Emily Grace: Jacare Inland Exploring

We did manage some inland exploring during our month stay in Jacare. We got together with a dozen other cruisers and hired a mini-van loosely coordinated by Brian Stevens. We headed inland several hours on bumpy roads to see Campina Grande and the World Heritage listed historic town of Areia. The first day was a bust since most of the places Brian took us were closed and the driver seemed to seek out the worst roads to travel.

We did manage to see the first house in Areia and saw the inner courtyard where slaves were bought and sold. The owners and their wives would stand on the upper balcony while the slave cells below were opened and the slaves brought out for bidding.

Brazil had the largest slave population in the world, substantially larger than the United States. The Portuguese who settled Brazil needed labor to work the large estates and mines in their new Brazilian colony. They turned to slavery which became central to the colonial economy. It was particularly important in the mining and sugar cane sectors. Estimates suggest that about 35 percent of captured Africans involved in the Atlantic slave trade were transported to Brazil. Estimates suggest that more than 3 million Africans reached Brazil, although precise numbers do not exist. Brazil had begun to turn to slavery in the 15th century as explorers began moving along the coast of Africa. With the discovery of the Americas, the Portuguese attempted to enslave the Native American population as well. This did not prove successful. The Native Americans died in large numbers, both because of slave raiding, mistreatment, and the lack of resistance to European diseases. The Portuguese found captured Africans to be a valuable trading commodity as Europeans began to settle the Caribbean islands. They also began transporting Africans to their Brazilian colony. Portuguese Prime Minister Marquês de Pombal abolished slavery in Portugal (February 12, 1761).

The Portuguese action, however, did not address slavery in the colonies. Slaver ownership was widely practiced. Brazilians of all classes owned slaves. Slaves were not only owned by upper and middle class Brazilians, but also by lower class Brazilians. There were even slaves who owned other slaves. Slavery has a huge impact on Brazil. It affected both the economy and the ethnic make-up of the Brazilian population. The importation of such a large number of Africans into a colony with such a small number of Portuguese, profoundly affected the ethnic balance. The level of African imports also meant that unlike North America, African culture was not largely wiped out and thus had a significant impact on Brazilian culture (food, music, dance and religious practices).

Just before sunset we arrived at Pai Mateus farm guest stay, bungalow style accommodation. We had no time to check into rooms as we rushed to see the large rock formations that were within the original farm property. Huge boulders (that weigh 45 tons) stand above the flat ground.

We saw many exotic, mystical stone formations, among which the Pedra do Capacete (Helmet Rock) is the most spectacular. It was pretty cool to see the stones as the sun was setting.

The Pai Mateus farm guest stay was the best part of the trip. They had a nice pool, individual air conditioned bungalows and a full English breakfast in the morning included.

After breakfast we saw more stone formations and this time our guide spoke English and we understood much more about what we were seeing. According to studies, the peculiar rock formations are volcanic and a result of soil erosion over millions of years. The rock was solid deep underground but was broken into pieces and rounded by natural fissures and large temperature variations. Some stones include cave paintings attributed to the Cariris Indians, who lived in the region about 12,000 years ago.

On our return trip we found a Cachaça distillery and took a nice tour. We saw fermenting sugar cane, shiny copper stills and learned a bit more.

The Triumph Cachaça is run by entrepreneurs Antônio Augusto and Maria Julia. In 1994, after receiving an inheritance, the couple decided to buy a mill, old dream of Antônio Augusto. With the lack of money to purchase machinery suitable for making cachaça, the entrepreneurs had to improvise: "We had no money to buy machines to make rum and he started inventing the process. During our factory tour, they explained how a hairdryer and hand operated meat grinder were used in the original production. We also saw the bottling operation running and it was an opportunity for the kids to see mechanical engineering in action. I doubt that the safety and cleanliness standards were up to USA levels, but it was cool to see.

Of course we had to enjoy several tastings and bought a few bottles for the boat.

We were brought to another local eatery with nice views but serving typical rubber Brazilian meat. We had learned by now and enjoyed nice chicken dishes! We were glad to return to the boat but almost every passenger came down with same cold as one of the sick kids on the crowded bus. It was a full week before everyone had recovered from the shared cold.

On a more positive note, we rented an air-conditioned car for 3 days and explored Joao Pessoa, and visited several malls and also did last minute food provisioning

Early one morning we headed for Igreja Sao Francisco.

The Museum and Cultural Center of Saint Francis in João Pessoa is made up of the Sao Francisco Church and the Convent Santo Antonio, which is one of the city’s best examples of highly embellished baroque architecture and the Popular Culture Museum.

Construction of the church began in 1589 and was not completed until 1770, due to interruption from battles with the Dutch and French. The attached convent was built in 1779. The convent has a huge forecourt, which is bounded by walls on either side and richly adorned with azulejos and statues. Portuguese tiled walls lead up to the church's carved jacaranda wood doors. Wonderful paintings decorated every ceiling.

The Popular Museum inside the complex has a permanent display of folklore, xylographs and baroque and sacred art.

Once we had enjoyed our private tour of the church and convent, we followed directions to the Arruda Câmara Zoological Park.

The Arruda Câmara Park has over 500 animals of about 80 different species and the aviary where you can walk among the birds. The park has undergone a recent renovation and has new facilities for reptiles, birds of prey and many mammals. They did not have too many animals but it only cost $1.50 for all three of us to enter and roam around.