Our last port in Brazil was the most quaint. Located 20 from Santarem which we visited on the way upriver, the village of maybe 1000 is located on the clear water Rio Tabajos. It fronts beautiful white sand beaches. The little shops are thatched and mostly located around the Praca- plaza. I found an internet in an old hippie hangout, Mae Natureza, guys with dreds,tattoos and Free Tibet signs- very cool. The river was pretty high nearly obliterating what seems to be a lovely sandbar with more thatched restaurants and bars, now partially underwater. the water was blue and, if you squinted you might be in the Caribbean. everyone was charmed by this port. As we had not spent many 'reals' we decided to buy something. Now we are the proud owners of a 40 lb turtle carved in one piece by a tribe further upriver. It functions as a stool and will be a great reminder of our time on the Amazon. Overall my impressions of Brazil was not as favorable due to the problems caused by the authorities and rampant problems with petty theft and crime. The Amazon lived up to its reputation and, though I would probably not return, I loved everyday I had here. As if to underscore my thoughts- I was walking back to the tender dock, looking at the mangroves and white sands and admiring the beauty of the black vultures circling overhead.
Suddenly one broke loose the group and started to swoop directly towards me. I looked at it and it at me. Almost face to face it opened its mouth and regurgitated about 6 ounces of foul smelling stuff which I watched , in slow motion, falling towards my head. Thankfully i stepped sideways and it missed by inches! One woman watching the scene ran over and said in her best British accent- "My dear, you were nearly baptized by a buzzard"!
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