Belém

Photo by Lau Polinésio

Belém is the capital of the State of Pará, the largest city in the North
of Brazil and the gateway to the Amazon region.

It is a city outlined by rivers, waterways and channels. Because of this
abundance of water, the equatorial heat is transformed in to coolness and
pleasure. A seemingly typical Amazonic city, with forest, jungle, woods, and
all the exuberance of the fauna and flora of the region, Belém amazes one
because it maintains some harmony between the "cabocla" life and the agitation
of a capital with 1.5 million inhabitants.

In the first hours of the morning the Ver-o-Peso market is teeming with activity.
Boats of all sizes arrive, bringing fruit, meat, fish and many other products.

Only in Belém, for example, it is possible, in less than 10 minutes, to leave the modern world of
comfortable hotels, restaurants, cinemas and, like in a trip through time, cross the rivers that
surround the city, to see the river dwellers begin their day. Here, the rythm is different
its beat is of simplicity and isolation but it is the same in all the Island Region "the archipelago
of Belém" - the islands of Belém.

In Belém, one can taste the best of the region's cuisine. Medicines and
perfumes come from the forest, the water and the land as also does the base of foods.
Açaí, cupuaçu, bacuri, uxi, bacaba, pupunha, mango, Brazil nuts and dozens
of other delicious, exotic and nutritive fruits are responsible, along with fish and manioc
flour, for the survival of a large part of the population.

All over town, mango trees decorate the streets and help fight the heat. Aside from
its high temperatures, Belém is known for its other climatic characteristic - its
afternoons downpours, nearly everyday. Their timing is so regular that we used to say that
people make appointments for before or after the rain, instead of a given hour.

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