On the government site for Belém, I came across some great maps of the city and the surrounding areas, which all look similar to the one posted below. The great part about the maps, aside from being visually appealing and including an index, is they can be enlarged by clicking on them (from the site).
“City beautification efforts to increase tourism and encourage environmental conservation led to the creation of the Mangal das Garças (Mangrove of the Egrets). A great place for a short stroll, it has an aviary, a tower with a view, a navigation museum, a boardwalk leading to a lookout over the Rio Guamá, a live butterfly exhibit, ponds with aquatic plants, food vendors, a gift shop, and a restaurant.”
- Fodors
Mário de Andrade, one of Brazil’s best literary figures, once spent time in Belém and told of his experiences to friend and fellow poet, Manuel Bandeira. Below is the passage…
“However, to really conquer me to the point of aching with desire, only Belém has conquered me in this way. My only ideal from now on is to spend a few months living in the Grande Hotel of Belém. The right to sit on that terrace in front of the mango trees covering the Teatro da Paz, to sit without a worry, slowly devouring ice cream of cupuaçu, of açaí, you know this world, but do you know anything better than this, Manu? I would think it impossible. Look, I have seen stupendeous things. I saw Rio at all hours and from all places, I saw Tijuca and Santa Teresa from you, I saw the decline of the mountain range leading into Santos, I saw the afternoons in Outro Preto and right this very moment, I am looking at the prettiest Amazonian morning. [...]
I want Belém as one wants love itself. It is inconceivable the love which Belém has awoken in me. And as I already said, I am sitting in white linen on the terrace of the Grande Hotel after the rains and inhaling the ice cream, without a want in the world, except to be doing something.” (Passage from the letter Mário de Andrade wrote to Manuel Bandeira, June, 1927)
Porém me conquistar mesmo a ponto de ficar doendo no desejo, só Belém me conquistou assim. Meu único ideal de agora em dianteé passar uns meses morando no Grande Hotel de Belém. O direito de sentar naquela terrasse em frente das mangueiras tapando o Teatro da Paz, sentar sem mais nada, chupitando um sorvete de cupuaçu, de açaí, você que conhece omundo, conhece coisa melhor do que isso, Manu? Me parece impossível. Olha que tenho visto bem coisas estupendas. Vi o Rio em todas as horas e lugares, vi a Tijuca e a Stº Teresa de você, vi a queda da Serra para Santos, vi a tarde de sinoa em Ouro Preto e vejo agorinha mesmo a manhã mais linda do Amazonas. [...]
Quero Belém como se quer um amor. É inconcebível o amor que Belém despoertou em mim. E como já falei, sentar de linho branco depois da chuva na terrasse do Grande Hotel e tragar sorvete, sem vontade, só para agir. (Trecho da Carta de Mário de Andrade a Manuel Bandeira, junho, 1927)
Side note: The Grande Hotel of Belém was demolished in the 1970′s in order to make way for the Hilton Belém, in case you are looking for the same view.
(The tourism company which does these boat shows is called Valeverde)
The Lundu, originally a dance done by African slaves in Brazil, also gained popularity among the white middle class and upper crust and became Brazil’s first national dance. Initially though, the Portuguese court and the Vatican itself banned the dance due to its sexual nature yet when the dust settled, it became popular once more. Upon its return, it was still kept hidden from public displays and therefore went ‘underground’, finding followers mainly in three Brazilian states, São Paulo, Minas Gerais and in Pará (on the island of Marajó).
What differentiates Lundú Marajoara from the other styles of Lundú is principally the form of dress, which is also used in the Carimbó. The women present themselves with beautiful long colorful skirts, white blouses, necklaces, bracelets and flowers in their hair. The men wear light blue or white pants and either no shirt at all or a white shirt with Marajoarian designs. Both dancers are barefoot.
A flirtatious couple dance, usually accompanied by a guitar, but sometimes a thumb piano or drums, Lundu is related to the Spanish fandango and other new-world dances like the Argentine Zamba, Cueca and Bolero – they all involve, to some degree, handkerchiefs, castanets, and holding ones’ arms above their heads. The point behind the dance is said to involve a man asking a woman to go to bed with him, although his invite isn’t manifested verbally but rather physically. Initially, the woman is supposed to deny the man but after persistance, she gives in at which point the dance ends.
Açaí (ah-sah-ee) is hands-down my favorite Brazilian fruit. The first time I tried it was on Barão da Torre in Ipanema in late 2005. Everyone at my hostel was raving about this purple pleasure they sell next door, so I made my way over there one morning and bought a 600ml (20 oz.) cup of it. They took it out of a small freezer, threw it in a blender and added a banana. It was that simple and once I tasted it, I was hooked. Some people say “não é a minha praia” (its not my beach = not my cup of tea) and that it tastes like terra (dirt) but for me, I couldn’t get enough of its sweet flavor often compared to a mix of chocolate and blueberries.
Who Eats It & How
In a study of three traditional mixed race Indian populations in the Amazon region of Brazil, açaí palm was described as the most important plant species because the fruit makes up such a major component of diet (up to 42% of the total food intake by weight) and is economically valuable in the region (Murrieta et al., 1999).
The juice and pulp of açaí fruits (Euterpe oleracea) are frequently used in various juice blends, smoothies, sodas, and other beverages. In northern Brazil, açaí (or jussara, which is one of the fruit’s common folk names) is traditionally served in gourds called “cuias” with tapioca and, depending on the local preference, can be consumed either salty or sweet (sugar, rapadura and honey are known to be used in the mix). Açaí has become popular in southern Brazil where it is consumed cold as açaí na tigela (“açaí in the bowl”), mostly mixed with granola – a fad where açai is considered as an energizer. Açaí is also widely consumed in Brazil as an ice cream flavor or juice. In places like Belém, it’s not uncommon to be served açaí with fried fish.
As açaí deteriorates rapidly after harvest, its raw material is generally only available outside the immediate growing region as juice or fruit pulp that has been frozen, dried, or freeze-dried. However, several companies now manufacture juices, other health drinks, and sorbets made from açaí berries, often in combination with other fruits.
The Way It Grows & Helps You Grow
Açaí comes from a palm tree and only grows in floodplains and swamps, producing fruit twice a year. It is the size of a small grape and 80% of the fruit is the seed itself. The way the flavor is extracted is through the purple skin that surrounds the seed.
A recent study using modern procedures and a standardized freeze-dried açaí fruit pulp and skin powder found nutrient analysis results from 100 g (3.5 ounces) of powder to equal 533.9 calories, 52.2 g carbohydrates, 8.1 g protein and 32.5 g total fat. The carbohydrate portion includes 44.2 g of fiber (Schauss et al. 2006a). Having nearly one-third of its mass as dietary fiber, açaí is an exceptional source of this valuable macronutrient: a 100 g serving of the powder would provide all the recommended fiber needs for adults (20-30 g per day).
Pato no tucupi (duck in tucupi stew) is a traditional Brazilian dish; it is mostly found in the area around the city of Belém in the state of Pará.
The dish consists of a boiled pato (duck) in tucupi (a yellow-colored broth made of scalded cassava) with manioc leaves. Appearance-wise, it resembles the famous tacacá, made different only by its use of shrimp rather than duck. Tupuci itself, when extracted in liquid form from the cassava is actually venomous thus why it has to be boiled for hours before being ready to consume (in the jungle, they just leave it out in the sun for about 4 days).
One of the more typical restaurants where it can be found is the “Círculo Militar” in Belém, in a historical palace near the harbour of the city. As for the tucupi on its own, if you wish to try something really unique, ask around town for sorvete de tucupi (Tucupi ice cream).
Indigenous Tucupi Myth
Jacy (the Moon) e Iassytatassú (the Morning Star) decided to visit Ibiapité (the center of the earth). In the early hours of the morning, they left Ibacapuranga (the Beautiful Sky) and floated down to Earth. There they stopped and rested on the enormous Iupê-jaçanã (Waterlily) and later continued on their way to the center of the Earth. On the path, when they both were preparing to decend into the Ibibira (Abyss), Jacy was stung in the face by Caninana Tyiiba (a type of cobra). Upon being stung, Jacy shed bitter tears and they fell on a manioc plant. Jacy remained with the marks on her face forever because of the Tyiiba bites. But, when the tears fell on the manioc, what came as a result was the otycupy (Tucupi).
The Emílio Goeldi Museum is a Brazilian research institution and museum located in the city of Belém. It was founded in 1866 as the Pará Museum of Natural History and Ethnography, and was later named in honor of Swiss naturalist Émil August Goeldi, who reorganized the institution and was its director from 1894 to 1905. It is open to the public from 9:00 to 17:00 h, daily except Mondays.
The institution has the mission of researching, cataloging and analyzing the biological and sociocultural diversity of the Amazon Basin, contributing to its cultural memory and its regional development. It has also the aim of increasing public awareness of science in the Amazon by means of its museums, botanical garden, zoological park, etc.
The Museum maintains a scientific research station in the high Amazon forest (Estação Científica Ferreira Penna), which was inaugurated in 1993, with 128 mi² in the Caxiuanã National Forest, municipality of Melgaço, Pará.
Museum’s website (PT). For a great intro video in English, check out this link to a Facebook short. Keep in mind, however, that while the Emilio Goeldi Museum may be the most interesting museum in Belém, there are close to 20 other museums throughout the city.
As you may or may not know, Belém, being a tropical city, gets its fair share of rainfall, in fact it’s almost daily. Usually January to May is when the heaviest rainfall happens, although even during the dry season from June to December, the city has sporadic showers.
Recently, I asked a Belemense if their rainfall there goes by any other name, such as how the Eskimos (Inuits) of Alaska have many names for snow. Apparently, the answer is ‘not really’, although later I was told ‘chuva das 2‘ (’2PM rain’) is used. As in the rest of Brazil, there are various names for varying types of rain. Let’s go over the different kinds (plus a few related words)…
Chuva – Rain
Chuvisco or Garoa – Light rain
Toró, Temporal or Chuvada – Heavy rain
Tempestade – Storm
Alagamento – Flooding
Now, time for a short clip of the rain in Belém…while the sun is shining.
The pororoca is a tidal bore, with waves up to 4 meters high that travel as much as 13 kilometers inland upstream on the Amazon River. Its name comes from the indigenous Tupi language, where it translates into “great destructive noise”. It occurs at the mouth of the river where river water meets the Atlantic Ocean. The phenomenon is best seen in February and March.
It is best seen when there are changes in the phases of the moon, basically two days before until three days after. It happens particularly on the equinoxes of each hemisphere and it reaches its highest intensity when the moon is either full or new.
The phenomenon, upon elevating the leval of the oceanic waters, makes them invade mouths of the rivers, abling the formation of waves up to ten meters thick and three to five meters high with a speed of 10 to 15 mph.
The wave has become popular with surfers. Since 1999, an annual championship has been held in São Domingos do Capim. However, surfing the Pororoca is especially dangerous, as the water contains a significant amount of debris from the shores of the river (often entire trees). In 2003 the Brazilian Picuruta Salazar won the event with a record ride of 12.5 kilometers during 37 minutes.
Along the branches or “caños” in the Orinoco Delta, pororoca is known as macareo, which is also the name of one of these branches.
Here’s the trailer
And here’s a description of how it happens
(source: taken right before the renewal project in 2000)
Ver-o-peso market is a touristic point in Belém, located at Guajará Bay riverside. It is said to be the largest open-air market in the Americas and holds around 2,000 different stalls.
It is called “Ver-o-Peso” following a colonial era tradition, since the tax collector’s main post was located there, which was called “Casa do Haver-o-peso” (“Have-the-Weight House”, or “measure the weight house”, in a free translation from archaic Portuguese). It was in the “Haver-o-peso house” that the taxes over goods brought from the Amazon forests, rivers and countryside should be paid to the Portuguese crown, but only after their weight was measured, hence the name, which later suffered a contraction.
Nowadays, the Ver-o-peso complex contains the Açaí Fair, a free open market where açaí berry merchants sell the fruit in natura for açaí juice shops, the Clock Square, with an iron-cast clock tower brought from England, the Ver-o-peso docks, where native fishes from Amazon are unloaded from boats and sold fresh, the Iron Market, a gothic prefab structure where fish is sold, the Solar da Beira space, a colonial building where art expositions often take place, and the neoclassical Meat Market, across the street, with iron-cast stairs and cubicles. There’s also the free market, where craftsmanship, natural essence parfums, typical food and native fruits are sold.
It is located a few meters away from Feliz Lusitânia complex, a gathering of XVI and XVIII centuries buildings including a fortress, an old hospital transformed into a museum, and two churches: a baroque one where there is a sacred art museum, and Belém’s cathedral.
All this area has been declared national patrimony by the National Historical and Architetonic Institute (IPHAN). Around ten years ago, Ver-o-peso was bidding a place into UNESCO’s list of world’s human patrimonies, but it wasn’t included and since then the City never tried again.
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(In PT)
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