Alter do Chao, Brazil

Alter do Chao, Brazil slideshow

It was often hard to leave our “tree” house – a room raised by several flights of wooden stairs from the ground. Three large windows and a door let in an amazing green from trees all around us - every possible shade of green. Birds visited us often, and always woke us up with a fine orchestra in the morning. Alberque da Floresta was separated to the beach by 50 yards of a dirt road lined up with ripe cashew trees. We couldn't resist the sweet smell as we passed by them and gorged ourselves on one or two juicy fruit.

The best thing about Alter do Chao is its remoteness and sultriness. Around high noon, all that was left to do is to succumb to the hot and humid air and surrender to inactivity. At the early hours of the afternoon, we took refuge in the shade under trees on the beach and just admired all the beauty around us. White sand, water, sky, trees...and then, when the sun was not so hot, we went in the river for a dip. Also when the stars were high in the sky, the warm bath-like water called us in.

Swimming at Rio Tapajos was a favorite activity, as well as taking walks along the river. The river touched the white soft sand forming many shapes and designs: new moon, quarter moon, half moon. Sand bars and spits stuck out of the water at some places, giving us a great place to bathe. Often times, we were the only ones on the beach.

Rio Tapajos extends for hundreds of miles to other communities and resorts: Pindobal, Cajutuba, Aramanai, Sao Domingos, Maguari and others, but it is very remote and isolated, not many people live here. It took us two hours on a speed boat to get to Maguari one day, a protected area called Floresta Nacional (FLONA) do Tapajos. The area covers 6.500 square kilometers of primary forest. The communities who live there are called ribeirinha, which means ”of the river border.” They are Indian descendants but most are mixed with white and black people and all of them are completely adapted to the European lifestyle. They produce latex from rubber in a small scale and andiroba cream, an Amazonian product that prevents itching and mosquito bites. They farm very little, mostly manioc root. They also fish and keep a few chickens running around. Everything else they consume, like beer, soft drinks, vegetables, pasta, rice and beans are imported.

We also experienced ayuasca at Alter do Chao. It was twelve hours of cleansing and psychedelic trip, much like a sweat lodge of North American first nations. It was performed in a sort of traditional ritual, conducted by an experienced facilitator. We were nineteen people altogether, surrounded by trees, beach, water tubs and a “waterfall”- a huge shower falling from about ten meters high. I had never had such intense cleansing before and never so many thoughts and insights. I am still connecting the dots and processing everything that went through my mind. And my body has not completely recovered from the strong cleansing.

It was difficult to leave Alter do Chao, but we managed to get on the boat to Belem on October 17th, ten days after our arrival. This is a place I will always remember and I hope I am able to return to one day.