28th January 2020

The ship arrived off the coast of the small town of Parintins, situated on the southern bank of the Amazon, just after breakfast. From November to January, the town becomes an island, accessible only by river. We anchored midstream, requiring a 20-minute tender boat ride to the town pier.

Parintins is not a typical tourist destination and attracts few cruise ships. However, thousands flock here at the end of June for the renowned Parintins Folklore Festival, the second-largest festival in Brazil, surpassed only by Rio’s Carnival. Known as the Festival do Boi Bumbá, it celebrates a local legend of the resurrection of a bull.

 

Our options here were to explore the town, take an organised tour of the area, or watch a performance of the Boi Bumbá. We opted for the latter, as it is what the town is famous for. Since the show did not begin until 2:30 pm, we chose to stay on board in the morning, playing table tennis and reading. We were on the first tender reserved for those attending the performance and managed to secure front-row seats.

 

The show was marvellous, far exceeding my expectations and worth every penny. The spectacle’s vibrancy and the dancers’ energy were beyond anything we had ever seen, and we have experienced many cultural performances on our travels. The performers, clad in fantastical costumes, dazzled us with movement and colour while the music pulsed with pure Amazonian rhythm. I found myself grinning rather foolishly throughout; I enjoyed it that much. When invited to join the dancers, I, along with many others, leapt at the chance, swaying, bouncing, and clapping to a hypnotic tune that awakened something primal within us.

Needless to say, I bought a CD of the music, which no doubt will form the backing music to the video I produce for the family on this cruise. Lucas will appreciate that.

On leaving the show, we were surprised to discover that there had been a storm, so enraptured by the performance we had been completely unaware of the atmospheric mayhem taking place. Treading carefully to avoid deep pools of rainwater, we finished our trip into Parintins by purchasing a painting from one of the many stalls located in the street outside.

Whilst on our customary walk around the decks before the evening show began in the ship’s theatre, hunting for strange-looking insects attracted from the passing forest by the lights of the ship, we were treated to more aerial fireworks. Lightning flickered across the night sky, briefly illuminating angry-looking clouds, this could be an interesting night we thought.