AFUA - PARÁ

Em dezembro de 2017 a @janteloa e moi embarcamos para uma das viagens mais interessantes de nossas vidas. Após a sugestão da nossa queria @renatafalzoni embarcamos para Afuá, conhecida como a Veneza brasileira.

Esta aventura foi repleta de perrengues, uma viagem para a única cidade do Brasil em que automóveis ou qualquer outro veículo como motor é proibido.

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Most of the time, luxury a life not lived in normal days is one of the main motivations of tourists. In December 2017, Tati and Me traveled to a tiny town at the estuary of the Amazon river.

This place is the only municipality in Brazil where automobiles or any vehicle with an engine is not allowed. Built practically on the river the town’s streets aren’t capable of supporting heavy vehicles and all the side effects associated with traffic of cars, trucks, and motorcycles.

To travel to Afuá you must rely on boats or airplanes. We choose the second option. That was supposed to be an unexpressive trip.

The first task after arriving at the town was to rent a bicycle. This mean of transportation allowed us to explore all the island. I’m not sure if is the geographical barrier, weather, or other elements, but I noticed a huge cultural gap in this place.
Even having access to cellular networks and radio internet, life in Afuá doesn’t have a similar flow compared with other places.

The morning was rushy, bicycles going back and forth. Most of its population works in the wood harvesting industry. Açaí berry is also an important source of income for its population.

From noon to the beginning of the night, Afuá is a desert place. Due to extreme heat, people prefer to stay at home, most of the houses were equipped with air conditioners. As the sun goes down, life returns to the town. Differently than a normal urban area, having bicycles provided a weird silence to this place.

Like the bicycles, the tide is also responsible to dictate the movement in this place. Boats from the capital of the state Belém do Pará and from Macapá can only dock at its harbor when the tide on the Amazon river allows it.

How beautiful was to visit a place where nature controls our life, instead of human beings fighting to control it all the time. Afuá was one of these experiences that we will carry for the rest of our lives.

#Travel #amazon #life-journey #enjoythejourney