Life in the riverside jungle village of Boca Da Valeria is much different than you or I know. The lives of people from this small village centers around and focuses on the Amazon River. This is the source of most of their food and it’s their only transportation means. The Amazon is their bathtub and their drinking water. Children learn how to swim early on and over time how to build canoes and use them in the swift waters. The Amazon water moves toward the Atlantic Ocean at about 6 knots per hour. Children go to the small school very early in the day, because by noon it gets very hot and humid. Everyone uses a hammock for sleeping along the river. A mattress would not last and would become mildewed very quickly. Your hammock is used in your small home or as travel down the Amazon in a riverboat. Though the people are poor we have yet to find anyone who isn’t smiling or laughing. The children are very interested in visitors. Many of them brought me their personal jungle pets; sloths, monkey, agoits, or iguanas to see. These children were most interested in a small LED flashlight that I carry. Each of them wanted that light. Anything other than normal river or jungle items must be brought down the river from the larger cities. People here can’t just jump into the car and go to the local grocery store or Wal-Mart.
In the photos you can see some of their houses. Note that there are no windows or screens. Protection from mosquitoes is only from netting over there hammocks at nights and from jungle herbs during the day. The canoe pictured came out to the ship trying to sell necklaces with shells and beads. The woman in the front of the canoe is the grandmother of this family.
Tonight we head down the river to Santarem.
