Has anyone cruised the Amazon and stopped at villages on the banks ? What to expect ?

They are really fun. Boca da Valeria is just a small village on a stream running into the Amazon. The ship anchors close by and you take tender rides. The Navigator actually landed us at the village to walk around it, but with more people on the Mariner, the tender rides past the village and also does a pink dolphin watch on the Amazon shore line. Natives from several villages come aboard the Mariner to sell their crafts, mostly carvings which are very unique. The villages aren't indiginous natives, but are Coblocos which is a mix of native, black, Portugese and whatever. At the other 3 villages you just walk around and enjoy the place.
Alter do Chau is a beach resort without any fancy hotels, but with a wonderful craft market and an enjoyable place to walk around.

Santorem is another walk around place and it is where about 100 Confederates settled in 1867 and failed at trying to grow cotton. Some of their buildings are still around.

Parintins is a larger city with more shops and restaurants. In the late afternoon wveryone is taken to a stadium where the Boi Bumba show is put on for the ships guests. It's a Carnival type show with very elaborate costumes and depicts the battle between the white and black bulls. It's a unique performance. Even the phone booths along the streets have a bull's head for a cover over them. They'll serve the Brazilian national drink as well (I can't remmeber the spelling) and be careful how many you drink.

The overnight in Manaus is one of the highlights of the cruise.

Just watching the scenery along the Amazon as we cruise by is very enjoyable.
Jim

We have done this type of excursion along the river banks. The Amazon is a dirty river, you will see boats and homes built on stilts. You will see children in the boats holding up snakes, sloths, and monkeys (good photo opts and you give the kids $1.) Here are a couple of my pictures:






In Parintins you will go to a complimentary event called Boi-Bumba show. That was a lot of fun with wild costumes, dances and huge animal floats like this:



EDITING TO ADD: Jim and I must have both been posting the same time.

Thanks so much, Marci & Jim. We are doing Manaus to BA this January & you have given us a wonderful preview teaser. I can hardly wait!

Jackie: We did same segment last year - we loved it! Marcie is the great note keeper and picture taker - If it weren't for her I'd forget half the excursions we took - Joanna

Yes Joanna, I didn't want to confess but I remember how much I enjoyed certain shore exursions but don't have the detailed recall Marcie does. Marcie, you have a mind like a steel trap & a memory like an elephant.

I am very sorry I did not keep more detailed accounts of our travels...Tony has the pixs I have no idea how to find them I am a computer zero - why didn't I keep Passages? I can picture right now the sweetest town we visited??...which cruise? Not sure...would have to do charades with Marcie to remind her - looks like, sounds like etc - not proud of myself just the way it has been - and I removed my list of cruises - who cares about them? Now I can hardly remember them -

Thanks guys but way too much credit given. I have all my pictures but I often need to refer back to the excursions booklet to remember what we did, where.
Joanna & Jackie, I drive Tom nuts sometimes trying to describe a place we were by saying something like "Don't you remember when we got off the ship we turned left and there was a little blue building where we stopped for ice cream with a St.Bernard sleeping outside..." totally clueless of what cruise,country or continent!

Oh thank goodness Marcie - thought it was just me - I have great intentions before each trip for notes and contacts for private excursions/restaurants etc - so many do fantastic job helping us with your information. Joanna

Marcie,I play "Memory Lane" all the time with Jim & he NEVER remembers what I was wearing, where we ate, what we ordered on important dates in our history. But, like Joanna, I could never compete with you in the game of "Name that trip, country, city, sight, hotel, dinner, purchases,etc." You win all the tokens here.

Thank you for the information and the photos. Perhaps there is more advice on the Amazon cruise,
rather than this topic becoming a walk down personal memory lane.

Neviboy, perhaps you could give it some time. I thought you would appreciate the time Marcie took to dig up a few photos out of the many she took on her full circle cruising of SA last year and jbittle's time (while he is on a cruise, as I remember) to try to help you. Sorry this didn't seem enough for you for now.

I haven't been down the Amazon but I found the photos & Marcie's seamail when on the ship to be extremely informative and that it gives a wonderful overview of what I would expect & hope to find on such a trip. Maybe one day.

Marcie and Jim,

Very good information and photos! You've given many of us an abbreviated real feel for the Amazon! As I will most likely never get there, I appreciate your personal "walks down memory lane." I hope there's more memories and photos coming our way, again, very soon!

Sorry I could not help with specifics - just memories but it was one great trip!! Jim and Marcie you both did a super job - thanks for taking the time to write and post pixs -

Marcie and Jim

Thank you for the information and great pictures.

Did visitors to Boca da Valeria bring small gifts for the children?

Susan

Not that I recall Susan, at least we didn't. (brings back fun memories of 3rd world places we visited where we were tossing fruit, bottle of shampoo, lotion, even a $1 bill in empty plastic bottle, etc. from our balcony to the small rickity river boats circling below. They were so excited! Many of us were doing it but later Capt. Dag asked that we NOT do it anymore. The children would leap into the water to retrieve the apple or whatever was tossed...guess Capt. Dag was afraid we might accidently hit someone in the head)

Editing to add: one of the passengers on the WC who was an artist drew a funny cartoon of a passenger tossing their TV over the balcony to the boat below...gave me a good laugh!

Before a trip to third world countries I stock up on small items like match box cars and so enjoy giving them to the children. I make it a point never to give to someone who is begging and will not reward them. It is so much fun to see their eyes light up.

In any third world country or remote village area the mints left on the pillows at night make great gifts for the kids. Even some of the adults like them. I'm signed up for the full SA cruise starting in January so I can do a seamail blog for the trip if anyone is interested.
Jim

Jim, I would LOVE to read your SA blog when you go....congratulations!! It was one of our all time favorite cruises and I'm sure it will be yours too.

For what it's worth I read somewhere that it's best not to give the adults or children anything sweet that can rot their teeth. 3 years ago we bought a huge case of toothbrushes and toothpaste (something like 150 of them!) and had them shipped to a remote village along the Amazon. I hope someone was able to instruct them what to do with them!

I know how much these people in the 3rd world countries appreciate the smallest of things, pens, pencils, marking pens, little toys, whatever.

Jim,
I'll ditto Marcie on your journal/blog. We'd love to read anything you'll write about your circle SA cruise. Thanks!
Debbie

Jim, you are a gifted writer & I look forward to you journal/blog. It lets us dream of past trips & future trips when cruisers share their experiences with the folks back home.

Regards, Jackie

Jim, I also would be very interested in reading your seamail blog.

Great ideas on things to bring for the children. I was thinking of crayons, pencils, and small notepads - but toothbrushes and toothpaste also are a good idea.

McKeever - good point to give gifts to children not begging.

Susan

It was suggested we bring school supplies to Peru & Equador so we bought several boxes of ball point pens at Office Depot. In some places they were received with smiles & the children would follow us around like the Pied Piper, in others they refused and asked for candy.

Jackie

When a small group visited an extremely remote mountain village in Peru we were told to bring nothing. The leaders of our group brought the greatest prize as gifts for the villagers - loaves of french bread. Each home was given a loaf and the oldest woman was given two. What a wonderful experience.

Jim, yes, please blog. I'd love to read about your SA cruise.