This weekend has definitely been an
adventure. We took a trip to Macooco, a small fishing village to the northeast
of Belem, with a friend named Augusto to visit his extended family. This has been the first time that Erika and I
have traveled locally, so it was pretty exciting to explore a new town in the
state of Pará. Macooco is literally in
the middle of nowhere! I have no idea how anyone could ever find it, but after
a 4-hour bus ride, we arrived early Saturday morning.
One of the first things
that made me love this town was the windy weather. Augusto’s family lives right
next to the river, so a little break from the Belém heat felt like heaven on
Earth! Although the town is completely secluded, the people of Macooco have
everything they need. Because of their location, it’s easy catching a
particular fish called Go, crabs and
oysters. There is also clay in the river, so people use this natural resource
to make pottery, build houses, and even make outside stoves.
* On a side note, Augusto’s
14-year-old nephew was instructed to start the fire for dinner. As I watched
him gather tinder and arrange the pit, I thought about our experience at Heifer
Ranch. What took us forever to start a
fire took him about 5 minutes! It was pretty awesome.
We spent most of the
weekend swimming, hanging out with the people of Macooco, and partying. The
party scene here is COMPLETELY different from the states, and even Belém,
starting at 11 pm and lasting until 10:00 in the morning- then starting up
again at 6:00 pm the next day! They were celebrating the winners of a soccer
tournament that happened earlier that day. The winning team also received
2-dozen packs of beer and an ample amount of recognition at the party!
The town was aware that two
girls from the states were visiting, so everyone treated us so kindly. Family
friends took us on motorcycle rides, taught us how to kill and eat crab, and
even took us out on a motorboat to the local islands. It’s always nice to
experience a different way of living, and I truly enjoyed their hospitality and
relaxing way of life.
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