Got my cruise and Carimbó on!!

There is an agency in Belém called Valeverde Turismo that organizes tours of the city, islands off the shores of Pará, and they also lead tours abroad. Lindsey was fortunate enough to meet Katia who is an employee of the agency and also runs a Montessori school where Lindsey and I were invited to help with their English courses.

Katia invited us on a mini-cruise to see the sights of Belém from the water and to experience traditional music and dance from the region.

We went along with other English teachers who also work at Comunidade Educativa O Mundo do Peteleco (the Montessori school). Everyone we met was so welcoming and kind. They were excited to share the experience with us as many of them had already taken the same cruise before. In fact, Katia was going on her 30^th time!

The tour began at sunset, and the view from the boat was unbelievable.

I knew I lived in a pretty cool city, but I had never seen it from this perspective. Catedral da Sé could be seen from afar, and it was just stunning.

The view of Ver-O-Peso was also great. It is Belém’s major tourist attraction and it’s the largest open-air market in all of Latin America.

People go there to buy fresh fish, fruits, vegetables, and other foods that are exclusive to the Amazon region.

Artisans also set up and sell their crafts, and on the opposite side of the market, people stop for a drink or two (or three, or four) at the mini bar stands.

Along the other side, the fishing boats are docked, and the scene is just gorgeous.

Clearly, we didn’t have access to the bars near Ver-O-Peso, so the cruise included servers and bartenders to take drink orders.

They were serving Caipirinhas (cocktails made with Brazilian rum called Cachaça, sugar and lemon), Caipiroskas (made with fruit and vodka), and beers from Pará.

I tasted Cerpa for the first time—not bad, although, I definitely prefer Caipirinhas.

We had a great time, especially with the music!!

During the boat ride, we were treated to live music and dance performances. The tour guide gave a rundown of all the sights we passed. He then introduced the dancers and gave some background on the Brazilian music we were listening to and on the dances that were performed.

The musicians played music from all regions of Brazil, and the performers danced their traditional dances. These performances included Carimbó, Forro, and Axé. The dancers were great! Some of the moves were so intricate and beautiful, while others were super intimate—almost too hot for tv!

They have an awesome job!

The performers pulled some of us from the audience to dance with them. At first, it was a little awkward and embarrassing, but it turned out to be a really good time.

I even learned the Retumbada, a traditional dance from Bragança. It’s pretty similar to the Cumbia (Colombia) but danced with a partner.

I had such a good time! It’s no wonder Katia has been on this cruise so many times. I would definitely do it again and again too!