A couple of years ago I wrote a series of memoirs, but I deliberately left one out that is still fresh in my mind. I celebrated my 90th birthday last July, and it will be interesting to see what my little old brain has retained about something thathappened in 1991, 19 years ago.
Elm and I were going to celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary in July, and as we had travelled a good deal, we both started thinking about a trip that would top the others.
We spent time in travel offices, collected brochures and then we decided on Brazil... a three-week cruise which included a week of exploring the Amazon from the ship.
After a lot of thought we decided to do it and got busy with the necessary paperwork, and along with a check sent it to the travel company in California.
A short time later we received a letter informing us that there was a serious cholera epidemic in South America and the entire trip had been cancelled. However, they had made some minor changes and would inform us as soon as possible.
Impatiently, we waited and finally we got the news. So far we were the only two on the trip. In lieu of a cruise ship they would supply us with a Jungle Guide and a motorboat. In addition, they would book hotels and air passage, have tour guides meet us, and bring us to our hotels in all the towns on our agenda. We would have to have cholera shots before we left. This all pleased us no end.
Finally our departure day arrived, and we flew to Miami (we were living near St. Pete at the time) where we boarded a Brazilian Airlines jet. The flight was uneventful and I don’t recall how long it was but it was still light when the captain addressed us. He said we were approaching the Amazon, and looking down it was a beautiful sight. He told us that the Amazon was two rivers that ran side by side and didn’t mix – one was cloudy, the other clear.
We landed at Belem Airport, a seaport and the mouth of the river. As we entered the airport we saw a nice-looking female holding a sign that said “OLSON”. She helped us locate our luggage and brought us to a hotel, showed us a nice restaurant and said she would see us in the morning for the first tour of the city.
Belem was a middle-sized metropolis – a lot of buses, painted red, green, and yellow, many parks with colorful flowers and a well-dressed bunch of people. We finished our tour with a visit to a huge outdoor market that featured foods, fish, fruit and veggies, as well as jewelry, statuary, scarves, etc. There was no refrigeration and I have to admit I had a feeling of discomfort to see fish and meat baking in the sun.
During this time our guide explained that this area of Brazil had very few roads. The mode of transportation from town to town was by air. Our guide said we should dress comfortably and casually and she would drive us to the airport early in the morning.
As we approached the airport we could see a plane stationed there, and met the pilot and a few other passengers. We were a little surprised to see the crew all wore face masks and white gloves. We were told this a “cholera procedure”.
Our first stop was Manaus, a historical ghost town built by the Rubber Barons who lived there at the turn of the century. It was incongruous to see all this past luxury in the middle of all the greenery. Besides the many large homes, there were stores, an elaborate opera house, theater and government buildings, all deserted. I’m sure many millionaires were born those days.
We continued to Leticia (our destination) were another guide appeared and drove us to a hotel right in the middle of a small town. It wasn’t posh but it was clean and served our purpose. The staff was very friendly and seemed happy to have a couple of visitors for a few days. I’m only guessing at the size of the hotel but there were possibly 12 rooms in the three-story building. A restaurant adjoined the hotel when we had a wonderful bowl of soup and learned about Brazilian coffee – Café con Leche. Because all good Brazilian coffee is exported, the Brazilians serve coffee in two containers – one coffee and one milk – and both are poured simultaneously into a cup.
Shortly after lunch our Jungle Guide paid us a visit. Danielle was a young man who had spent most of his life in the Amazon region, spoke English and also knew how to speak to natives. I had a strong feeling that we had really “lucked out” and probably would see more than we would have on a cruise. I was so right.
Early the next morning an old rickety taxi picked us up, and took us to a small pier. There was a neat little motorboat, Danielle, and Joe, our driver. A cooler was on the floor with water and soft drinks and also four box lunches.
Our first glimpse of the Amazon was one of pleasure. Sure enough, there were two rivers, cloudy and clear, and the shoreline was lined with trees and bushes. There was a strong current and some commercial boats that apparently didn’t need any motors. There were a lot of small islands. There were no fast food places, billboards, factories or stores anywhere – just vegetation.
Our driver entered a cave-like area and we could hear chirping. Here were hundreds of brightly-colored birds – red, yellow and blue, noisily fluttering among the trees.
At lunchtime, Joe, our driver, pulled up to a small island, moored the boat, and Danielle said, “Bon Appetit” as he handed us our box lunches. It’s an unbelievably pleasant memory.
Danielle had a good supply of bananas and as we approached an island, he would let out a little whistle, and monkeys would come out and eat bananas. They were perfectly at ease, sat on our shoulders, and chattered.
We visited Monkey Island, a kind of refuge for birds and monkeys and in the water we saw pink dolphins frolicking. The weather was quite warm but I noticed there were no bugs, snakes, or alligators.
Among the boats that rode the current were a few large, flat ones. We came across one that had gotten out of the current and was stuck in a small inlet. Joe spotted this and decided to help. I was told that for many families, this was their home. While Joe and Danielle helped, I saw a man, a woman, a couple of children, chickens, some furniture and on a small table sat a sewing machine. Some families existed this way.
One morning Danielle told us that we were going to visit an Indian village. They belonged to the Yaqui Tribe. It was quite a long ride but finally we approached a fairly large island and after a short upward walk, met a small group of people standing by their houses and all had happy smiles on their faces. The Indian Chief came forward, and painted our faces and welcomed us. All the natives looked young to me, the women were topless and carried babies and the small children wore no clothes. It was really primitive and could have been a scene from National Geographic.
I do have a couple of mementos. One is a cherished monkey skull that I wear every Halloween, and also a couple of stringed beads with strange attachments that could be either a tooth or fang. I also have a snapshot of what happens when you slip in the mud. These are happy memories.
It was time to leave Leticia and the Amazon region, so we went to get some cash. In the middle of town, and instead of a bank, a man parked on the sidewalk, pulled out a small table, and took care of our needs. He was known as a Money Changer... very strange but effective.
We boarded a plane and a short time later found ourselves in a lovely mountainous area in the town of Bella Horizonte (Beautiful Horizon). As before, a guide met us and we went to a lovely hotel. Elm wasn’t feeling very well. It had been a little difficult to stay on his diabetes routine, so our guide arranged for a doctor to visit him. This was appreciated.
In the morning Elm was feeling quite well, and we felt we could continue our tour, especially since it didn’t sound too strenuous. In the lobby we found our guide and she led us to a minivan. A black couple was already seated. We introduced ourselves and met George and Sarah Livingston who lived in Cleveland. She was a teacher and he was a mailman. Our guide explained that the Livingston’s needed a ride to Ouro Preto and there was plenty of room.
We all sat quietly until my husband turned around and said, “George, I really hate to see you sitting in the back of the bus.” This brought a big laugh to all of us. It was the beginning of a friendship that lasted many years.
It was a beautiful mountainous ride to this little town that turned out to be a large jewelry center as well as stores selling tourist items – cards, statuary, postcards, and scarves. The town was hilly, had a lot of eateries, and we were amazed at the large number of Catholic churches, all of which were ornate and the jeweled altars, in my opinion, were overdone. WE found out that some years ago there were factions, and instead of compromising, a group would split off and build a new church more elaborate than the last one. I didn’t see any parishioners.
Portuguese is the language of Brazil, and there were many signs of poverty. However, for those who could afford it there were many large, lovely restaurants and buffets and an amazing number of parks. These cities were such a change from the serenity of the Amazon region.
I had looked forward to visiting the capital of Brazil, Brasilia, and I was not disappointed. Years ago the capital was Rio but it was moved more in the center of the state and rebuilt on a savannah, presumably to be a “model city”.
There was no individual housing – everyone lived in an apartment. There was a row of high rise buildings housing the Administration and its many departments. Well-placed statues and other art works in parks added to the beauty. There were many beautiful churches with a lot of brightly-stained glass. Those seem to be open to the public all day.
The Shopping Center was very unique. Picture a center core with streets emanating in all directions – one street for shoes, one street for furniture, one for drugs, etc. All in all, Brasilia was meant to be a model city – efficient, pleasant, and livable.
Rio was our next and last place to visit. As usual, a guide met us at the airport. Our travel company had been wonderful having someone to meet us at every destination.
She told us that we would be staying in Copacabana and in order to get there we would have to go through pretty much of Rio. Actually this part of the ride was rather disappointing. Poor economic conditions were very evident both in the business section and the people. We had always pictured Rio as happy, colorful, and musical – a Mardi Gras. This it was not. However, when we approached Copacabana and its many elegant high rise hotels and huge sandy beaches, our mood changed to a much happier one... such a contrast.
Our room was on the 18th floor and we had a beautiful view of a large area encompassing the beaches as well as a large area of the Atlantic sparkling in the sunshine.
Rio is lucky. On one side they have the sea and on the other one fairly large rock formations. Unfortunately, poor people lived in the hills and the wealthier lived near the beaches.
The next morning our guide accompanied us to the well-known huge statue, Christ the Redeemer, whose outstretched arms seemed to encompass the whole city. It is a very large piece of art and is surrounded by lovely gardens and a large park.
The next day was very different. We went to Ipanema and spent the day in a fashionable Jewelry Salon where guests were served coffee in demitasse cups as they viewed the stones and heard all about them. As long as it was our last day, I broke down and bought a small turquoise necklace.
We left Rio at midnight and sat in the plane a couple of hours before the thunder and lightning abated enough to take off. The storm followed us most of the way, so we were happy to see Miami and sunshine and get back home.
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Memorial Videos for Adeline, Elmer, the Extended Family, and the Funny Times.