“Not all who wander are lost!”
Founded in 1661, Santarem lies at the confluence of the Tapajos and Amazon Rivers. Both run along many miles in the front of the city, side by side, without mixing, called “the meeting of the waters”.
The Amazon River has 1100 tributaries, 12 of which are over 930 miles long. It is the World’s Second Longest River ~ and if you don’t believe that, you are in “de-Nile”!!
Rubber tree for extracting latex Each tree produces 20#/yr for 25 yrs
At the Casa de Farinha, an old cassava flour mill, we learned how latex is extracted and how the cassava root plant is peeled, shredded and squeezed dry, heated and somehow tapioca is extracted from that process somewhere. I really didn’t follow it all, but the farinha we all tasted was good as well as the treats they made from it and gave us to try.
Can you see her pet bird?
We visited a city museum, Centro Cultural João Fona, located in an 1853 building used before in its history as a City Hall, Municipal Courthouse and jail. The ceramic pieces were made by one of the most important indigenous tribes of the state of Para, the Tapajos Indians.
An optional tour was offered to fish for Piranha! So here is our fishing trip photos even though they were 13 yrs ago on the Rio Negro River by Manaus. Yes, it was cooked.
The two bites were really good.
