Day 13 - Leaving Marajó Island

Today we left Marajó to head back to the city of Belém.  I have had such a wonderful time here.  I don't want to leave!

Of course, I got to say goodbye to a sweet water buffalo on my way down to the pier.

Before we go to Belém, we have one more beach day planned in another cute town.  We had to take the ferry to get there.  I'm not sure if I mentioned this yet but this is how they travel all over Marajó.  They load their cars, bikes, kids, etc. and ride from island to island.

The view was so amazing!

We are here!  Another fun day awaits!

We had a very tropical lunch.  So good!

I didn't realize when I ordered Guaraná at this restaurant that they would give me a HUGE bottle!!  It was only 6,00 Reias, too!  That is about $1.10.  So cheap!

Here is another boat.  I chose not to swim today.  They said the water was super hot and gross.  Like swimming in sewage. No thanks..... I'll pass! 

Next we took the van to head over to our big passenger boat where we would take the 2 hour ride to Belém.  I took pictures of a lot of the houses and churches that I passed.  I wish that I could stop and talk to all of the people in this area.  I was so curious to learn what life was like for them there.  How did they live during the rainy seasons to help with their livelihood?  Was it hard to get from place to place when the roads were covered with water during the rainy seasons?

This church was so cute.  I got a special feeling when passing it.  Just the way that the outside has weathered the storms is a story in itself.

And.... what could be better than a PINK church!  How fun is that?

I wanted to remember that these people have faced hard times.  This picture shows me that even though they may have it rough, they still have bloomed where planted and made this a home.

This was our HUGE boat to take us back to the mainland.

What a gorgeous view!

They had a little snack bar with chocolate cake!  YUMMY!  I'm going to miss all the food and desserts when I have to go back to Utah.

Cake and grape Fanta.... what could be better?!!

The sunset was glorious!

We got another shuttle and made the journey to our new hotel.  While some of the students were chatting away telling random stories, my eyes were fixed to what was outside my window.  We were driving through a pretty rough part of town.  Mel said that the majority lives like this and we really have only been staying in the nice parts of town.  

Finally at our new hotel and I have my own room here, too.  I love having downtime to regroup. What a busy and fun day we had!