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A boat journey in Amazonia!By D.K. Bhaskar
The riverside people young and old alike were getting busy for their morning catch of fish. Young kids quite adept at canoeing in the river more than 30 ft deep were playing with their boats and waving at us, which reminded me of our own children across the railway lines waving at each passing train. Human instincts are the same the world over! The river, changes color 3 times, café late to greenish or blackish colors across the journey of 450 miles before it reaches the mouth near the Atlantic Ocean. Just as I took a few snaps of the cloudy sunrise, I saw four pink dolphins doing their morning exercises with an acrobatic jump and dive into the river. A few more times and they were gone before I could capture them on film.
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TM
The
table was filled with exotic tropical fruits. I realized being a vegetarian has
one major advantage; you can have a platter full of fruits to your heart’s
content against getting tempted with all other non-vegetarian delights! That is
precisely what I did in the small service apartment where was I was put up. A
couple of hours later, I would be on the adventure of my lifetime! I was all set
for a boat journey on the world’s largest river piercing through the heart of
the rainforest where diversity of the fauna complimented the rich variety of
exotic flora. As I began to take that last bite of the watermelon, my mind was
already wandering into the thickets of the mysterious Amazonian forests.
My journey began at Belém, which is the capital of Para and
the port here is the gateway to the great Amazonian rainforests. This city is a
mixture of several races predominated by a Christian community. A few rounds of
the city amidst a chaotic traffic and people (just like in being in Chennai
during summer), Luiz and myself reached the port. “Tudubén!” exclaimed our
captain with a cup of black coffee in his hand. After a few minutes, standing in
front of the mighty river, I realized the port was a buzz of activity. Several
boats were getting ready to leave for different locations in the busy waterway.
My destination was Caxiuana National forest in the deepest heart of Amazonia.
When the horn hooted indicating the departure of the boat,
I looked at the setting sun, which had painted dramatic colors illuminating the
whole landscape with mesmerizing beauty. The musicians on board were playing
blazing music, which was loud enough to pierce the thick canopy of the forest to
far off lands. A few of my co-passengers on the boat could not resist but start
to move their feet in a rhythmic dance. Lianna came with a can of Brazilian beer
and offered me one. Drink, dance and dine is the mantra of these people and as I
could see, while I was like a lost identity sitting and observing the whole
show, almost everyone started pairing and dancing as the music got louder and
louder. Only the generator running in full steam at the lower deck was any
competition for the decibels!
I gave a slip to the dance on the floor and joined the
captain of our boat. He was busy sipping his Nth cup of café. Colorful macaws,
storks and toucans were all flying past to the roosting sites as the sun was
slowly slipping into the vast Amazon River. The dwellings on the banks were very
colorful and I could see the people lazing around ready to rest or getting their
feet conditioned for the dance to begin! As the dance pairs continued to swivel
their bodies, it was time to have dinner in the makeshift table adjacent to the
kitchen. Is there any meal without meat in the menu? Vegetariano is how they
expressed my instincts and offered me some delicious fruits and beans. I was
known as the Vegetariano for the rest of my trip!!
Colorful hammocks were tied all across the boat deck and I
tried to fix one to two hooks. Lianna came to the rescue of this lost child in
the world of Amazonia! While I sat with amazement at the way these people
enjoyed life, I could hear the noise of howler monkeys emanating the thick
canopy! “Boy, this is the call of the jungle’’ I thought! It was around 3.00 AM
when dancers gave up and hit their hammocks. I tried my best to roll but could
not resist the temptation of seeing the sunrise! The captain was looking
at me with lot of questions in mind, as I ran to the front with a camera? I
could understand that he was enquiring me why I did not sleep for a little more,
but honestly, my Portuguese was so bad, I did not know what to answer back? I
only smiled and went about looking at the rising sun!
“This is the bay area”, exclaimed Luiz. This indicated that
we were not too far off from landing on the jetty. It was more than 24 hours
when we had first started from the land and quite a magical experience it was to
undertake this boat ride. The hammocks were pulled and the luggages were getting
into order, while I could hear the percussion sounds of the amphibians, which is
an indication of the rains that could lash any moment! As the boat maneuvered to
anchor, the noise of the frogs, insects, and somewhere the monkeys as well
synchronized in one rhythmic song giving us all a great welcome to the land of
Amazonia!
It
really was the greatest boat journey I had undertaken and it was simply
astounding to believe that I was landing in the place about which I grew up
hearing umpteen numbers of mysterious stories about. I silently thanked my stars
for creating this opportunity to witness this fabulous world!