Amazon & Carnaval Explorer, Report #17, Boca da Valeria Boca da Valeria (‘Mouth of the Valeria’) is a small community located where the Valeria River enters on the south bank of the Amazon River. In our view it is substantial hubris that HAL promotes our visit to this community as “a National Geographic experience with aboriginal Amazonians”. We have another characterization – HAL’s description is highly contrived –

and sad. We see this as a community (and surrounding villages), likely once self-reliant and self-sustaining, being converted for the self-aggrandizing satisfaction of cruise ship passengers, into a

perpetual dependency on the charity of others, not totally unlike a transition into begging for a living. There are foreboding dark clouds of weather cells around us (upper left) as we arrive ashore on the tender – seemingly escorted by Amazonian pink dolphins , a highlight of the visit -- at the primitive village pier children are marshalled into two impenetrable lines as a narrow gauntlet that must be passed through. During that passage, apparently following their instructions, these sweet young children attempt to take us by the hand, one on each side. We think the gesture is intended to be an expression of endearment and emotional attachment. To us

it seems a little more like a form of entrapment. From other passengers we hear stories – once “adopted” it is not easy to negotiate a release. The kids cling on to benefactors with rigorous tenacity. We hear one “grandmother” tell the little girl who had adopted her, “Dear, I don’t have any more dollar bills.” The kids are behaving as they are expected by their parents, nevertheless these naïve kids are undeniably sweet. In less contrived circumstances one could not help but to love them to bits.

Bob ultimately extracts himself from the milieu at the tender pier looking to find a hiking trail less crowded. We know from a previous visit here, this Caboclo village contains a few wooden houses and some local wildlife,

including monkeys, sloths, birds and several varieties of flowers. We feel empathy for the sloths (above, left). Juveniles are handled roughly by the kids – at least in comparison to our standard – but likely consistent with theirs. Proceeding up a trail he encounters a resident, who speaks no English at all, but seems to want Bob to follow. Arriving at his home, this resident turns to ask for money. Instead, hoping to find a scenic overview Bob finds another trail through the dense jungle climbing steeply up to the highlands above – there are no others on this scramble grade. Disappointingly, at more than 400 vertical feet the overhead jungle canopy opens into a livestock grazing field – with no scenic view. Time to head back to the ship.

Notwithstanding Boca da Valeria we are having a fantastic cruise, ‘till next we

have the pleasure of seeing you, love to all, Bob and Kerrell, http://lincolnshome.wordpress.com/