity and abandon!

Near Rio, in the state of Minas Gerais, lies Ouro Prêto (literally means black gold) founded in 1711, an old Portuguese colonial town and capital of that state. Steep cobble-stone streets, magnificently ornate, baroque churches, tiled rooves and colourful facades of old houses adorn the entire town which has been classified as a national heritage monument. This town became extremely wealthy from the gold and diamonds that were mined nearby. Entry into the mines was gained using the old miniature rail carriages. Small dimly lit lanterns were the only lights in these dark and dingy mines but an impression could be gained nevertheless as to the difficulty of the working conditions for the slaves who had to spend their entire working lives in these mines.

A tremendous sense of satisfaction was felt by us when we finally arrived in Rio de Janeiro. This arrival, at one of the world's most beautiful cities, represented a significant achievement. Rio de Janeiro is situated on a picturesque harbour called Guanabara Bay. High mountains surround it which provide magnificent views of the entire city and its scenic harbour. Discovered in 1502 by a Portuguese navigator, Gonçalo Coelho, it was first settled by the French in 1555. After twelve years of rivalry the Portuguese took over and the city grew rapidly despite Indian opposition. As a capital and as the seat of the Viceroy, the city developed into an architectural gem, with many fine churches, plazas and palm lined boulevards. Today, Rio has become the second largest city in Brazil with a population of over 7,000,000 people who are called cariocas, an Indian nickname. Some of the barrios built on the hillsides consist of slums called favelas. They form a sharp contrast to the hundreds of apartment buildings constructed along Rio's many fine beaches. Nevertheless, the people of Rio de Janeiro enjoy a particular lifestyle unmatched anywhere else in Brazil. Rio remained the capital until 1960, when the capital was transferred to the new jungle city of Brasilia.

We arrived at dusk and went directly to Copacabana Beach and parked our vehicles on Avenida Atlantico, the wide and spacious boulevard that lines itself along this world renowned beach. At night thousands of people walk along the boulevard enjoying the sensuous balminess of the tropical evening. Many hawkers sell their handcrafts at open-air market stalls dotted along the full length of the boulevard. There is activity for twenty four hours every day along this bustling street, with many discos, bars and restaurants open till dawn. We overnighted here and spent the following day at the beach enjoying the surf and sunshine. A little R&R was in order again. I walked along the beach taking in the beauty of the Brazilian girls flaunting themselves in their sensuous and alluring ways, wearing skimpy bikinis that left little to the imagination. It can be said that multi-culturism has had several centuries of evolution in Brazil as can be seen by the girls on the beaches. Every race, creed, colour, shape and their mixture of interbreeding can be clearly seen here, producing some truly beautiful and exotic variations of womanhood! Not only the younger girls but also the older women wear these brief bathing suits. I met a lovely 'Brazileira' called Vera, who showed me some of the interesting sights of this lovely city. We drove to Ipanema Beach which was much quieter than Copacabana and decided to spend more time at this superb beach. We also took the cable cars up Sugar Loaf Mountain and Corcovado (location of the world famous statue of Christ the Redeemer) and marvelled at the spectacular views of the city. We walked for miles along the streets of this world famous city, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of Rio de Janeiro, a city of complete contrasts, where the fabulously wealthy mix effortlessly with the impoverished slum dwellers.

  Back to Table of Contents